Five Omani dishes you have to try

The sea covers 70% of the globe, connecting and influencing most nations, but there is something special about Oman’s relationship to it. Maybe it’s the confluence of the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean nearby, or the presence of the world’s largest ‘sand sea’ – an area known as the Empty Quarter. It is for these reasons that Oman is often called an island, surrounded as it is by oceans of water and sand.

This geography, coupled with the country’s history as a trading hub, has long influenced its cooking. Merchants from ancient Iran, Afghanistan and the Levant all travelled to and settled here, as did Mesopotamians, Sumerians and Persians. By the 16th century, the Portuguese had arrived from their colonies in India and settled in the north, taking over parts of the coast and what is now the capital, Muscat. These many influences can be tasted in the fish curries that are an ever-present in Muscat homes, the street food enjoyed on the Mutrah Corniche, the richly spiced, ghee-laden dishes of Oman’s interior, and in the deliciously varied seafood found in towns along the rambling coastline.

In researching my book, Bahari, I came to learn of all the different worlds in which the inhabitants of each Omani region live, from the Bedouin in the desert to the lively communities of the coastal cities. They each have their own foods and traditions, and generally seem uninterested in what is not theirs. But as I began writing, I slowly realised Omani cuisine is so rich and beautiful precisely because of this mix of so many places with fascinating histories.

Bahraini tikka is well loved among our community in Muscat, but there is only one place in the capital that does a good one: Antalya in Al Hail. It mainly serves shawarmas, but nestled in the back is a man who makes excellent tikka: succulent, chargrilled skewers with a tender tang. Cooking on hot coals helps to bring a pleasing smokiness to the citrus taste, but this meat is best eaten with bread, as the dried lime can be sharp if taken on its own.

Mutahfy fish curry is typically eaten by people from Muscat – usually Shia Muslims who grew up by the Mutrah Corniche. Though it is traditionally made with tuna, the sauce base is so full of flavour that it can be made without fish as a vegan alternative – I sometimes serve it as a dip. Try this and a variety of different Omani dishes (machboos, qabooli) at Rozna on Al Maardih Street in Muscat. You can’t miss it – it has been designed to look like a fort!

Across most of the Gulf and in a few other Arab countries, this dish is known as machboos (meaning ‘to compress’) because the ingredients are cooked in one pot and the meat is packed tightly beneath the rice. The traditional method takes much longer, as you would fry each element separately. While it is often made with chicken, you can substitute this for vegetables or lamb. Head to Al Angham at Muscat’s Royal Opera House for a high-end version; a more cosy neighbourhood alternative is Machboos Kuwaiti in the capital’s Al Khuwair South area.

The concept of this dish, which is usually made with tuna, is confusing at first, as it uses similar methods to a curry but has a very different consistency – it’s thick and has little excess liquid, so it’s rather like a pâté. A good friend taught me how to make it one winter in Salalah and explained that its thick texture was intended to make it easier to transport on long journeys. You’ll struggle to find it in restaurants, but this is commonly made in homes in Old Muscat, and tour guides with connections can usually hook you up with a homemade meal. Oman is small and this is the type of hospitality we do!

Qaranqasho is an Omani celebration that takes place on the 14th day of Ramadan, mainly across the north coast. Children dress up in traditional clothing and mothers prepare nibbles and sweet baskets, then open up their doors to all. This is also the only time of year that you’ll see khaliat nahal, a sweet bread known for its honeycomb shape. It is found in both Oman and Yemen and is always filled with cheese, though the syrups drizzled over it differ from family to family. You’ll see it in a lot of bakeries, and it is also often found at the sweet shop Shahad Al Jazeera, which has branches in Al Amarat, Al Ansab,

This extract was taken from Dina Macki’s Bahari: Recipes from an Omani Kitchen and Beyond (Dorling Kindersley; £26), which sees the author travel Oman and Zanzibar unearthing regional delicacies and recreating the food of her heritage across some 100 recipes for meat, fish, vegetables, homemade breads and dips.