Understand

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Until the ascension of Sultan Qaboos bin Said in 1970, Oman was a very underdeveloped nation. In the 35 years since that time, education, public works and tourism have taken off throughout the country, although outside of Muscat there are many regions which still remain true to their Bedouin roots.

Omanis are quite proud of their country's rapid progress, and locals will often point out to tourists that the road they are driving on is only 10 years old and that the journey used to take much longer.

Eat

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The food is mainly Arabic, Lebanese and Indian. Many Omanis make a distinction between "Arabic" food and "Omani" food, with the former being the description of the standard dishes found throughout the Arabian Peninsula.

Omani food itself tends to be slightly spicier and served in quite large portions - whole fish are not uncommon at lunch in some local restaurants (sticking to local food, it is quite easy to eat a substantial meal for less than OR2). As befits a country with a long coastline, seafood is quite a common dish, particularly shark, which is surprisingly tasty.

Omani sweets are well-known throughout the region, with the most popular being halwa. This is a hot, semi-solid substance which behaves a little like honey and is eaten with a spoon. The taste is similar to Turkish Delight.

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