Food and Drink

The Bahraini cusine consists of spicy, strongly flavoured Arabic food. Several restaurants serve international cuisine.

Bahrain's traditional foods include fish, meat, rice and dates. The fresh fish of the Gulf play an particularly important part of the Bahraini diet, such as the Hamour (grouper), which is typically served grilled, fried or steamed. Other popular local fish include Safi (rabbit fish), Chanad (mackerel) and Sobaity (see bream). Most of the time, fish is eaten with rice.

Traditional Bahraini foods and dishes include:

• machboos (meat or fish served with rice)
• muhammar (sweet rice served with dates or sugar)
• qoozi or ghoozi (grilled lamb stuffed with rice, boiled eggs, onions and spices)
• falafel (fried balls of chickpeas served in a bread)
• shawarma (lamb or chicken carved from a rotating spit and wrapped in pita bread)
• khubz (a large flatbread baked in a special oven)

Coffee (known as gahwa) is considered a part of the traditional welcome in Bahrain. It is usually poured into a coffee-pot (which is called dalla in Bahrain) and served in a small cup known as a finjan. While the sale of alcohol is not encouraged, it is available (to non-Muslims only) at clubs, good hotels and restaurants. Arak (aniseed-flavoured grape spirit) and beer is often drunk.