My top foods in the UAE

By:

Sowda Ahmed

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Marhaba!

I would like to dedicate this blog post to the various food Iโ€™ve been able to eat in the UAE. As Iโ€™ve mentioned in earlier posts, the UAE represents an amalgam of cultures. There are more expats in the country than Emirati’s. This is due to a lot of factors like it’s booming economy. Since Iโ€™ve been here, Iโ€™ve had all kinds of foods. Near our school there is a road called โ€œKarak Steet.โ€ Karak refers to a popular tea that many locals drink. On this street, you can find over 15 different restaurants with foods from around the world(and they deliver right to our dorms!).

My top favorite foods(in no particular order..)

  1. Koshari: This is a famous Egyptian meal. It didnโ€™t look particuallary delicious at first but the sauce they used was perfect for it! This dish has rice, macaroni and lentils mixed in. It has a sprinkle of browned onions, topped with as special tomato sauce.

    Egyptian Koshari ---https://en.kung-food.it/recipes/egyptian-koshari/1736/
    Egyptian Koshari —https://en.kung-food.it/recipes/egyptian-koshari/1736/
  2. Shawarma: This is a type of meat prepared in a unique way. I personally prefer the chicken shawarma. The chicken is put on a spit(pictured bellowed) and is continuously fried all day. Then they shave it to make the wrap.

    Shawarma on a spit --https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawarma#/media/File:เดทเดตเตผเดฎเตเดฎ.JPG
    Shawarma on a spit –https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawarma#/media/File:เดทเดตเตผเดฎเตเดฎ.JPG
  3. Camel Burger(surprisingly!): This is a burger you can get right on campus. Coming from the U.S. it took a little bit before I tried the famous camel burger at Momentoโ€™s. I found it to be surprisingly good & chewy. My parents grew up in Somalia where camel meat was eaten as a luxury meat. They were very eager for me try it!
  4. Manakish: This is a dish from the levant region which refers to the greater Syria region. My favorite is the cheese manakesh. Itโ€™s reminded me a lot of pizza because of the dough that it’s made with.
    Manakish - https://www.monamourcollection.com/blog/how-to-make-perfect-and-easy-arabic-manakish/
    Manakish – https://www.monamourcollection.com/blog/how-to-make-perfect-and-easy-arabic-manakish/

    One of my favorites parts about my study abroad experience has been trying foods from around the world. Food in the Arab culture represents a major part of their culture. I’m very grateful to be studying in a country with a vibrant mixture of cultures.

Until next time!

Sowda

 

Sowda Ahmed

<i>*Minnesota Scholarship</i> Marhaba! My name is Sowda Ahmed and I am a 2nd year student at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities majoring in Genetics, Cell Biology and Development with a minor in Management. I am very involved with student groups like the University Honors Student Association, the Somali Student Association, and Be the Match on Campus. Currently, I work in a research lab studying congenital Cytomegalovirus. In the future, I am interested in going to medical school but also continuing research in health disparities. I would like to give back to my community by being advocates for those who are neglected by the healthcare system. I am a first generation college student and the first person in my family who has even dreamed of studying abroad in a different country. Spring of 2016, I will be traveling to the United Arab Emirates to study at the American University of Sharjah. During my trip, I plan on volunteering at an orphanage, learning more about the healthcare system in the UAE and the research that professors are doing at the University.