Calories in Gulf dishes, as they were measured
Shawarma, machboos, harees, luqaimat, dates, Arabic bread and the rest, per 100 g, each figure taken from a published laboratory analysis and labelled with the table and page it is printed on.
Many calorie figures for Gulf food online come from app databases where anyone can type a value. The figures here come from two published sources only: the Food Composition Tables for the Kingdom of Bahrain, which analysed dishes cooked in Bahraini homes and ready-to-eat food bought in Bahrain, and a peer-reviewed study of Emirati dishes bought from restaurants in Al Ain.
Every figure is per 100 g of the food as eaten and describes the samples its source analysed; recipes and commercial products can differ. Where a dish was analysed more than once, by two studies in the Bahrain tables or by both sources, each analysis has its own row. They are not averaged, because two kitchens make the same dish differently, and an average would describe neither.
A blank is never a zero. Where a source printed no value for a nutrient, the table says not published. And where no source has analysed a dish at all, it is listed further down without a number rather than given an estimate.
Foods with their own page
These pages show every analysis of the dish, where each was bought or cooked, what the figures do and do not cover, and how to work out your own portion.
- Machboos calories: chicken machboos, per 100 g
- Harees calories: wheat and meat, per 100 g
- Biryani calories and protein: meat biryani, per 100 g
- Shawarma calories: chicken and beef, per 100 g
- Sambosa calories: cheese, vegetable and home-made, per 100 g
- Chicken and beef tikka: calories and protein per 100 g
- Kofta calories: beef and chicken, per 100 g
- Arabic bread calories: khubz and rakak, per 100 g
- Luqaimat calories per 100 g, and how to count a piece
- Dates calories: dried tamr and fresh rutab, per 100 g
- Baklava calories: fat, carbohydrate and protein per 100 g
- Labneh calories: protein, fat and carbs per 100 g
- Halloumi calories: protein, fat and carbs per 100 g
Every food in the reference, per 100 g
Grouped by kind of food. A food with its own page links to it; the rest are table rows only. Hover or scroll sideways on a small screen to see every column.
Cooked dishes
| Food | Analysis | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) | Fibre (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken machboos | Chicken machboosBH2011-S2-27 | 175 | 5 | 25.2 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Harees | HareesBH2011-S2-16 | 76 | 5.1 | 10.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 |
| Meat biryani | Meat biryani (meat not named)BH2011-S2-8 | 192 | 8.1 | 25.4 | 6.4 | 0.7 |
| Thareed | Thareed, home-prepared (Bahrain)BH2011-S2-42 | 107 | 6.8 | 12.1 | 3.5 | 0.6 |
| Chicken thareed, Al Ain restaurants (UAE)ALD2015-T3-5 | 100.8 | 7.8 | 12.3 | 2.3 | 0.5 | |
| Balaleet | BalaleetBH2011-S2-6 | 199 | 5.5 | 30.4 | 6.1 | 0.6 |
| Saloona | Chicken saloonaBH2011-S2-37 | 83 | 7.3 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 0.8 |
| Fish saloonaBH2011-S2-38 | 82 | 7 | 0.5 | 5.8 | 0.6 | |
| Marqoqa | Chicken marqoqa, home-prepared (Bahrain)BH2011-S2-30 | 150 | 5.6 | 22.7 | 4.1 | 0.6 |
| Marqoqa, Al Ain restaurants (UAE)ALD2015-T3-4 | 96.3 | 5.9 | 13.3 | 2.2 | 3.2 | |
| Kabab, Bahraini home dish | Kabab, Bahraini home dish (not grilled kofta)BH2011-S2-19 | 281 | 8.1 | 33.7 | 12.6 | 1.2 |
Grills, sandwiches and snacks
| Food | Analysis | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) | Fibre (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawarma | Chicken shawarma sandwichBH2011-S3-fast-foods-5 | 251 | 15.9 | 21.8 | 11.2 | 1.6 |
| Chicken shawarma sandwichBH2011-S3-ready-to-eat-2 | 245 | 15.8 | 24 | 9.6 | 1.3 | |
| Beef shawarma sandwichBH2011-S3-fast-foods-6 | 238 | 16.9 | 21.5 | 9.4 | 3.1 | |
| Beef shawarma sandwichBH2011-S3-ready-to-eat-5 | 227 | 15.1 | 21.9 | 8.9 | 2.9 | |
| Sambosa | Cheese sambosaBH2011-S3-fast-foods-8 | 429 | 13.1 | 33.5 | 27 | 1.8 |
| Cheese sambosaBH2011-S3-ready-to-eat-1 | 402 | 11.6 | 35.2 | 23.9 | 1.4 | |
