Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
laced with lime, chilli and onions, and is a popular dish used to break the fast during Ra-
madan.
Visitors should try
shuwa
(marinated meat cooked in an earth oven) if given the chance.
It is the dish of parties and festivals, and comprises goat, mutton, calf or camel meat, pre-
pared with date juice and spices, and wrapped in banana leaves. The result, at least 12
hours later, is a mouth-wateringly tenderised piece of meat, aromatically flavoured with
wood smoke and spices. It is served with
rukhal
(wafer-thin Omani bread) and rice on a
fadhl
(giant, communal eating tray), and eaten, of course, with the right hand only. Guests
traditionally eat first, followed by men, who are expected to reserve the best pieces for
women.
A delicious traditional dish from southern Oman is
rabees
. It is made from boiled baby
shark, stripped and washed of the gritty skin, and then fried with the liver.
Fruit is an important part of an Omani meal, usually served before the meat course.
Oman grows its own prize pomegranates, bananas, apricots and citrus fruit on the terraced
gardens of Jebel Akhdar.
Camel milk is available fresh and warm from the udder in Bedouin encampments. Like
mare milk, it's an experience many prefer to miss! Alcohol cannot be purchased 'over the
counter' in Oman without a resident permit. It is available, however, in most of the more
expensive hotels and restaurants.
OMAN'S FAVOURITE SWEETS
Omanis have a decidedly sweet tooth, which they indulge during every important social occasion. Little surprise
then that Oman has a particularly high incidence of diabetes. What is more surprising is that most Omanis have a
fine set of teeth. If offered, you'll be expected to sample the traditional treats so don't forget to use only your
right hand in receiving or offering the following sweetmeats.
Halwa
At official ceremonies, such as graduations and National Day celebrations,
halwa
is offered to guests.
Lumps of the sticky, glutinous confection are pinched out of a communal dish between the right finger and
thumb, much to the chagrin of those who forgot to bring a hanky. This sweetmeat is made of sugar or dates, saf-
fron, cardamom, almonds, nutmeg and rosewater in huge copper vats heated over the fire and stirred for many
hours by men wielding long, wooden pestles; it's hard and hot work and its production is displayed as an enter-
tainment during
eids
(Islamic feasts) and festivals. Every region thinks it produces the best
halwa
but Barka is
generally understood to have the edge and many outlets around the town sell it piled up in colourful plastic bowls
or glazed ceramic dishes.
Dates
If no one quite got round to making the
halwa
for a party, then dates will suffice. Dates are not only an in-
dispensable part of a meal, but also of Omani hospitality. Dates are always served with one or two cups of strong
qahwa
(Arabic coffee laced with cardamom) and it is impolite to refuse to share at least one date with at least two
cups with a host (but not too many more).
Honey
Dubbed by some as the 'liquid gold' of the region, honey costs OR10 to OR70 a kilo. As such, it's easy to
see why apiculture is on the increase. It's not a new trend, however: boiling honey was used in Oman as a weapon
