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Food in
United Arab Emirates
Food In United Arab Emirates
Known as a shopping paradise, the UAE has become synonymous with luxury and glamour. Its big cities, like Dubai, the streets are filled with typical souks where you can buy local merchandise, as well as large shopping centres where the most prestigious brands in the world are located. A paradise for lovers of shopping that has been crowned the best in the Middle East for being tax-free and because you can buy almost anything your heart desires here. The souks are open to haggling, as it follows the traditional Arab lifestyle. A popular shopping destination is the Gold Souk, where most of the jewellery shops are concentrated and where it is possible to find great discounts; as well as the Spice Market, which opens a whole range of possibilities for budding chefs. In large shopping centers, however, you can find outlets of clothing, electronics or accessories, as well as more prestigious stores. Its enormous variety has led to numerous shopping tours and in the city of Dubai, there is even the Shopping Festival, in which all products are discounted.
Arabic Coffee
Leaving aside its culinary value, of excellent quality, Arabica or Kahwa coffee is a symbol of hospitality and a very important cultural item in the UAE. The grain of this coffee is very dark and aromatic so it is prepared whole and unmilled in a ritual in which the water is boiled 3 times and in which the grains are removed very slowly. Depending on the occasion, the drink is served in different ways. The way in which it is served to diners is marked by a cultural pattern in which the older people are served first and then everyone else in descending order of age.
Baklava
Among the most typical desserts, Baklava, a traditional cake of the Arab cuisine, is made from dried fruits, nuts, syrup and filo pastry, a very thin dough of Greek origin similar to puff pastry, made with flour, salt, oil and water.
Ginger Tea
To help with digestion it is very common for the Emiratis to drink Ginger Tea or ‘Chai Zanjabeel’ after a meal. It is a tea prepared by boiling ginger with sugar and adding saffron threads. It can also be accompanied by milk. Due to its digestive properties, its consumption is very widespread.
Kebbe Nayeh
Also known as keppe or kepi, this is one of the most traditional dishes of Arabic food. It consists of a mixture of chopped meat - either beef or lamb, couscous or bulgur, chopped onion, lemon juice and various spices, which once well kneaded is kept cold for a few hours so that the lemon acts as an agent for cooking on meat. Once marinated it is cut and served cold.
Legemat
Often eaten after dinner, Legemat is a delicate ball prepared from milk, yoghurt and salt, which is fried until it acquires a golden colour and served covered in honey.
Mansaf
As for the main dishes, nothing in the Arab cuisine is comparable in terms of social importance than the Mansaf. Served at important events, weddings and funerals, it consists of a whole roast lamb, subsequently cooked in a yoghurt sauce and served on a bed of rice or bulgur. Lamb is an expensive meat and much appreciated in the East, therefore it is reserved for special occasions.
Marinated Olives
According to a culinary tradition very common in all Arab and Middle Eastern cuisine, it is custom to whet your appetite before a meal with some olives marinated in the national style, consisting of a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, ground chilli, thyme, cumin, pepper and salt.
Mezze
Mezze is a selection of appetizers that include some of the most traditional and extended Arab specialities. In a mezze dish, it is common to find tabbouleh, hummus, or warak einabn: a kind of meat and rice canapé rolled into a vine leaf. It is accompanied by a tomato, onion and parsley salad, chopped into small pieces and seasoned.
Mutabal
The mutabal betinjan, also known as Baba Ghanoush, which in its literal translation means "coquettish and vicious", is a traditional dish inherited from Syrian and Lebanese cuisine very similar to hummus. It consists of an eggplant purée with a pleasant and light texture, mixed with salt, pepper, olive oil, tahini and various spices. According to the popular ideology and as its name suggests, it is a dish that seems to arouse the appetite and the greed of those who try it. So much so that, traditionally, mothers give it to their daughters, seeking to awaken in them the same qualities of the recipe.
Tabbouleh
Among the different specialities that can be found in a mezze dish, one of the most widespread is tabbouleh. This dish, native to Lebanon and Syria, consists of a salad of bulgur and herbs, seasoned with mint, onion and chopped tomatoes. Served cold it is usually one of the most consumed dishes during the summer months.
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