Medina family kitchen preparing a home-cooked meal

Cooking together with your Medina host family

Traditional Medina dishes being served at home

Family gathering around a home-cooked Medina meal

Inside the family kitchen

Cook Side by Side With Your Medina Hosts

This is not a restaurant experience. You step into a real Medina kitchen—chopping, stirring, and seasoning together with your hosts as they share family recipes, stories, and small details that never appear in a travel guide.

Learn real recipes: See how Medina families cook everyday dishes and special meals, from the first onions in the pan to the final garnish.
Hands-on, not just watching: Your host shows you what to do and then lets you try—tasting, adjusting spices, and learning by doing.
Home language & adab: Pick up Arabic kitchen phrases and etiquettes around food, hosted gently and patiently in a family setting.

Medina food market full of local ingredients

Host choosing ingredients at a local stall

Markets & groceries

Trade, Choose & Taste at the Local Markets

Walking the market with your host turns grocery shopping into a living lesson: ingredients, prices, local customs, and the rhythm of Medina life between stalls of dates, bread, spices, and snacks.

Host-guided shopping: Your host handles directions, etiquette, and payment customs so you feel relaxed—not lost or pressured.
Learn to “trade” like a local: Understand how Medina people choose quality, compare vendors, and interact with shopkeepers respectfully.
Discover new flavours safely: Taste street snacks and small bites your host personally recommends, with explanations of what you’re trying.

Guests and hosts sitting together for a meal

Shared plates & meals

Taste Medina Home Food Around One Table

You don’t just try “local food”—you sit where the family sits, pass the same plates, and learn how Medina households serve, share, and make duʿā before and after their meals.

Eat the Medina way: Learn how dishes are placed, how bread is used, and how everyone shares from the same main plate.
Stories in every dish: Hosts tell you where the recipe comes from, when it’s usually served, and how it connects to Medina culture.
Gentle guidance for guests: If you’re unsure how to eat something, your hosts quietly guide you so you feel comfortable and respected.

Medina sweets and tea arranged for guests

Evening tea & sweets

End the Day With Tea, Dates & Sweet Moments

After a long day in Medina, evenings slow down with tea, coffee, dates, and sweets. These are the quiet moments where conversation becomes deeper and the feeling of “family” truly settles in.

Arabic coffee & dates: Experience how Medina families welcome guests, serve qahwa, and offer different kinds of dates.
Light snacks, big memories: Try simple home desserts and biscuits that carry childhood memories for your hosts.
Connection beyond food: Talk about life, faith, and travel while tasting what Medina families actually enjoy in their own homes.