For the Love of Food

Hi, my name is Felan Thakkar, and I’m in Year 5. In this column, I’ll be sharing some delicious and scrumptious recipes.

Traditional Emirati Foods

UAE is the land of harmonious existence of rich traditions, strong cultural values and modernity. For this 50th National Day Special of WIN Times, we’ll be looking at some traditional Emirati dishes. Staples of Emirati cuisine include meat, fish, and rice, with lamb and mutton being the more favoured meats, tea and coffee are the preferred beverages, with spices like cardamom, saffron, and mint added to give it a distinctive flavour. The most popular Emirati dish, and common Arabic food, is the classic shawarma.

For appetizers, Emiratis enjoy Shish Taouk, a traditional marinated chicken shish kebab of Ottoman cuisine that later became a part of Middle Eastern cuisine. It is widely eaten in the Middle East and Caucasus.

For main course, they enjoy a classic dish called Hummus and Kaboos. Hummus is a smooth dip made of ground chickpeas served with a flat bread called Kaboos, which is made of wheat flour.

Furthermore, they also have a dish called Baba Ghanoush, which is similar to hummus, but uses vegetables like eggplant, as well as different spices.

And lastly for dessert, they have Luqaimat. Luqaimat is a kind of sweet dumpling that is famous in the Emirati culture and is usually enjoyed during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Another popular dessert is Baklava. It is made of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and soaked in honey. Why don’t you try out some of these delectable dishes for yourself?