When I sent Vonnett a web address with recipes from the United Arab Emirates (often called the UAE or the Emirates), she replied, “Yum! Let's do the lentil soup for the appetizer, the chicken bzar for the entree, and I just can't pass on the apple and raisin crepes...can we call them dessert?”
These recipes were delicious and so nicely spiced. Note that the videos have more details that aren’t written in the recipes and the chicken takes longer than it says, but the extra work is completely worth it! https://www.emirates.com/ae/english/experience/dining/emirates-recipes/
We made our own ibzar (spice blend) and it was perfect: https://www.food.com/recipe/gulf-spices-ibzar-257499
We were full and satisfied after the lentils and chicken, so we saved the crepes for breakfast the next morning to eat along with leftovers, getting two great Emirati meals when we had only planned one!
There are two more food bloggers providing recipes from the UAE that I want to try:
· L’Academie: https://www.lacademie.com/uae-foods/
· The Big Sweet Tooth: https://www.thebigsweettooth.com/masoub-saudi-banana-bread-mash/
Allan and I have also tried Dubai Sauce in Los Angeles, because Dubai is one of the Emirates. Allan got hummus and I got the falafel wrap. The sauces seemed more Mexican – I particularly noticed the jalapeno and mango. I wasn’t expecting Mexican/Emirati fusion, but it was good.
For additional food and so much more, see also No Reservations: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7z3g4w
To learn more about the various Emirates and how they became a country (this was all new to me!), see Geography Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juHLoPYaWHk
To represent authors from the UAE, I checked The Sand Fish, a novel by Maha Gargash about a young woman who becomes the third wife of an older man through an arranged marriage, out of the San Bernardino County Library. I also enjoyed three interviews on Words Without Borders of authors from three different Emirati cities:
· Abu Dhabi: https://wordswithoutborders.org/read/article/2022-05/the-city-and-the-writer-in-abu-dhabi-with-deepak-unnikrishnan/
If you are interested in podcasts, Kerning Cultures, coming from Dubai, tells stories from across the middle east and north Africa and their diaspora. If you are interested in children’s literature, check here: https://wordswithoutborders.org/read/article/2022-04/the-present-and-future-of-arabic-kid-lit-a-conversation/
Netflix provided Dubai Bling, a series on the wealthy lifestyles of Emirati influencers, and Uncle Naji in UAE, a comedy horror film in Arabic. I saw Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol which was filmed in Dubai and I plan to see Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (coming out soon) which was filmed in Abu Dhabi.
Wild Arabia episode 3 is set in the UAE: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1kouo2
For music from the UAE, see:
· A men’s group dancing with Bedouin swords and singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZf5Ti_xVf0
· A full concert of instrumental music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eEGUzdaGy0
For works by several of the UAE’s prominent artists, see:
· Abdul Qader Al Rais: https://www.barjeelartfoundation.org/artist/uae/abdul-qader-al-rais/
· Hassan Sharif: http://islamicartsmagazine.com/magazine/view/hassan_sharif_blue/
· Ebtisam Abdulaziz: https://www.artistebtisamaziz.com/
To experience the UAE in California, I have seen the camel races at the Indio Date Festival and when I get the chance, I’ll get some camel milk chocolates at Oasis Camel Dairy in Ramona. They are only open certain Saturdays so it might be awhile before I make it.
There are great things to do in the Emirates! See for example: https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/things-to-do-uae/. I would love to go! I hope for a time when broad travel gives us new perspectives. In the meantime, I’m hoping we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace, health, and safety to flourish in the United Arab Emirates and throughout the world.
Photo Credit: Darcey Beau https://unsplash.com/photos/q8D7WZc40eA
Comments