Reviving roots: How Saudi chefs are redefining heritage cuisine

Economic Times

a day ago

Mathlouta is a traditional Saudi Arabian dish
A golden, crisp sphere arrives at the table, visually unassuming until the first bite. The shell shatters to reveal a warm, tender centre. It evokes arancini, but this isn't Italian. The grains are broken durum wheat and smoked rice; the coating, grsan crumbs—bread steeped in a stew of vegetables and meat, carrying layers of flavour. Deep-fried and served in a single mouthful, it's a riff on mathlouta, a traditional, three-layered Saudi feast. At Takya in Riyadh, a restaurant dedicated to preserving ancestral recipes, heritage comes reimagined as haute cuisine.There are many more like Takya. Saudi Arabia's culinary scene is evolving as swiftly as its tourism vision. Once known for its modest kasbah-style eateries, the dining landscape of Riyadh and Jeddah now hosts global fine-dining icons, such as Yauatcha, Nobu, and Roka. A wave of restaurants across the country is now looking inward, using regional ingredients and culinary heritage to reimagine traditional flavours through a contemporary lens.The shift is part of a larger transformation. Since 2016, the Middle Eastern country has been steadily pivoting from a fuel-focused economy to one powered by tourism, in alignment with its ambitious Vision 2030 agenda. Massive investments are driving this change, including three giga projects: the multi-billion-dollar Red Sea Project, the futuristic smart city of Neom, and the restoration of cultural heritage hubs like Diriyah and AlUla.India plays a key role in this vision—not just as a trade ally but also as a key tourism market. In 2023, Saudi Arabia welcomed around 1.5 million Indian visitors, a 50% jump from the previous year. The country is strengthening flight connectivity and easing visa access, as it aims to attract 7.5 million Indian tourists annually by 2030.'Saudi Arabia is deeply rooted in tradition, but at the same time, the country is rapidly evolving. In a way, the culinary scene reflects that,' says executive chef Daniele Polito of The St. Regis Red Sea Resort, one of the five resorts that are currently operational as part of the project.
At Takya, the menu spans the kingdom. From the north, there's red jareesh—broken durum wheat simmered in tomatoes and local spices. From the east, a lamb shank slow-cooked with hassawi, a red wild rice indigenous to the region, cooked with date molasses and crispy onions. From the west, saleeg, a creamy rice dish made with milk, broth, and chicken. From the central region, hanini—a warm whole-wheat bread pudding made with Sukari dates and ghee. And from the south, haneeth, slow-cooked lamb chops smoked with herbs and served over rice.'Saudi Arabia's landscapes are incredibly diverse, and every region is known for different ingredients. The east is known for its seafood due to its proximity to the Gulf, whereas the west, a pilgrimage hub, has culinary influences from travellers around the world. We wanted to capture the diversity of the food from the region,' says Hadeel Al Motawa, Co-founder of Takya.Although religious and trade travel have long been integral to Saudi culture, leisure travel within the country has gained popularity post-2016. 'Before, most people knew the food in their own region,' says Al Motawa, who has journeyed across the country to gather recipes for Takya.
Beyond Riyadh, chefs in Saudi's emerging tourism destinations are tapping into age-old methods of cooking. At Nesma, the Arabic restaurant with Turkish influences at The St. Regis Red Sea, chief Polito channels the cooking methods of nomadic Bedouin tribes, who slow-cooked meat underground to retain moisture and flavour. His version—lamb shank cooked sous vide until fall-off-the-bone tender—is served atop aromatic ouzi rice, studded with toasted nuts.
Across the coast in the Alnesai Desert, at the Six Senses Red Southern Dunes, a taste of traditional Saudi dishes begins right from breakfast, with dishes like mugalgal, lamb stir-fried in Arabic spices, and kebda, goat liver sautéed with tomatoes. At the hotel's Arabic restaurant, Bariya, saleeg is elevated with duck instead of chicken, and dates are celebrated in playful ways. Medjool comes as boats for quinoa salads with lemon and tahini, while mandi, a dish of chicken and rice with nuts, gets its umaminess from a home-made Sukari date syrup. 'A lot of the pulp goes to waste while making date syrup, so we use it in jams and chutneys that end up in dishes like hummus,' explains executive chef Nelson Amorim.
In the desert oasis of AlUla, the local bounty finds pride of place on plates. At Banyan Tree AlUla's all-day restaurant Harrat, unripe Sukari dates—yellow-hued with a honey-like sweetness—are used to glaze meats and in dressings. At Tamas, the restaurant at Our Habitas AlUla, global dishes are created with hyperlocal ingredients: salads with cactus greens, moringa flowers, kumquats, and beef paired with cactus chimichurri. 'Though a desert, AlUla is incredibly fertile,' says executive chef Gerardo Corona Alarcón. 'We use local mandarins, mingans, and blood oranges in salads, moringa in drinks, and cactus in our spice rubs. The landscape drives the menu.'As tourism grows and Saudi Arabia continues to evolve, chefs are racing to keep their culinary heritage alive. 'It's not about changing tradition,' says chef Polito. 'We want to educate tourists and future generations with a spark of innovation and intrigue. The ingredients, stories, and history remain intact, but the lens is new.'