14-Day Saudi Arabia
Itinerary

Kabsa

Saudi Arabia's national dish and the Arabian Peninsula's greatest rice preparation: long-grain basmati rice slow-cooked in a broth of chicken or lamb with tomato, whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black lime) and saffron until each grain is separate and fragrant; the meat is placed on top; served on a communal platter and eaten by hand as a gesture of hospitality.

Mandi

Saudi Arabia's most celebrated feast dish, a whole lamb or chicken slow-cooked in a tandoor-like underground pit (tandoor mandi) suspended over fragrant rice; the steam of the slowly roasting meat seasons the rice beneath; the result is extraordinarily tender meat and the most aromatic rice on the peninsula; a dish associated with weddings, Eid and tribal hospitality.

Harees

One of the oldest dishes in the Arab world: whole wheat and meat slow-cooked in a sealed clay pot or copper cauldron for up to 12 hours until both merge into a smooth, porridge-like consistency; seasoned with ghee, cinnamon and sometimes fried onion; Jeddah's coastal version uses fish; served at dawn during Ramadan and at every Jeddah family iftar.

Saleeg

Hejaz's white rice dish: short-grain rice slow-cooked directly in a broth of boiled chicken with milk and spices until it becomes a creamy, thick, porridge-textured rice of extraordinary richness; topped with the poached chicken and drizzled with a samneh (clarified butter) and browned onion; the Jeddah and Mecca version is the most refined in the kingdom.

Jareesh

Saudi Arabia's most ancient grain dish: hulled and cracked wheat slow-cooked with lamb, chicken or camel meat and seasoned with onion, cumin and turmeric until it collapses into a thick, warming porridge; topped with browned onion and ghee; a dish from the Najdi heartland eaten at cold desert mornings; a staple of Saudi tribal heritage.