How many carbs are in Omani food?
If you live with diabetes, you know carbs raise blood sugar the most. The trouble is that most carb tables are about Western food. Here are published figures from research on our own Omani dishes.
Rice, arsiya and harees
Researchers in Oman measured the available carbohydrate and glycemic index of common local dishes. These figures are for a half-cup serving:
| Dish | ½ cup | Carbs | Glycemic index |
|---|---|---|---|
| White rice | 100 g | 27 g | 77 |
| Brown rice | 100 g | 27 g | 62 |
| Qabooli (rice only) | 100 g | 18 g | 60 |
| Biryani (rice only) | 100 g | 17 g | 63 |
| Arsiya with chicken | 80 g | 10 g | 62 |
| Harees with chicken | 80 g | 9 g | 60 |
For qabooli and biryani, the figures are for the rice alone, without the meat or chicken. Arsiya and harees were measured as whole dishes with chicken.
What this means
- Portion size matters more than the dish. A big plate of rice can be 3 or 4 cups, which is several times the numbers above.
- Arsiya and harees have fewer carbs per serving than white rice, because they contain more chicken and water.
- White rice had the highest glycemic index in the study, so it raises blood sugar faster. Brown rice is a little slower.
Omani halwa
Another Omani study found a glycemic index of about 55 for white halwa and 52 for black halwa. That's moderate, but halwa is high in sugar and fat, so a small amount makes a difference.
Dates
Dates are rich in natural sugar. Count them as part of your meal or snack, not as something on the side. The number of dates matters most.
Rakhal bread
We couldn't find a reliable published carb figure for rakhal. We'll add one as soon as we find a source.
Sources
- Ali A, Waly MI, Al-Mahrazi M, Al-Maskari J, AlWaheibi S. Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load of Selected Omani Rice Dishes. Food Science and Engineering, 2023. Link
- Ali A, Al-Zuhaibi KM, Waly MI, et al. Chemical composition, fatty acids content and glycemic index of two different types of Omani Halwa. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition 12(8), 2013. Link