National Rice Dish · Spiced & Slow-Cooked

Machboos

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Its signature sour note comes from loomi — whole dried limes, blackened by weeks in the sun, that are cracked open and simmered whole in the pot rather than squeezed.

Machboos is basmati rice slow-cooked with chicken, lamb, or shrimp in a stock perfumed with dried lime, saffron, cardamom, and cinnamon, the meat usually browned separately and set on top before serving. In Abu Dhabi it's the standard centerpiece of Friday family lunches and hotel banquets alike.

Why it's made this way: As the UAE's closest thing to a national dish, machboos carries particular ceremonial weight in the capital, where it anchors state and diplomatic hospitality alongside gahwa and dates.