Hi there! Rica here and I’m going to share with you my favorite Arabic desserts or finger foods. This is speaking from experience of when I lived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 2 years and 8 years in United Arab Emirates, so I’ve grown accustomed to their tastes, traditions, dishes, and customs. So if you’re ever going to the U.A.E these are some dishes I would recommend.

 Usually when you think of Arabic food you think of Shawarma or Biriyani. And if a person asks what they think Arabic food tastes like, the first thing that’ll pop into their mind is that it has A TON of spices, they’re not wrong. Arabic food has so many freaking spices compared to other cuisines. Usually it’s on the really fragrant side, so if you’re not into foods with strong aroma then try to avoid Indian, Pakistan, and Arabic foods. Their spiciness is actually less on the chili pepper kind of hot and more on the spices kind of hot.  Though, of course, there are some exceptions like their desserts. Here’s a list of the desserts or fingerfoods that I absolutely loved back when I was in U.A.E

1. Manaqish

Whenever my mom was too tired to cook, I’d just ask for 10 dirhams and buy this bread for 3 or 5 dirhams and then a bottle of water for 1 dirham then I’d save the rest of the money in case I need to buy water again or buy something outside like gum.  It’s basically Arabic bread (pita) with spread in between. There’s a lot of flavors but the most common ones I bought was either Za’atar or Cheese. The cheese can be Nabulsi or Akawi which is actually a bit salty but it tastes good with the really plain taste of the bread. Za’atar on the other hand is… well it tastes a bit minty and salty. Za’atar is made of ground herbs, these herbs are:  thyme, oregano, and marjoram, sometimes they add toasted sesame seeds and salt. This is just a go to food for me that’s really budget friendly (cheap 😉 ) and fills my stomach. This bread is especially when the cheese is soft and the bread is warm, it just warms you up from the inside out.

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