RAMY SALAMA
DOHA while Qatar is now home to restaurants with cuisine from all over the world, and known food chain outlets of every description, traditional dishes are still the most common food with meals in the majority of the Qatari houses eaten.
A growing number of visitors and residents of the country have shown interest in this cuisine, sampling and they can do on local food chains including Afghan Brothers and on many different outlets in Souq Waqif, although some may insist that these local dishes are at their best when they are home-made.
In a part of the Souq, an empty Court filled with women in traditional clothes, many of them make it flat bread called khubz rgag, particularly popular with tourists, among several other dishes. Walking along the main street of Souq Waqif, there are three different stores that sell a variety of traditional dishes. We spoke with patrons on these restaurants to get a deeper understanding of Qatar kitchen.
Abdulrahman Abdullah, a Qatari youth sat with a meal with his two friends at um's Abdulrahman traditional restaurant in Souq Waqif. He had balaleet, which he described as "a sweet dish noodles made with eggs and flavored with cardamom.
"It is one of the many varied traditional cuisine we eat, and although it can be eaten in the afternoon is common as a breakfast dish in the morning when it has a sweet taste and may be associated with tea or karak.
"Khubz rgag, a flat, crispy bread that you may have seen is made on the other side of the Souq, but the way they prepare it now, with eggs and cheese and so on, species is an innovation, a new recipe that they are using now. Originally was made with Broth, and was eaten with thereed, a stew of meat, "he said Abdulrahman went to describe other common dishes, add" another example is margooga, in which vegetables and meat or chicken, and while the dough is made, is added to it.
Margooga is most often eaten when it is cold, as it has the effect you warm up.
"Aseeda is another popular dish, made from a Cooked wheat flour lump of dough, and can also be considered a dessert kind of food. They make this by heating flour, and once it starts to change color, darker, they add figs, and mix it with water. They then Add onion and eggs, and that's aseeda! A dessert which is also common in many countries in the Gulf is is khanfaroosh, prepared from a mixture of flour, egg, sugar, yeast, cardamom, saffron and rose water.
These are examples of dishes that long ago in Qatar were eaten, and that remain popular to this day. " Mohammed Rashid, another pattern, mentioned some more dishes, saying: "Qatar is close to the sea, the Arabian Gulf, so fresh fish and seafood are used in many dishes in this snapper, which are often served with seasoned rice, crab and shrimp.
"Meat dishes are usually based on lamb and mutton. Perhaps the most famous traditional dish machbous,, consists of spicy lamb and rice and is traditionally served by a large dish, from which each person a portion would take.
"Harees is another popular lamb dish, which is made with slow-cooked wheat and tender lamb and sometimes also seafood and eaten with seasoned rice.
Actually, some people don't like to do this meal because it takes a long time to cook! "Qatar's kitchen also includes many dessert dishes such as bhabees, which is prepared with the help of semolina, rose water, cardomom, saffron, nuts and dates, as well as aseeda.
"Lugaimat are dumplings, scented with cardamom and saffron. Some people may also adding milk, and the dumplings are then deep fried in oil and sweetened with honey or sugar syrup. Desserts are typically served accompanied by a cup of Arabic coffee. " Mohammed added that "traditional Qatari people do not eat large meals in the morning and evening and they would be the most important meal of the day would have somewhere in the afternoon, although this habit can change now, and many families have their main meal in the evening.
"Breakfast in Qatar normal early breakfast is eaten, and originally also can be a full meal, as they have in the West the most important meal of the day, and for the same reason, say – to energy throughout the day. Breakfast can contain milk, coffee or tea, olives, bread, cheese, eggs, or yogurt and dishes such as balaleet. Hummos is popular these days, although traditional Qataris Eva s, which is like Hummos, but without Tahina would eat.
"The Friday afternoon meal after the prayers is the week main family gathering, for many families. Qatari people take great pride in their hospitality, which perhaps reflects their Bedouin heritage, and food and drinks are of course important parts of this. So much so, that some people are offended if guests turn down food and drinks could be offered. " Nasser Khalifa, a middle-aged man who also was having a meal in um Abdulrahman eatery, mentioned some more dishes, saying that "madhrooba is also a popular food, it is made with rice, vegetables and chicken stew.
"Dates are an important staple food in Qatar and can be eaten at any time of the day. It is traditionally served for the guests, as a sign of hospitality. The date is despite the sweetness, full of vitamins and a good source of energy. Dates are considered especially important during Ramadan, and will be eaten in the breaking of the fast.
"Rice is also considered a staple food, and is used in madhrooba among many other dishes, machbous. Camel meat and camel milk for came at some point, but these days are not particularly easy to obtain. Too bad, because camel meat is probably one of the most beautiful kinds of meat, and low in fat. Young camel in particular was, and to an extent, still is considered a delicacy. " Nasser has some interesting points about Qatri cuisine in General, stating that "for the discovery of oil you not a big selection of dishes in the typical Qatari meal would find, but this is no longer the case. There are a number of dishes in our kitchen that is similar to Indian food, and in fact you can actually order biryani here on um Abdulrahman.
"The Gulf States traded with India for hundreds of years, so a number of spices and cooking techniques from India affected our food here. Traditionally, Qataris eat with their hands, the right hand, or they a piece of bread used for bragging, say, a serving machbous, although flatware now quite common as well. This is just one example of how, maybe not the food itself, but eating traditions around here have changed. "
