Saudi Arabia Announces Jareesh and Maqshush as National Dishes

Saudi Arabian culinary Maqshush. (Twitter/@mocsaudi_en)

JAKARTA - The Saudi Culinary Arts Commission announced it has chosen jareesh as the national dish of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and maqshush as the country's national dessert, "to honor and celebrate" the intrinsic dishes.

The choice of jareesh reflects its popularity since ancient times, the ministry said, as references to the dish have been made in Arabic heritage books for centuries.

The process of making jareesh traditionally involves grinding the wheat by hand using a coarse mill, reported The National News, January 12.

Meanwhile, maqshush is a dessert usually served for breakfast in Saudi Arabian households, consisting of wheat flour, ghee and honey or sugar.

Despite their popularity, authenticity of taste and significance in Saudi culture, jareesh and maqshush were chosen for their ease of preparation and widespread availability of ingredients.

Made of buckwheat pan bites, topped with ghee, honey, dates molasses or sugar, #Maqshush has been announced as the National Dessert of Saudi Arabia. When it is cold and rainy outside, #Maqshush is easily the choice of indulgence in Saudi Arabia.#SaudiMinistryOfCulture pic.twitter.com/lQqMrc3T0C

— Saudi Arabia Ministry of Culture (@mocsaudi_en) January 11, 2023

This announcement is part of the ongoing 'National & Regional Dish Narratives' initiative, which seeks to identify and celebrate popular local dishes in Saudi Arabian culture.

The activity, which is part of the joint efforts of the Commission on Culinary Arts and the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia to showcase the country's culture, will continue to research and identify the dishes that best represent the kingdom's 13 regions. Additional dishes will be announced later this year.

The Culinary Arts Commission aims to "celebrate dishes regionally and internationally, documenting their recipes for posterity and highlighting them through programs and competitive incentives to raise awareness around each dish's key ingredients".

Chefs in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries often add their own twist to the dish, which is popular in homes and restaurants across the kingdom and the region in general.

For example, Douha Al Otaishan, Saudi Arabia's first female head chef, makes jareesh with crushed red wheat.

#Jareesh, the newly-announced National Dish of Saudi Arabia, is a cracked wheat dish seasoned with aromatic spices. While each region in the Kingdom has its own traditional recipe, this iconic dish is at the heart of every Saudi household.

#SaudiMinistryOfCulture pic.twitter.com/uakHKFItvK

— Saudi Arabia Ministry of Culture (@mocsaudi_en) January 11, 2023

"This is the most popular dish among customers," he said.

He even cooked jareesh in the style of Saudi Arabia's Najd region for over 500 delegates at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2018, with the theme "Saudi voyages".

Meanwhile, experimental Bahraini chef Tala Bashmi, serves jareesh prawns in an orange butter sauce at Fusions by Tala in Manama.