Makkah Food Glossary: Arabic Food Words for Pilgrims

Basic ordering words

• Dajaj (دجاج) — chicken
• Lahm (لحم) — meat (usually beef or lamb)
• Samak (سمك) — fish
• Ruz (رز) — rice
• Khubz (خبز) — bread
• Har (حار) — spicy
• Bidoon (بدون) — without, e.g. 'bidoon basal' (no onion)
• Ziyada (زيادة) — extra
• Sagheer / Wasat / Kabeer — small / medium / large
• Al-hisab (الحساب) — the bill

Dishes

• Kabsa (كبسة) — spiced rice with chicken or lamb, Saudi national dish
• Mandi (مندي) — slow-cooked meat over rice, Yemeni origin
• Mathbi (مثبي) — meat or chicken grilled on hot stones
• Saleeg (سليق) — creamy rice cooked in milk, from Taif
• Mutabbaq (مطبق) — stuffed pan-fried pastry
• Ful (فول) — stewed fava beans
• Tamees (تميس) — large clay-oven flatbread
• Shawarma (شاورما) — spit-roasted meat in bread
• Broast (بروستد) — pressure-fried chicken
• Harees (هريس) — wheat and meat porridge

Drinks

• Gahwa (قهوة) — Saudi cardamom coffee
• Shai (شاي) — tea; 'shai bi na'na' is mint tea
• Laban (لبن) — salty drinking yoghurt
• Asir (عصير) — juice
• Moya (مويه) — water (colloquial)
• Sobia (سوبيا) — Hejazi Ramadan drink
• Zamzam (زمزم) — the blessed water of Makkah

Sweets

• Tamr (تمر) — dates
• Kunafa (كنافة) — cheese pastry in syrup
• Basbousa (بسبوسة) — semolina cake
• Luqaimat (لقيمات) — fried dough balls with date syrup
• Maamoul (معمول) — date-filled biscuits

Polite phrases

• Min fadlak / min fadlik — please (to a man / woman)
• Shukran — thank you
• Jazak Allahu khayran — may Allah reward you with good
• Bil hana wa shifa (بالهناء والشفاء) — enjoy your meal / to your health

Frequently asked questions