Haleem, an Indian dish made with broken wheat, ground meat, ghee, lentils, and cooked to a porridge-like texture is similar in consistency and ingredients to Harees, a dish commonly served during Ramadan. The Arab monopolization of the spice trade routes also introduced Arab delicacies to India.

The most common spices used in cooking that have been exchanged over the centuries between the two cultures are turmeric, cumin, cardamom, saffron, coriander, ginger, curry, garam masala, cinnamon, star anise, and chili.Įarly Arab traders depicted heading to India and the East, 600 - 700 CE. Without the incorporation of Indian spices into Gulf Arab foods, many of the Gulf Arab recipes would arguably be less satisfying. Research and development executive chef of Gathering Food Group Kuwait Jomana Jaffar exclaims, “Gulf cuisine is generally influenced by Indian cuisine because historically, India was a main source for importing goods, foodstuffs, and spices, and many Gulf merchants used to travel there.” Indian spices are widely used in Gulf countries due to the impact of the ancient traders who traveled from India carrying the spices through the Gulf States on their way to the Mediterranean. The waves that wash on the shores of Western India, the Arabian Sea, is the body of water that bridges India with the countries of the Arabian Gulf. Geographically speaking, the interlinkage of the two cultures has always been inevitable.

Middle eastern cuisine