Kuwaiti cuisine reflects the country's position at the crossroads of the Arab world, Persia, and the Indian subcontinent. The food is rich, heavily spiced, and generous in portion. Seafood has been central to the diet since the pearl-diving days, and the Gulf waters still provide excellent fish.
Machboos (also spelled majboos) is the national dish -- fragrant basmati rice cooked with meat, chicken, or fish, seasoned with a blend of spices including turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, and dried limes. Every family has their own recipe, and arguments about the best version are a national pastime.
Mutabbaq samak is the other great Kuwaiti classic: spiced fried fish, typically hamour (grouper), served over rice with caramelized onions. You will find it everywhere from street stalls to upscale restaurants.
Machboos deyay (chicken machboos) is the everyday comfort food. Harees is a porridge-like dish of wheat and meat, slow-cooked until it becomes silky smooth -- particularly popular during Ramadan. Tashreeb is a hearty stew of meat or chickpeas served over torn flatbread that soaks up the broth.
The bread is worth seeking out. Khubz is a large flatbread baked in a tandoor-style oven, often topped with sesame seeds. Watch it being made fresh at any bakery -- it is best eaten hot, torn by hand, and dipped into hummus or a bowl of stew.
For seafood, look for hamour (grouper), safi (rabbitfish), and sobaity (sea bream), grilled or fried and served simply with rice. The fish market at Sharq is a spectacle worth visiting even if you are not buying.
Kuwaiti desserts are sweet and aromatic. Gers ogaily is a saffron-and-cardamom cake traditionally served with tea. Lugaimat are deep-fried dumplings drizzled with date syrup -- addictive and available at most traditional restaurants.
The best place to sample authentic Kuwaiti food is Souk Al-Mubarakiya in Kuwait City, where small eateries serve machboos, grilled kebabs, and fresh juices at plastic tables. For a more upscale experience, restaurants like Freej Swaileh and Mais Alghanim serve traditional food in comfortable settings.