A desire to taste the truly local food is one strong reason that draws them to visit the sprawling venues during the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF-2010) which runs until February 28.

“I got here everything I wanted to learn about the arts and culture of the emirate and tried the authentic Emirati cuisines prepared by local women. I now knew for sure why the history is full of stories praising Arabian hospitality. But for the Heritage Village, I would have not known this vibrant facet given the cosmopolitan composition of Dubai,” said Mark and Julie, a British couple who walked down their hotel room in Dubai Marina to watch the winter evening festivities.
Mr. Khalid Ali bin Gharib, Head of DTCM’s Organizing Committee for DSF-2010 Events, said: “Dubai Shopping Festival is an excellent opportunity to recreate Dubai’s rich cultural traditions and this year our special events highlight the country’s ancient history. Cuisines are a big draw with the visitors, especially from the Western countries. Through the Heritage Villages, we have been successful in bringing our time-honed culinary delights to the world.”
A recent report from Mintel recommends Dubai as a new hot location for UK food lovers. Emerging gastro-tourism hot spot Dubai is also one of the countries topping the Post Office Travel Services’ Holiday Money Report for travel money value.

One of the highlights of the culinary tourism programme is the live preparations of cuisines that visitors can watch and go on trying out one dish after another – a bit of learn-while-you-eat concept. The Emirati women who cook the dishes and sell for reasonable prices are too enthusiastic to explain about their open-air kitchen offerings.

The Emirati dishes have been passed down from generation to generation and remained an integral part of the local community’s social and cultural scene. Over the years, some of the dishes have either come under the influence of or left a lasting impression on the cuisines from other regions.

In the traditional Emirati cuisine, rice, meat and fish are used a lot in the preparation of several dishes. Al Harees and Al Machboos are popular local dishes. There are a number of traditional dishes served during different occasions.

Al Harees, which is made mainly from meat and wheat, is a popular treat during special occasions such as Ramadan, Eid and weddings.

Al Machboos, which is also called Al Makboos, has red meat as its main ingredient (which can be replaced by chicken or shrimp) and rice.

Popular dishes also include:
Al Muhammar bil dibs: Rice cooked with dibs, which is a sweet extract derived from dates.
- Al Thereed: Bread mixed with meat gravy.
- Al Qurs Al Mafrook: Round dough is poured into a clay pot and placed inside a specially prepared hole in the ground. It is later mixed with ghee.
- Al Reqa’aq: It is made from soft unleavened dough that is flattened and baked on a hot iron plate.
- Al Muhala: Similar to Al Reqa’aq bread with egg spread on top.
- Al Khameer: Flour mixed with date paste and sugar is baked over burning coal and kept overnight.
- Al Chebab: Made from flour, sugar, milk, eggs and water.
- Al Sago: Al Sago is a dessert made up of wheat mixed with ghee, sugar and cardamom.
- Al Balaleet: A kind of pasta made with sugar, eggs, ghee, onions and cinnamon.
- Al Jareesh: Al Jareesh is made of “Borghol”, which is a kind of crushed wheat.
- Batheetha: Batheetha is a popular traditional dessert made of date paste, flour and ghee. The best time to make Batheetha is during the winter.

Other famous Emirati dishes are Al Chami, Al Logimat and Mathrouba.

Originally published by http://www.dubaitourism.ae

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Organised by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) as part of its participation in the 15th edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), the show is being held at The Walk JBR for the first time and will run until February 28. It is open to the public from 5 pm to 10 pm.

After formally cutting a ribbon to mark its opening, H. H Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed, accompanied by scores of DTCM and DSF officials, toured the exhibition housed in a special marquee set up at the venue, located next to Hilton Jumeirah along the Arabian Gulf shores.

The Heritage Village, created by DTCM on the lines of a similar facility in Al Shindagha, is a big draw with the residents of Dubai Marina and surrounding residential zones, 75 per cent of whom being Westerners.

Banader Al Turath exhibition is showcasing exhibits collected from at least five sites in the emirate, including Sarouq Al Hadeed, a rich archaeological site situated 100 kilmetres south of Dubai in a sand dune area and discovered by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Only a select number of artifacts discovered from the site during excavations since 2001 have been kept on display. Exhibits have also been sourced from other archaeological sites located in Al Sufouh and Al Qusais.

It has been established that Sarouq Al Hadeed flourished during the 1st millennium BC as an industrial center manufacturing bronze and iron products in addition to gold and silver jewellery. Stretching 13.75 square kilometers, the finds here date back to the Neolithic Period (7000-4000 BC) and the first millennium BC.

From the Sarouq Al Hadeed, the archaeological teams recovered huge quantities of bronze tools, grinding stones, carnelian beads, rings and fragments of soft stone vessels.

The excavations also led to the discovery of large settlements engaged in copper production.

Copper ore, slag heap, furnace fragments, copper ingots, large number of grinding and crushing stones found at the site, suggested that the site was one of the ancient copper-smelting villages in the region.

The department has been utilizing the DSF right from its inception to showcase emirate’s rich cultural and traditions. This year, our special events will highlight and document the country’s ancient history.

Originally published by http://www.dubaitourism.ae

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