| Vegetable sambosaBH2011-S3-fast-foods-7 | 260 | 5.8 | 32.1 | 12.1 | 2.9 | |
| Vegetable sambosaBH2011-S3-ready-to-eat-9 | 275 | 5.1 | 33.3 | 13.6 | 2.2 | |
| Sambosa, home-made (filling not stated)BH2011-S2-39 | 247 | 6.6 | 32.6 | 10 | 1.6 | |
| Tikka | Chicken tikkaBH2011-S3-fast-foods-3 | 182 | 30.4 | 1.5 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Chicken tikkaBH2011-S3-ready-to-eat-3 | 171 | 28.1 | 2.2 | 5.6 | 0.6 | |
| Beef tikkaBH2011-S3-fast-foods-4 | 266 | 28.6 | 2.3 | 15.8 | 1.5 | |
| Beef tikkaBH2011-S3-ready-to-eat-6 | 256 | 28.1 | 3.6 | 14.4 | 0.7 | |
| Beef tikka, leanBH2011-S3-ready-to-eat-7 | 213 | 32 | 2.9 | 8.2 | 0.8 | |
| Meat tikka, home-madeBH2011-S2-43 | 181 | 35.3 | 1.2 | 3.9 | 0.8 | |
| Kofta | Kofta, beef (grilled minced meat)BH2011-S3-fast-foods-2 | 242 | 26.7 | 1.5 | 14.3 | 1.2 |
| Kabab leham (grilled minced beef)BH2011-S3-ready-to-eat-4 | 223 | 25.2 | 1.6 | 13 | 0.6 | |
| Kofta, chicken (grilled minced chicken)BH2011-S3-fast-foods-1 | 242 | 25.2 | 0.8 | 15.4 | 0.7 |
Bread and bakery
| Food | Analysis | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) | Fibre (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic bread (khubz) | Arabic breadBH2011-S1-2.1 | 297 | 8.5 | 63.1 | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Rakak (regag) breadBH2011-S1-2.6 | 372 | 12.5 | 79.8 | 0.4 | not published | |
| Za'atar pastry | Za'atar pastryBH2011-S3-bakery-8 | 388.6 | 8.4 | 55.9 | 14.6 | 1 |
| Za'atar and cheese pastryBH2011-S3-bakery-9 | 309.9 | 13.9 | 40.5 | 10.3 | 1.2 | |
| Labneh pastry | Labneh pastryBH2011-S3-bakery-3 | 264.5 | 7.3 | 35 | 10.6 | 2.6 |
| Paratha | Paratha (Indian bread)BH2011-S1-2.5 | 285 | 8.2 | 55 | 3.6 | 0.2 |
| Tannour bread | Tannour bread (Iranian)BH2011-S1-2.7 | 278 | 8.4 | 58.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 |
Dates and sweets
| Food | Analysis | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) | Fibre (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luqaimat | LuqaimatBH2011-S2-23 | 275 | 3 | 44.4 | 9.5 | 0.5 |
| Dates | Dates, dried (tamr)BH2011-S1-3.14 | 306 | 2.2 | 73 | 0.6 | 2.4 |
| Dates, fresh (rutab)BH2011-S1-3.15 | 157 | 0.9 | 37.6 | 0.3 | 1.3 | |
| Baklava | BaklavaBH2011-S3-confections-1 | 555 | 9.5 | 41.8 | 38.8 | 2.1 |
| Aseedah | Aseedah, home-prepared (Bahrain)BH2011-S2-3 | 243 | 4.3 | 29.6 | 11.9 | 2 |
| Aseedah, Al Ain restaurants (UAE)ALD2015-T3-2 | 88.7 | 1 | 21.1 | 0 | 0.7 | |
| Khabeesah | KhabeesahBH2011-S2-21 | 305 | 3.5 | 58.6 | 6.3 | 1.6 |
| Saqo | Saqo, home-prepared (Bahrain)BH2011-S2-36 | 126 | 1 | 25.5 | 2.2 | 0.5 |
| Saqo, Al Ain restaurants (UAE)ALD2015-T3-3 | 101.7 | 0.8 | 23.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
Dairy
Fish and meat
| Food | Analysis | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) | Fibre (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamour (grouper) | Hamour, rawBH2011-S3-raw-fish-6 | 109.3 | 19.3 | 0.2 | 3.4 | not published |
| Hamour, cooked in rice (the fish itself)BH2011-S3-cooked-fish-15 | 139.2 | 27.3 | 0 | 3.2 | not published | |
| Camel meat | Camel meat (preparation not stated)BH2011-S1-7.5 | 101 | 19.3 | not published | 2.6 | not published |
Drinks
| Food | Analysis | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) | Fibre (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic coffee (gahwa) | Arabic coffeeBH2011-S1-12.5 | 4 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0 | not published |
Foods not published yet, and why
These are searched for often, but no source used here has a usable analysis of them. They get a figure when a published one is found, not before.
- Karak chaiNo analysis foundNo published analysis of karak. Adding up tea, milk and sugar rows would be a recipe estimate, not a measurement.
- MandiNo analysis foundNo published analysis. Machboos and biryani are different dishes and are not used in its place.
- KabsaNo analysis foundNo published analysis in the tables used here. Machboos is not used in its place.
- FalafelNo analysis foundThe tables list chickpeas as an ingredient, not falafel as eaten.
