Verified in 2 cities.
Luqaimat are yeasted dough balls fried until crisp, glazed with date syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds, a dessert tied to Ramadan and served with gahwa; in United Arab Emirates we have verified places to eat it in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Luqaimat are yeasted dough balls fried until crisp, glazed with date syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds, a dessert tied to Ramadan and served with gahwa.
Luqaimat means small bites in Arabic. The dish descends from luqmat al-qadi, the judge's morsels, which al-Baghdadi described in the 13th century, and the same fried dough became lokma in Turkey and loukoumades in Greece. In the Gulf, luqaimat are little changed from those recipes and are often spiced with cardamom or saffron. The Michelin Guide describes the Emirati version as crunchy outside, soft and airy inside, glazed with date syrup and eaten with Arabic coffee, a dessert tied to Ramadan and special occasions.
Where to eat Luqaimat in Abu Dhabi: the editor picks
Luqaimat are yeasted saffron and cardamom dough balls fried until the shell cracks, then drowned in date syrup. They close almost every Emirati meal in Dubai.
Luqaimat means small bites, and the recipe travelled the Indian Ocean under a dozen names: lokma in Turkey, gulab jamun's cousin in South Asia, and awameh in the Levant. The Emirati version leans on two local ingredients, saffron carried up from Iran through the creek and dibs, the thick date molasses pressed from the Gulf's own palms. They are the dish of Ramadan: fried in batches at home after the fast breaks, stacked on trays for the majlis, and sold from carts at iftar markets. A good luqaimah is crisp enough to shatter, hollow inside, and never soaked long enough to go soft.
Where to eat in Dubai:
Where to eat Luqaimat in Dubai: the editor picks
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