There is more to Emirati food than lugaimat and harees
THERE IS MORE TO IT THAN LUGAIMAT AND HAREES; HERE’S A DEEPER LOOK INTO THE TRADITIONAL BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER
Have you ever had Emirati cuisine for breakfast, lunch or dinner? If not, you won’t be alone, as most expatriate residents have hardly heard of it other than lugaimat or harees.
And it’s not just the expats, with UAE society evolving as the one of the most cosmopolitan in the region and eating habits are influenced by the popular culture, even some of the young Emiratis rarely eat what could be called truly authentic Emirati cuisine.
In the spirit of celebrating the UAE’s 47th National Day, we introduce you to some of the dishes that Emiratis traditionally had for breakfast, lunch and dinner and some households still do.
“Many of us may not be having what our earlier generations used to have for lunch and dinner as most people, especially the younger generation, eat out mostly. But our breakfasts are still very traditional like balaleet, which is a sweetened vermicelli, cooked with eggs, onions, cinnamon and oil. We also have baidh
tomat, Emirati version of scrambled eggs with tomatoes,” said Shehab Bin Kareem, 43, an Emirati, who grew up in the historic area of Jumeirah.
Reminiscing about the old days, Bin Kareem said that women then worked magic in the kitchen.
“One of the reasons why the youngsters don’t know about our traditional food is that most people don’t know how to make it and restaurants serving Emirati dishes are coming up only now. If I want to eat Emirati food I have to visit my mother. I remember eating at my grandmother’s place. Women of her generation used to work magic,” said Bin Kareem, recalling his childhood memories.
He said that Emirati mothers and grandmothers should pass on the tradition and teach their children how to cook Emirati food.
“We have to bring our tradition back, we have to introduce these items in schools so that our children develop a taste for it from a young age,” he added. Other than balaleet and baidh
tomat, a typical Emirati breakfast includes chabab bread (Emirati pancake), khameer bread,
khubz rigag (crepes) biseetah ,a sweet dish made with dates, and
khabeesa, another dish made with wheat and dates.
“Traditionally many of our dishes were made with dates as a common ingredient, as it was most readily available. People used to eat different types of breads with date syrup and cheese made with goat or camel milk,” said Sohail Al Marzouqi, operations manager at Al Fanar Restaurant, one of the first Emirati eateries that opened in Jumeirah in 2011.
Al Fanar is now among a handful of restaurants that serve authentic Emirati delicacies including Al Jalboot, Al Jawaher, Treej or if you are a big fan of seafood, you should try Bou Qteir in Umm Suqeim. Traditional Emirati dishes can also be found at Khaled Hariyah Kitchen in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.
Being a seafaring community, seafood was and is the most common item in Emirati lunches and dinners. And a typical lunch or dinner is white rice and grilled or fried fish or fish salona (curry made with tomato paste and Arabic spices).
“Machboos with either fish, chicken or mutton is a popular dish that Emiratis eat on important occasions like Eid, National Day, Friday or wedding ceremonies. It is similar to khabsa or
pulav made with Arabic spices,” said Al Marzouqi.
Another popular seafood dish is jasheed, which is crumbled fish mainly made of baby shark and is eaten with rice.
One of the reasons why the youngsters don’t know about our traditional food is that most people don’t know how to make it and restaurants serving Emirati dishes are coming up only now.”
Shehab Bin Kareem | Emirati resident of old Jumeirah