- HummusNo analysis foundThe chickpea rows are dry or roasted chickpeas, not the dip.
- FattoushNo analysis foundNo published analysis.
- TabboulehNo analysis foundNo published analysis.
- MutabalNo analysis foundThe tables list raw aubergine, not mutabal.
- KunafaNo analysis foundNo published analysis. Baklava is not used in its place.
- Umm AliNo analysis foundNo published analysis.
- Shish tawookNo analysis foundNo published analysis. Chicken tikka is a different marinade and is not used in its place.
- ChababNo analysis foundNo published analysis. The sweet pancake row in the tables is a different food.
- Laban (drinking yoghurt)No analysis foundThe tables list plain yoghurt, which is not laban.
- Lamb machboosNo analysis foundOnly chicken machboos has been analysed.
- Chicken biryaniNo analysis foundOnly a meat biryani has been analysed, and the tables do not name the meat.
- Date varieties (sukkari, khalas, medjool, barhi)No analysis foundThe tables do not separate dates by variety.
- Brown Arabic breadNo analysis foundOnly white Arabic bread has been analysed.
- Camel milkRow under reviewThe only row has a data-integrity problem (its parts add up to more than the whole portion). It is not published until that is resolved.
- ChapatiRow under reviewThe only row reads like chapati flour or a dry product rather than cooked chapati, so it is not published as chapati.
- ManakishNot named in the sourceThe tables list za'atar pastries, not manakish by name. The za'atar pastry rows are shown under that name.
Tools that use these figures
The food calorie calculator reads the same records as these pages, so a dish shows the same figure in both. Enter the grams you ate and it scales the per-100 g values.
Sources and method
Each row keeps the record id it was copied from, the table it is printed in and the page of the PDF, so any figure can be checked against the source.
- Musaiger AO. Food Composition Tables for the Kingdom of Bahrain, 1st edition. Arab Center for Nutrition, Bahrain, 2011. Hosted by FAO/INFOODS.Data year: 2011 · Bought or made in: BahrainEnergy: printed in the table
- Al Dhaheri AS et al. The effect of nutritional composition on the glycemic index and glycemic load values of selected Emirati foods. BMC Nutrition 2015, 1:4.Data year: 2015 · Bought or made in: United Arab Emirates (Al Ain)Energy: calculated by the study's authors from protein, fat and carbohydrate (4, 9 and 4 kcal per gram)
- Bahrain tables, section 3: local and western fast foods
- Fast food bought in Bahrain. Each local item's figure is the analysis of three pooled samples.
- Bahrain tables, section 3: ready-to-eat foods
- Bought ready to eat in Bahrain. Each figure is the analysis of three pooled samples.
- Bahrain tables, section 2: composite dishes
- Dishes prepared at home in Bahrain and analysed in the laboratory. The tables do not print the recipes.
- Bahrain tables, section 1: foods
- Foods as eaten in Bahrain. The tables say some section 1 values come from the composition tables of the countries Bahrain imports food from; they do not say which rows.
- Bahrain tables, section 3: traditional confections
- Traditional sweets bought in Bahrain. Each figure is the analysis of three pooled samples.
- UAE study (Al Dhaheri et al., 2015), Table 3
- Bought from three restaurants in Al Ain that cook from standardised recipes, and analysed three times over a month.
- Bahrain tables, section 3: bakery products
- Bakery products bought in Bahrain. Each figure is the analysis of three pooled samples.
- Bahrain tables, section 3: raw fish
- Gulf fish species bought in Bahrain, analysed raw.
- Bahrain tables, section 3: cooked fish
- Gulf fish cooked the ways the tables describe (grilled, curried, fried, cooked in rice), then analysed.
Questions, answered.
Where do these figures come from?
From two published sources. The Food Composition Tables for the Kingdom of Bahrain (Musaiger, Arab Center for Nutrition, 2011, hosted by FAO/INFOODS) analysed dishes prepared in Bahraini homes and food bought ready to eat. A peer-reviewed study by Al Dhaheri and colleagues (BMC Nutrition, 2015) analysed Emirati dishes bought from restaurants in Al Ain. Each figure keeps its table, PDF page and record id.
Why do some dishes have two rows?
Because they were analysed twice, by two studies or by two sources, and the results differ. Recipes, oil and portions vary from kitchen to kitchen, so both rows are shown with where each came from. Averaging them would produce a number nobody measured.
Why is there no figure per plate, per piece or per cup?
None of the sources publishes a serving weight, and inventing one would turn a measured figure into a guess. Weigh your portion and enter the grams in the food calorie calculator, which uses these same records.
Why are karak, mandi and kabsa missing?
No usable published analysis of them was found in the sources used here. They are listed above without a figure, and get one only when a published analysis is found. A recipe added up from its ingredients would be an estimate, not a measurement.
Will these figures match the dish I ate?
Only roughly. Each row is one measured recipe or purchase, and your dish may use more oil, more rice or a different cut. Treat the figures as a reasonable estimate rather than a measurement of your plate. They are general information, not dietetic advice.
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