Shuwa
Spiced meat slow-cooked underground for days
Think of it as: Like Texas barbecue that went underground for a weekend
Bury the meat. Wait two days.
What does it taste like?
Deeply spiced, smoky, falling-apart meat.
SweetSpicySourSaltyFunkSmellTextureMelt-in-your-mouth tender
What is it?
Goat or lamb rubbed with spices, wrapped in leaves and slow-cooked for one to two days in an underground charcoal pit. It's Oman's great feast dish, made for Eid.
How locals eat it
Dug up during Eid and shared among family and neighbors, usually with rice.
Watch it
More videos on YouTubeWhere is it from?
🇴🇲Oman
CapitalMuscat
Populationabout 5.5 millionestimate (unverified)
IndustriesOil and gas, Fishing, Tourism
HelloAssalamu alaikum (Arabic)
CurrencyOmani rial
And JapanJapan imports liquefied natural gas from Oman.
Fun factIt grew rich for centuries trading frankincense, a fragrant tree resin.
The flag🇴🇲 White for peace, red for battles against invaders, green for fertile land; the emblem shows a khanjar dagger and two swords.
From Tokyoabout 7,750 kmstraight line, Tokyo to Muscat
Getting thereabout 13 hours+ (with a connection)rough guide
✈ Check cheap flights Best timeThe cooler months, October to March. Also tryMishkak (skewers)Omani halwaKahwa (coffee)
✈ Check cheap flights Best timeThe cooler months, October to March. Also tryMishkak (skewers)Omani halwaKahwa (coffee)
🇴🇲 Sounds & life in Oman
السلام عليكمHello（Assalamu alaikum (Arabic)）
Arabic script
Arabic script
Right now…
AnthemAs-Salam as-Sultani (Sultanic Salute)
SportFootball (soccer) World HeritageBahla Fort and more National animalArabian oryx FestivalEid (Islamic festivals, including the end of Ramadan)
SportFootball (soccer) World HeritageBahla Fort and more National animalArabian oryx FestivalEid (Islamic festivals, including the end of Ramadan)
Ingredients
- 3 kg goat or lamb
- 1 head garlic
- 2 tbsp each cumin, coriander, chilli and turmeric
- 100 ml vinegar
- A little oil
- Banana or palm leaves
Can't find it? A very low, very slow oven roast gets you close at home.
How to make it (one way)
- Mix spices, garlic and vinegar into a paste.
- Rub it over the meat and marinate overnight.
- Wrap in leaves and tie in a sack.
- Lower into a pit of hot coals and seal with earth.
- Dig it up 1 to 2 days later and serve with rice.
⚠️ The underground oven is a community job. Please don't dig a pit in your backyard.