Search locations or food
OR
Sign up

What to eat in Yemen? Top 16 Yemeni Foods

Last update: Sun Feb 16 2025
Top 16 Yemeni Foods
VIEW MORE
01

Egg Dish

YEMEN and  7 more regions
4.3
Shakshouka
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Shakshouka is a delicious combination of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. Although it has an unusual name, the dish is straightforward and easy to make. It is usually made in a skillet in which onions, tomatoes, and spices are cooked until they form a delicious tomato sauce.


Eggs are then added directly to the tomato sauce and poached until done. Merguez sausage can also be added to the dish. It is believed that shakshouka originated in Tunisia, but the dish is well-known and commonly eaten throughout North Africa and the Middle East as well. 
02

Meat Dish

HADHRAMAUT GOVERNORATE, Yemen and  one more country
4.1
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Mandi is Yemen's national dish (also popular in Saudi Arabia), consisting of lamb or chicken meat, fragrant basmati rice and a mixture of various spices. If lamb is used in the dish, it should be small-sized and as young as possible, to further enhance the flavors.


To make mandi, the meat should be cooked in the tandoor, a specially designed hole in the ground covered with clay and charcoal, acting as an oven for the suspended meat above it. It is then closed and no smoke is allowed to go outside as it flavors the meat instead. 
03

Flatbread

YEMEN and  one more region
4.1
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Malawach is a traditional layered and folded bread that is especially popular in Israel and Yemen. Visually reminiscent of a pancake, the bread is made with flour, water, salt, and ghee. Once baked, it is often sprinkled with black sesame seeds.


Traditionally, malawach is served with hard-boiled eggs, chopped and crushed tomatoes, and z'hug, a spicy condiment.

04

Pastry

ADEN GOVERNORATE, Yemen and  one more country
4.0
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Jachnun is a traditional Yemenite Jewish pastry or flatbread (or something in-between) of Adeni Jewish origin. The Yemenite Jewish immigrants have also popularized the dish in Israel. It's traditionally served for breakfast on Shabbat morning. The dough is made with a cobination of flour, white sugar, water, and margarine.


In the past, whole wheat flour, clarified butter (samneh), and date syrup were used instead of the ingredients for the modern Israeli version. The dough is rolled thinly, coated with margarine, then rolled. The rolls are placed in a pot lined with stale bread, which is used to soak up excess oil, then baked overnight at low temperature, usually with a few oven-baked eggs on top. 
05

Pancake

YEMEN and  one more region
3.9
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Martabak is a roti-like stuffed and fried pancake which is often served as a popular street food item in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Although the fillings may vary, some of the most popular ones include ground meat, eggs, garlic, onions, peppers, curry, and ghee.


Fresh herbs such as coriander and mint are often used for additional flavoring. The flatbread dough is supposed to be extremely thin and requires a lot of expertise. Another name for the dish is mutabbaq, an Arabic word meaning folded, referring to the way in which the stretchy dough is folded around the filling during cooking. 
06

Saltwater Fish Dish

YEMEN and  4 more regions
3.9
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

This traditional combination of rice and fish is typically prepared with white fish such as sea bass or red snapper. The fish is fried or baked separately, while the rice is cooked in a special fish broth that is prepared with fried onions and bahārāt - a traditional spice blend that usually employs allspice, peppercorns, cassia, coriander, cardamom, cumin, and chili peppers or paprika.


The dish is traditionally served on one plate, topped with lightly toasted pine nuts and slivered almonds. If desired, a special sauce can be served on the side.

07
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Saltah is the national dish of Yemen, a hearty stew usually eaten for lunch. It can be prepared with or without meat. The key ingredients in saltah are hilbeh, a condiment based on fenugreek, and zhug, a condiment consisting of chillies, oil, cumin, garlic and coriander.


Hilbeh and zhug are added to the brown stew that often contains lamb or chicken meat, if used at all. It is quite likely that the dish is of Turkish origin when it was made from leftover ingredients. Common accompaniments to saltah include rice, tomato, potatoes, vegetables and scrambled eggs, and saltah is traditionally served piping hot in a metal or stone bowl and eaten with Yemeni flatbread that can serve as a utensil to scoop up the food.

08

Dessert

YEMEN and  one more region
n/a
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Masoub is a Yemeni dessert that is popular throughout the Arabian peninsula. In its basic form, the dish consists of mashed bananas and bread that are usually enriched with butter, cream, spices, honey, and dates. Masoub is traditionally served on large plates, and it is meant to be enjoyed as a communal meal.


It is often served as a breakfast dish, and usually comes garnished with cream, condensed milk, nuts, or honey.

09
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Kubaneh is a popular Yemeni-Jewish bread consisting of flour, sugar, salt, and butter. It is traditionally served warm for breakfast. The bread comes in two varieties: folded (the dough is shaped into balls, combined with butter, and rolled in a spiral) and monkey bread (balls of dough are dipped in butter and placed in the pan).


Kubaneh is often topped with powdered sugar or served with tomato salsa.

10

Dessert

YEMEN and  one more region
n/a
Ate it? Rate it
Wanna try?
Add to list

Areeka is a traditional dessert that is prepared with a combination of mashed dates and crumbled bread such as khubz, while the additions usually include cream, condensed milk, honey, and spices. This filling dessert can be enjoyed for breakfast or as a light snack, and it is typically drizzled with honey and garnished with slivered almonds.


Interestingly, some variations are topped with grated cheese.

11
12
Meat Dish
AL HUDAYDAH, Yemen
3.4
13
14
15
16

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 16 Yemeni Foods” list until February 16, 2025, 1,303 ratings were recorded, of which 528 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

Show Map
Yemeni Food