The traditions of the Arab world run deep, and Bahrain is a good place to find them, especially when it comes to sweets. Many of these desserts share roots across the Gulf and the wider Middle East, turning up at family gatherings, festive meals and ordinary afternoons alike. If you want to eat your way through the island’s sweeter side, these are the names worth knowing.
A note on origins: several of these dishes are not exclusively Bahraini. Some are Emirati, Egyptian or Levantine in origin but are widely eaten and sold here. We have flagged where a sweet comes from elsewhere.
This is the island’s signature sweet and the one most worth seeking out. Bahraini halwa is a glossy, jelly-like confection made from cornflour, sugar, oil, saffron, rose water and cardamom, studded with nuts. Its colour ranges from deep amber to rich brown, with red and green varieties common. Hours of stirring in copper pots give it a soft, chewy texture. The name to know is Showaiter, the family credited with the modern recipe.
Luqaimat means “bite-sized” in Arabic, and the name fits. These small dumplings are made from flour, sugar, starch, saffron, cardamom and dry yeast, then deep-fried until golden. Once cooked, they are rolled in date syrup and finished with date molasses or sesame seeds. Crisp outside, soft inside, and hard to stop at one.
Also known as Assidat al-Boubar, this is a good choice for anyone who finds most Arab sweets too sugary. The pumpkin-based porridge is only mildly sweet, cooked down with milk, sugar, almond flour, butter, rose water and ground cardamom, then finished with almonds and raisins. It is an Emirati classic, often served warm, as it thickens considerably once it cools.
Qatayef is a pancake-like dough folded around a filling. The most common version uses chopped pistachios and sugar, though many cooks prefer ashta (clotted cream scented with rose water) or akkawi, a sweetened cheese. The filled pockets are either fried or baked, then dipped in sugar syrup before serving.
Chebab is an Emirati pancake flavoured with cardamom, saffron and dates. It is cooked in a pan until it turns a reddish-brown and is often eaten at breakfast. Sweet, soft and fragrant, it sits somewhere between a pancake and a sweet bread.
Balaleet is one of the Gulf’s more unusual sweets, combining sweetened vermicelli with cardamom and saffron, then topping it with a plain omelette. The mix of sweet noodles and savoury egg sounds odd on paper but works on the plate, which is why it remains a regional breakfast favourite.
Baklava needs little introduction. Thin layers of filo pastry are stacked with chopped nuts such as pistachios and cashews, then bound together with honey or syrup. Of Turkish and wider eastern Mediterranean heritage, it is now found in bakeries across Bahrain and comes in countless regional variations.
Kunafa, also spelt kanafeh or knafeh, is a Middle Eastern favourite eaten all year round. The classic version layers thin pastry threads with cheese, butter and sugar syrup, then bakes everything until golden. Rose water, pistachios and a dusting of cinnamon often join the mix. Best eaten hot, when the cheese is still soft.
Basbousa is a simple semolina cake soaked in syrup. Made with semolina, butter, sugar, yoghurt and a little lemon juice, it is often topped with almonds or a scattering of coconut. Dense, sweet and reliable, it is the kind of dessert that turns up at almost every occasion.
Maamoul are small shortbread pastries filled with dates, figs or nuts such as pistachios, walnuts and almonds. They are especially associated with Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine, and are a fixture at festive tables. The pressed, patterned tops are made using carved wooden moulds.
Umm Ali is Egypt’s answer to bread pudding, and its name translates as “mother of Ali”. Layers of pastry are soaked in sweetened milk with nuts and raisins, then baked until golden. The dish carries a tangle of medieval origin legends, most tied to Egypt’s Mamluk era, though food historians treat the stories with caution. Whatever its true history, it is creamy, warm and worth ordering.
READ MORE: The Mediterranean Diet, Simplified: Habits Worth Borrowing Right Now
Subscribe Now