As one of the first families to move to Kuwait after 1948, Palestinian chef Sawsan Abueljubain holds only faint memories of her homeland, which she could only recall through keeping her country’s traditional dishes alive. "Since our homeland was lost and our culture stolen, we’ve clung to our identity even more tightly,” Abueljubain told Kuwait Times. "For me, I express that through cooking.” Recognizing that Palestinian cuisine was beginning to lose its essence as it blended with other cultures in Kuwait, Abueljubain made it her mission to preserve its authenticity. "I wanted to cook food the same way my grandmother, mother and aunts taught me,” she said. It’s the simplicity of the past, when meals were made from whatever ingredients were available — like bread and vegetables — that reminds Abueljubain of her favorite dish, musakhan.
Musakhan consists of roasted chicken served over flatbread and topped with a blend of flavors: Caramelized onions, sumac, olive oil and pine nuts. "Despite the scarcity of materials and ingredients back then,” she noted, "the food always tasted its best.” She also treasures maqluba, a dish flipped upside down to reveal layers of vegetables and either chicken or meat, as well as sfeeha yafawiyeh, a savory meat pie originating from the coastal Palestinian city of Yaffa.
For some, food is merely a way to fuel the body or satisfy hunger. But for others, especially in a country like Kuwait, where many cultures converge, it serves as a powerful link to identity or a brief journey back home.
Lebanese cook Dana Hamad, like Abueljubain, finds that her food keeps her connected to her roots. Every time she adds olive oil, a key ingredient in Lebanese cuisine, Hamad is reminded of the olive fields her grandparents once owned back home. "I vividly remember my childhood, helping them pick olives,” she shared. For her, the process was "a labor of love — gathering the olives, taking them to the press, and eagerly waiting for the first drops of freshly squeezed olive oil.”
What makes Lebanese cuisine truly special, according to her, is its ability to satisfy the palates of all ages, offering everything from light, refreshing salads like tabbouleh to hearty dishes like kibbeh. Known for its variety of small savory dishes, dips, and appetizers, Hamad describes Lebanese cuisine as one that "invites everyone to the table”.
Reflecting her country’s tradition of hospitality and sharing, Hamad also mentioned one of her most favorite dishes: Stuffed grape leaves. It’s not just a dish, but as she puts it, it’s "often a family affair, passed down from grandmother to mother to child.”
Lebanese and Palestinian cuisines are just a few of the many represented in Kuwait. While embracing the diverse cultures that have shaped the country, Kuwaiti cuisine has adapted and incorporated these influences, adding its own unique twist. "Our food has a distinguished flavor, one that’s drawn from many countries,” said Hanan Alzaid, a Kuwaiti chef. She highlighted the popular dish machboos diyay, which is also prepared in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, though each country has its own distinct version.
Alzaid’s passion for cooking started at the age of 14, when she used to return from school reluctant to eat food prepared by her mother or the cook. "I only wanted to eat the food I cooked myself,” she said.
As a Kuwaiti with a rich coastal heritage, this love for cooking led her to seafood dishes, particularly mutabak alzbaidi, a traditional Kuwaiti meal made with the beloved local zubaidi fish. "It always reminds me of the family gatherings we used to have,” she fondly recalled. Alzaid noted that rice, a key ingredient in both dishes, plays a significant role in defining Kuwaiti cuisine.
Whenever she prepares a meal, she hopes that those eating it will appreciate the entire experience, not just the flavors. "As I lift the lid off the pot, I wait for the person to deeply inhale the aroma and see their eyes light up at the sight of the dish,” she said. "Only then do I want them to start eating — after their eyes and nostrils have savored the food first.”