Emirati cuisine — An emerging food trend
Recipes have
changed and Emirati cuisine has taken on an individual distinctiveness with
inimitable features inclined by vacationers and exchanges with other nations,
over the years!
WHAT IS EMIRATI CUISINE?
The UAE is a tourists’ hub, linking West and East
with a rising populace of expatriates who carry with them their ethnicities and
gastronomies into the Emirati food scene. Most people often blur food from the
East Mediterranean such as hummus, falafel and tabbouleh as Emirati owing to
its popularity, but it’s not. And certainly there’s more to Emirati cuisine
than Arabic coffee and dates! It comprises cuisine from each of the seven
diverse emirates that combine together to form the UAE Capital of the Emirates,
Abu Dhabi, also its lushest city offers travellers an accurate preview of the
expanse’s cuisine which is most intriguing. Old-style fares stayed created
about grains, dairy and some meat counting chicken, goats and fowl. Camel meat
was typically earmarked for distinct events since they are treasured for their
milk and as transportation. And seeing that Abu Dhabi per say has an opulent
maritime history; it is no surprise that the sea food is prevalent too, hammour
being most consistent!
MUST-TRY TRADITIONAL FOOD
It’s a good idea to base yourself in Abu Dhabi and
then take day trips across to Dubai or Sharjah. If you have already planned a
trip to the capital and wondering what is on the platter for you? Fret not!
With an amalgamation of Iranian, Lebanese and Arabic, the cuisine will only
leave you longing for more. The meal commences with a variety of fresh salads,
dips and juices followed by the mains. Al Harees a blend of meat, wheat and
some salt is baked for several hours and tastes divine with butter and powdered
cinnamon and is hugely popular during Ramadan. Recommendations go all out for
the Al Machboos, quite similar to our pulao, this too is rice cooked with meat,
onion and spices and sometimes potatoes as well and had with salad and yoghurt.
Of course there are kebabs, shawarma and falafel on the menu too if you wish to
order. End on a sweet note with Luqaimat aka deep-fried dough balls covered in
date syrup and sesame seeds.
THE TREND
Emirati is a culture, rich in hospitality; one is
usually welcomed with tea/ coffee, nuts and dates on arrival. Most countries
are following suit and understand that in today’s day and age, visitors pay
great weightage to the whole experience. As a food trend, one finds dips like
Labneh and salads like Fattoush on menus across the world. More and more people
are beginning to relish traditional Emirati cuisine. People travel to Abu Dhabi
and Dubai for the food festival in February each year, it’s turning as popular
as the famed shopping festival!
Rupali Dean is a Delhi based ood
& travel writer
ETTR5JUL18
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