The key to machbous is a special spice blend called baharat, which combines cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, cumin, coriander and other spices. The dried limes — called loomi — give the dish a wonderful tangy flavour that you will not find in most other rice dishes in the world.
Making machbous is a long, loving process. First the meat is browned and slow-cooked with spices until it is very tender. Then the stock is poured over the rice so every grain soaks up the rich flavour. The pot is sealed and left to steam, and the result is a wonderfully fragrant mound of golden rice with the meat sitting on top.
Machbous is served on a big communal plate in the centre of the table, and everyone eats together. It is often topped with fried onions, raisins and almonds. Bahraini families might eat machbous once a week, and it is always made in large quantities because sharing food generously is an important part of Bahraini culture.
The dish has connections to other rice dishes across the Gulf and South Asia, showing how spice-trade routes connected distant places for thousands of years. Each country has its own version, but Bahrain's use of loomi (dried lime) makes machbous stand out as distinctly Bahraini.