Marhaba!
I would like to dedicate this blog post to the various food Iโve been able to eat in the UAE. As Iโve 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 Iโve been here, Iโve had all kinds of foods. Near our school there is a road called โKarak 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..)
- Koshari: This is a famous Egyptian meal. It didnโt 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/ - 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:เดทเดตเตผเดฎเตเดฎ.JPG - 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 Momentoโs. 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!
- Manakish: This is a dish from the levant region which refers to the greater Syria region. My favorite is the cheese manakesh. Itโs 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/ 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