For starters ...

Inspired by my friend's wonderful recent blog on Italian food, I have realised that I have yet to introduce you to the food of Oman. For those who know me, this is not because food is not important to me - on the contrary, I'm a foodie and proud of it. I think there are two reasons behind this shocking omission - Oman doesn't have a large and varied cuisine of its own, and what few dishes it does have are so yummy that I keep tucking straight in and forgetting to take photos!

So, to try and make up for it, here's the first of a short series of blogs about the things that are making my tummy happy. Today, we look at starters - often the best bit of a meal, to the point where I over-indulge and can't finish my main course. Thankfully, the doggy bag is widely available and considered perfectly acceptable ... Most starters in Oman are the kind of Lebanese dips and salads that I enjoyed on a daily basis in Jordan - and they've got to be healthy too, right?!

Mutabbal - the roasted aubergine dip - on the left,
and on the right, chick peas and tahini combined to create the
ubiquitous and highly addictive humous 

Flat bread with oregano and sesame seeds (za'atar)

Karjeen's 'Special' salad - all your faves are there,
and a couple of unexpected surprises like
the pomegranate seeds on top

Stuffed bread - this one has roasted veg and feta inside.
Yum .......

And then there's the bread -
this is the not-so-healthy fried paratha bread ...

... and there is no limit to how much of this puffy bread
you can stuff in. I am not losing any weight ...