Like many places the world over it is traditional to bring a dish when invited to a dinner among good friends and family. It is also typical when having a Saudi family to dinner at your home you naturally want to showcase your best dishes. However be forewarned, many Saudis may not like or have an aversion to trying dishes with which they are not familiar or not from their culture. I learned the hard way. We would have family members to dinner and I would make some of my favorite dishes such as lasagna, homemade soups, Southwestern style salad, Roast beef, turkey with all the traditional fixings as well as favorite American desserts. I would notice that guests would of course be polite and take small servings but in many cases maybe they’d enjoy a bite or two and leave the rest on the plate. I’m not going to pretend I am a haute cuisine chef but I will say in practical terms that my cooking is not all that bad and generally tasty. But…it is not the traditional Saudi food which Saudis are most used to and accustomed. Now when I have guests, Saudi guests, I will prepare the cucumber and tomato salad. I will not make a lettuce salad with pieces of bbq’d chicken, tomatoes, onion, corn and my own special dressing instead. I will serve kupsa, saleeq, garcon, jeerish, lots of rice, veggies which have been simmered in tomato sauce instead of the other dishes which I grew up on. And the desert will likely be something from a local bakery like kanafa or something with lots of honey rather than my own homemade pies, fruit salads or trifles.
Filed under: America, culture, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, Uncategorized
Let’s just say that I will reserve my opinion until I taste your cooking
That is sad, I love trying new things. I dont know, maybe this is a regional thing in Saudi?
My wife’s family comes from the Hijaz where there is a large variety of backgrounds of the people, and the “local” food now comes from everywhere in the world.
One of my favourite dishes that my wife and her family cooks is called “Din Din” and comes originally from Indonesia. Condisdering the wide range of ethnic backgrounds of the people in the Hijaz, I guess the food on offer there is of a larger variety.
I am sure your cooking is just fine. We have a friend, the husband is a white guy, the wife Jordanian. He has been all around the world, tried almost every food you can think of, and still likes to stick to “meat and potatos”. When he comes to dinner we are always sure to include some sort of meat dish such as kabob along with other dishes.
Personally, whilst I will eat Arab foods, I tend to like my food more spicy and really go for Pakistani, Afghani or Indian food.
Do you also try to serve your Saudi guests Saudi-type coffee, or isn’t that a problem?
Ahmed: You’ve got it…so do I prepare typical American or traditional Saudi?
Abu Sinan: We have had guests from all over the Kingdom living here in Riyahd which is in some ways a melting pot. The more one has traveled the more open they may be towards trying new and different dishes. (at least that is what I have encountered)
Solomon2: That’s a good question. We have found it pretty much to be 50/50 on which type of coffee our guests prefer. To play it safe I usually have (perked) coffee as well as traditional arab kawa available to choose from. I specifically state perked since most places here (if out or even as a guest in) will serve Nescafe.
No traditional Saudi food for me, I feel adventurous
Carol,
Where are you from the states? Ahmed feels adventurous! Some good ole southern cooking might be way out there!
Can you get collard greens in Saudi?
Oh Carol, I feel terrible for you. Is there anything I can do for you? I have an idea, I know just the thing to make you feel better. Me! Dinner! Your place! American! I even take doggie bags (unlike Saudis who leave the restaurant with full meals left untouched at the table!).
Ahmed: Okay — you’ve got it! And I know where you have been in the States so I’ll try to come up with something different from what you may have already tried.
Abu Sinan: The home state is Pennsylvania but the roots are Serbian…hmm, wonder if he has ever tasted perogies?! Nooooo…I think I’ll do something more typical American oriented but I’ll have to keep it a surprise until afterwards.
Collard greens….not that I know of and I’m not sure even I know how to cook with them either!
Umm Adam: You need to let me know when you make it to Riyadh.
I tell ya what ya’ll…with the weather getting as nippy as it is now in Riyadh (hitting freezing and below at night) I’m ready to make a big old fashioned pot of Texas style chili served with tasty cornbread!
That’s the problem of reading blogs from the other side of the world: I can’t invite you all to sample my traditional chinese cooking. I was always very bored with (and bad at) Dutch cooking, then I started chinese cooking and discovered I’quite good at it after all! And succesfull when I bring it to parties.
In the Netherlands you can get food from all over the world.
And many indonesian dishes are now ”traditional” in the dutch kitchen!
oh yum… Chinese has always been one of my favorites. I’ve always enjoyed General Tao’s chicken from the States but rarely see it (at least in the same way as prepared in the States) when elsewhere.
I traveled through Urumqi, Turpan and Kashgar, China where the dishes are quite different and thick egg noodles are served with most meals.
(Thoroughly enjoying your blog)
Serving Saudi food is probably the kindest thing you can do for your guests, but you might also want to include one or two of your own special dishes and desserts (ones that you won’t mind eating as leftovers) for the more adventuresome.
My Kuwaiti friends love Pecan Pie, candied pecans, most of our very sweetest sweets. They also like Jambalaya and Paella (but Kuwaitis eat a lot of seafood and have a similar dish called Machboos, so it is not too unfamiliar.)
intlxpatr – thank you and welcome!
Yes; I do tend to try and slip in one of my dishes or desserts from time to time while also making sure there is more than enough of the traditional dishes for those who may not feel so adventurous.
You raise a good point…in many cases, the sweeter the sweet the more popular it will be. Although I am happy to say that during the recent Eid al Adha holidays I prepared a big batch of traditional Chocolate marshmellow fudge which did disappear in no time flat and I was besieged with requests for the recipe!
Hi,
i am new here,like your blog,
it is very sad and i have for many years wonder what it is whith arabs,
(NO not all of them) why are they so afraid to taste something new and why do we for exampel Swedish people think it is very EAYB to NOT taste something new….it should be the same for all of us,i have meet so many arabs in the years who dont even THINK about to taste….hmm
Welcome and thanks so much for your posting. I don’t want to sound like I am picking on Saudis or Arabs though…to be fair, there are also a lot of Americans who are not comfortable eating foods outside their culture as well.
oh i am sorry if it sounds like i am picking on saudis or arabs , i am not but i have been married to an Lebanese from i was 15 to 25 and then married to an Palestinian born in Syria ,since i was 26 (i am now 36) and i have been traveled and lived in Lebanon and now i live in Syria for 3 years and i dont forget all the years in Sweden when all my friends were from Middle east (many years of experiance hehe) i just thinks it sad that so many people dont even THINK about to taste something new.