A recipe that you can make to both start and end your day? Sign me up. Balaleet is a truly unique dish that I’m excited to share in the latest edition of my “5 People, 5 Breakfasts, 5 Countries” series. This breakfast submission is courtesy of Miriam from the UAE.

Balaleet is considered to be a traditional breakfast of the UAE, but can also be found in neighboring countries around the Persian Gulf like Bahrain and Kuwait. You’re most likely to find a plate of Balaleet at an Eid al-Fitr celebration, where Muslims break the fast of Ramadan. However, you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to enjoy this festive meal. For Miriam, Balaleet is nostalgic and connected with happy memories of family gatherings and her grandmother’s cooking. But she also claims that this breakfast can easily be treated as dessert.  It’s all just a matter of perspective and preference.  

So, what exactly is this multi-functional meal? Sweet and savory, Balaleet brings together vermicelli noodles and a rich egg omelet. The thin vermicelli noodles are lightly fried, quickly boiled, and then sweetened with an amazing showcase of Middle Eastern flavors including cardamom powder, sugar, saffron, and rose water. The crispy noodles are then finished off with an egg omelet. It’s a quirky combination that somehow works with the eggs perfectly balancing the sweetness of the noodles.  

This unique pairing actually dates back to the Bedouin people – nomadic, desert tribes that moved throughout North Africa, parts of Asia, and the Middle East. For the Bedouins, Balaleet was an easy breakfast to make that could keep them full throughout the brutal desert days. The use of vermicelli in Balaleet is also a great illustration of the trade of that time. Vermicelli, an Italian word and creation, spread throughout the world during the Middle Ages with variations all across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Balaleet is just one way the people of, what’s now the UAE, experimented with the thin pasta.  

When it comes to eating Balaleet today, you have a few options. It can be served hot, cold, as breakfast, or as a sweet and salty dessert. However, according to Miriam, a side cup of Chai Karak is absolutely non-negotiable.