Qeshm for Foodies | 10 Best Local Food in Qeshm

Qeshm has a variety of local cuisine, and since ancient times, the women of the island have been cooking mouth-watering flavorful food, especially seafood. When traveling to Qeshm Island, try to be a guest of the locals instead of eating in modern restaurants or a fast food place to enjoy the pure taste of Local Food in Qeshm. In this article, we are going to provide a full guide to the best local food in Qeshm. Have a short amount of time is Qeshm? Read our quick guide to Top 5 Things to Do in Qeshm in 2 Days

Hawari Cheko Meyg

Dried baby shrimp (or as the locals call it, Hawari Cheko Meyg) is one of the local dishes of Qeshm. This type of shrimp is caught during the spawning season in the Hara Mangrove Forest. They are then boiled in seawater and dried to get ready for the markets. To prepare this food, dried shrimp are soaked and the skin is removed, then added to the sauteed onion with turmeric and then some water. Boiled lentils are added to food along with hot water. After the water boils, rice is added to the food so that the water evaporates and the rice brews.

Shark Podini

Podini is a style of dish made with shark meat or any other type of fish and served over rice. To make this dish, shark meat is cut into pieces and poured with the skin into salty water to boil and cook thoroughly. After the meat is completely cooked and the bones are easily separated, the meat is completely crushed and pressed until the water is completely removed and dried. Then they onto sauteeing it with onion and vegetables, ie coriander and dill, and later some tomato paste and dried lemon are introduced to the mix.

Roasted Fish (Charcoal Kebab)

To prepare roasted fish Qeshm locals do not empty the bellies of small fish such as sardines, instead, they use fish such as Javelin, Snapper, etc.. The first step is to empty their bellies and fill it with a mixture of coriander, dill, chopped onion, pepper, spices, and green pepper. The fish is then placed on a metal plate prepared on a gas or charcoal fire to be grilled. The fish are then placed in a sealed container and sprinkled with a few drops of water so that the oil sticks under their skin due to the steam of the hot fish. After this one of the best local food in Qeshm is ready to be easily peeled off and enjoyed. 

Dried Squid

This one is not one of the best local foods in Qeshm perse, rather, it is more of a snack. Squids (Ankas in local dialect) are cut into long, thin sheets and hung in the sun to dry completely; This will take at least 10 days. After the fish dries, it is then grilled on charcoal or a gas flame and later mashed to soften the meat texture. Lastly, fresh lemon juice is sprinkled over the meat and it is served with dates.

Zibon

To make this dish, potatoes are cut into large pieces and fried until crispy. Add spices and turmeric to fish and fry it in oil, at the same time, saute chopped onions inside grated tomato pure. Lastly, everything is put on top of ‘Tumushi’ (a local thin bread) in a pot and topped with rice. Everything has to be cooked until the rice is fully soft.

Kolomba

This delicious dish is made from wheat, fish, herbs (coriander and chopped dill). The people of Qeshm pour wheat flakes into boiling water to make a thick broth. The fish is also boiled in salty water and turmeric for its bones to be separated. The meat is then mixed with the vegetables and added to the boiling wheat. 

Disho Rice

To prepare this food, date syrup is dissolved in water to dilute it; Then it is put on the heat to boil. After that, rice is poured into this solution to simmer in the water so that it evaporates and the rice brews. This rice is served with roasted fish.

Tomoshi bread

Although not one of the best local food in Qeshm, this bread is used in the making of many delicious local dishes. The locals of Qeshm bake this very thin local bread with a special sauce. Eggs and cheese are put into this flatbread, which cooks at the same time as the bread. 

Moflek

To prepare this dish, brown roasted wheat or barley is soaked in water. The fish is then boiled in salted water and turmeric until the bones are separated; later the fish meat is sauteed with onions and added again to the same boiled water. When the water boils, the soaked wheat is added to the mix so that the water is completely evaporated.

Hawari

Hawari is one of the most basic and easily the best local food in Qeshm. To prepare this delicious dish, firstly, the onion is fried with herbs such as coriander, dill, fenugreek, and garlic in oil. Then fish is added to the herbs to fry with pepper, spices, and turmeric. After the fish is completely fried, pre-soaked rice is added to the ingredients until everything is completely cooked.

Of course, this list does not conclude all the best local food in Qeshm; it is rather a small window into the world of taste and colors that is the cuisine of Qeshm.