Give a nod to the fantastic food of the United Arab Emirates

Famous for its fall-off-the-bone meat dishes and creamy desserts, Emirati cooking is a mix of fascinating flavours and humble traditions.

From cardamom, saffron, and dried limes, to the nutty twists in the unique cakes, biscuits and sweet treats, if you haven't savoured the enticing flavours of cuisine local the UAE you're missing out.

There's no better time to give it a try than this UAE National Day, which is marked annually on December 2.

Breakfast Balaleet

The Balaleet is a combination of sweet and salty elements. It is a breakfast dish made with omelette and vermicelli. Sugar, cinnamon, saffron, cardamom, orange blossom, or rose water are added for flavour.

Finally, spices are added to the sweetened vermicelli, and the whole preparation is topped with the thin egg omelette.

The popular choice

A popular dish served at celebrations and often during Ramadan, weddings, and both Eid holidays, Harees is one of the most popular traditional foods to come from the Emirati kitchen.

This porridge-like dish is prepared by cooking wheat in slightly salted water for a number of hours, before adding either lamb or chicken and returning to the heat for a further four or five hours.

It's a long and slow cooking process but it's worth it.

Sweet treat

A traditional Arabic dessert, Umm Ali is a delicacy loved by many.

Made with pastry, nuts, raisins, spices and cream, and served warm, think bread and butter pudding with extra cream and flavour.

Take your tastebuds on a cultural ride this UAE National Day and serve up one of the country's best loved dishes.