A Taste of Heritage - Exploring Traditional Qatari Cuisine

Traditional Food in Qatar

Traditional Qatari food also brings together a blend of ingredients gathered from historic trade routes. A plethora of distinct flavours from Indian, North African, Persian and Lebanese Cuisines tell the enigmatic story of the nation’s past through its most loved dishes. 

The country is home to world-class restaurants and many internationally renowned chefs have brought their concepts to Doha and opened incredible restaurants in Qatar. From simple meals enjoyed at home to exquisite fine dining, Qatar has a rich and extensive culinary history. Here are some of the most popular foods in Qatar. 

What Is Qatar’s National Dish?

The most iconic national dish of Qatar is Chicken Majboos (also known as Kabsa). This delicious and quintessentially local recipe is a must-try traditional food in Qatar. 

The meat is gently simmered until tender with a fragrant blend of aromatic spices, and the same broth is then used to cook the rice, which absorbs all of the rich flavours.

What are some of the most popular foods in Qatar?

Rice dishes are a staple food of Qatar, often seasoned with middle eastern spices such as saffron, cloves, cardamon and served with succulent meats such as lamb or chicken or fish. Qatar’s coastal location on the Arabian Gulf means an abundance of excellent produce like tiger shrimp (rubiyan), grouper (hamour) and other fresh seafood.

Qatari cuisine is all about deep, rich aromatic flavours prepared slowly and with care. Above all, Qatari food is meant to be shared! Usually meals are presented on large platters, perfect for enjoying together with family and friends. 

Popular foods in Qatar include Harees, also known as Chicken Jareesh. This traditional food of Qatar made with whipped wheat and chicken is frequently eaten during the holy month of Ramadan. Other must-try dishes are Lamb Thareed and Madrouba, a warming Qatari-style porridge prepared with overcooked rice, chicken and a flavourful mix of ingredients. 

What do Qataris eat for breakfast?

A traditional Qatari breakfast is composed of several small plates with sweet and savoury dishes side-by-side. When enjoying breakfast in Qatar, the emphasis is on sampling different foods and spending time with loved ones.

A typical Qatar food at breakfast is Khubz,  a light and fluffy kind of flatbread often eaten with labneh, a strained yoghurt with herbs and olive oil. Eggs, cheeses and olives are all widely enjoyed as part of a Qatari breakfast. 

Made with cardamom, saffron, thin noodles, eggs and sugar, Balaleet is a tasty and authentic Qatari breakfast food. Small cups of Karak (spiced tea with condensed milk) or Qahwa, a traditional Qatari coffee are usually served.

Discover traditional Qatari coffee 

A fascinating exhibition running at the National Museum of Qatar as part of the Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culturedelves into the traditional and contemporary coffee cultures of Qatar and Indonesia. 

For coffee lovers and those with an interest in the past and present of the coffee industry, Growing Kopi, Drinking Qahwa - The Story of Coffees in Qatar and Indonesia is an unmissable experience, highlighting the art of coffee in Qatar. 

What is a famous dessert in Qatar?

Many of the most famous desserts in Qatar contain dates, pistachio nuts, almonds, honey and gently warming spices such as cardamom or cinnamon.  A beloved dish among Qatari households is Aish el Saraya, or “palace bread”; a fragrant layered dessert made with bread, rose or orange blossom sugar syrup and thick cream, topped with nuts. 

Typically eaten during Eid Al Fitr, bite-sized Luqaimat are deep-fried balls of dough served with honey or sugar syrup. Michelin-starred French chef Guillaume Sanchez put his own spin on the traditional Qatari dessert during the Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture.

Another sweet staple food of Qatar is Atayef Pancakes, which are shaped into mini cones and filled with ricotta or cream and rolled in crushed nuts. As part of the Qatar-MENASA 2022 Year of Culture, we partnered with award-winning Palestinian chef Sami Tamimi, who shared his recipe for Atayef Pancakes with new audiences.

Where is the Best Food in Qatar?

Where to find the best food in Qatar is of course highly subjective. Many would argue that traditional home cooking is unbeatable, with family recipes for Qatari cuisine passed down through generations. 

However there are also a number of excellent restaurants specialising in the traditional food of Qatar. The Rosado Café by Qatari chef Noor Al Mazroei, located in the Pearl is a wonderful place to try local recipes and the traditional food of Qatar.

Traditional food restaurants in Doha

The country’s gastronomic scene is constantly evolving, with numerous fine dining restaurants Doha serving a modern twist on old favourites. World-famous chef Alain Ducasse pays homage to Qatar at Jiwan, set within the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ). The extraordinary seasonal set menu adopts ancient Bedouin cooking techniques and reimagines traditional Qatar food in creative ways, using hyper local produce. 

During the Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture, Jiwan hosted an Indonesian night with a specially curated menu themed around sustainable sources of food from across Indonesia.

The Michelin-starred chef has a second restaurant, IDAM by Alain Ducasse at the Museum of Islamic Art. Emphasising warm Arabian hospitality, the fine-dining establishment serves typically Mediterranean food, with an unexpected burst of Qatari flavour. 

The Desert Rose Cafe at NMoQ is one of the best places to enjoy authentic Qatar cuisine by Chef Noof Al Marri. The prominent Qatari chef  famed dishes such as The prominent local chef is famed for her Qatari fusion cuisine and dishes such as Machboos, Madrouba and Baranyoosh.

To mark the Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture, Chef Noof embarked on a culinary journey across Indonesia to share her culinary knowledge and traditional Qatar food through cooking demonstrations, collaborations and more. 

Discover more of the best restaurants in Qatar with Years of Culture.