This article is from WeChat official account:Jiuxing (ID: jiuxing_neweekly), author: Huang Po, from the title figure: vision China
Speaking of Dubai, the word “壕” is automatically typed in my mind.
We are all too familiar with this reality: the 828-meter Burj Khalifa, the artificial palm island, water is more expensive than oil, Maserati on the street, and Arab merchants comparable to those who walked out of comics…< /p>
Everything is so golden and dazzling that most people in the world have forgotten that they also have an UAE cuisine.
△Emirati cuisine forgotten by the world
It’s not surprising. When you can afford to fly Japanese wagyu beef and caviar bibimbap that day, perhaps even the UAE people have forgotten what the traditional cuisine is?
There are thousands of international restaurants in Dubai, but the UAE restaurant is the most inconspicuous.
She is like a treasure left in a corner by money and time. After opening it, she found that it was: I have been immersed in dietary genes for more than 5,000 years; a delicacy that combines the characteristics of deserts, oceans and mountains; It also brought the history of trade and spices.
△UAE Desert Camel/unsplash
It’s a shame to be overwhelmed by UAE cuisine.
Only when we put aside the label of “local tyrant” can we truly enter the world of UAE cuisine.
1. You know nothing about the power of Middle Eastern cuisine
Whether it is a Chinese stomach or a Western stomach, when I went to the Middle East, I was incapable of accepting local dishes: what is this?
Don’t be stunned. After all, UAE cuisine in all aspects, including ingredients, methods, taste, use of spices, eating methods, etc., are not the same as the Chinese and Western food systems.
△UAE cuisine/lifestyle which has nothing to do with Chinese and Western cuisine systems
Eating UAE cuisine, you have to prepare your taste buds to break and rebuild.
Their ingredients are bold, no matter from hare, camel, or shark, they can cook.
Their taste is exciting, no matter breakfast, lunch, dessert, or tea and coffee, they are inseparableOpen the figure of Middle Eastern spices.
△You are most likely to be surprised by taking pictures
All of this must start with the Geographical Features of the UAE.
Open the satellite map, it is not difficult to find that the geographical environment of the UAE is both sad and happy. The happy one is that it is close to the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. The sad thing is that the coastal plain is a desert. Going further in is sand dunes and the east is mountains. .
So their ingredients are limited to half the desert and half the sea.
△Half desert and half sea/unsplash
This has suffered their ancestors, the Bedouins.
This is a semi-nomadic people who first lived in the desert of the Arabian Peninsula. They worry about what to eat almost every day. Walking through the desert, it is necessary to supplement carbohydrates, but the barren land can only be caught Eat whatever you want.
Camel meat is basically the most traditional dish kept in Dubai. Moreover, they are eaten whole.
△Camels are so strong, of course they must eat camels/bilibili
There is a program on the tubing called “The Food Ranger” (The food ranger), It talked about how to eat steamed camel meat.
First coat the whole camel with layers of spices, marinate for a full night, then coat with a layer of sauce and local ghee, put some saffron and cardamom powder, and steam the whole camel.
After 6 hours, a piece of camel meat full of fat, soft and juicy, is ready. After tearing it open, let the fat drip onto the rice, add the sauce, Grab and eat directly by hand.
△Fresh and juicy camel meat
What the desert brings to the people of Dubai are dates, wheat, camel milk and goats. Nowadays it is mostly made into desserts and traditional dishes.
The seafood is another bite of rice that God appreciates.
In the past, Bedouins would fish and wrap their belly in the Arabian Sea, so today, you can still eat all kinds of strange seafood in Dubai, such as red snapper, sea carp, torpedo, grilled blue Parrot fish and small shark meat.
△Fishermen who used to fish/unsplash
But it is not difficult to find that Bedouin’s food is really limited. According to historical records, before the prosperity brought by oil, there were no chickens in this land. The only similar birds were Houbara bustards, which were killed by indigenous chiefs.
The hot desert makes people lose their appetite, and the ingredients are still turning over and over. If you don’t mobilize the taste buds, the Bedouin will show you autism every minute.
△The ingredients are not enough, the spices come together/unsplash
Fortunately, Spices gave them hope.
For centuries, the UAE has been a gathering place for traders. Merchants from India, Persia, Zanzibar and Mesopotamia settled here to do business.
About 1700 AD, spices like saffron, cumin, cardamom and nutmeg came in from the port city of Dubai. Since then, the Emirati’s fascination with spices has become uncontrollable.
△Merchant ship/unsplash parked in Dubai Creek
Traditional UAE dishes add spices to almost every dish, even breakfast, desserts and tea are not overlooked, so in the eyes of outsiders, this cuisine is indeed very “heavy”(top)“.
But when I get used to it, I can instead enjoy the soul blow of the Middle Eastern spices.
Their traditional breakfast Balelat is made with vermicelli and omelet, which is flavored with cinnamon, saffron, cardamom, orange blossom or rose water. One bite is another refreshing day.
Because of the arid desert climate, it is necessary to replenish the corresponding energy, so the eating habit of the UAE people is a lot of meat(except pork)+ Spice seasoning + roast, fried and stewed.
So, they are very comfortable with goat, camel, shark and other ingredients. Hundreds of spices have made the top, middle and back notes on the tip of their tongues. They use the most primitive roasting and stewing techniques in the desert to cook dishes. It also has a different flavor.
Who would have thought that the Bedouin, who was originally PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, would have developed delicious UAE cuisine.
2. Dubai cuisine, with a touch of South Asian flavor
But when Dubai has become an international city, everything is different.
The Emirati’s feet left the desert, and Dubai began to grow tall buildings madly. While oil brought wealth, it also brought them the flavor of the world.
When millions of people from more than 200 countries flooded into Dubai, cuisines also flooded in. UAE cuisine also began to become more and more international, and was deeply influenced by Indian, Pakistani, Persian and Chinese cuisine.influences.
△The increasingly internationalized Dubai/unsplash
If you want to see Dubai people eating with “$$” eyes, you will most likely be disappointed: The ingredients are mediocre, and there is a swaying curry flavor.
Open the ten must-eat dishes in Dubai. Almost always 3-4 can find the shadow of South Asian flavor, such as Majboos which uses Basmati rice, Luqaymat which is similar to Indian street food, and Meat which is made with Indian spices Biryani…
And if you want to eat traditional dishes, the local tyrants in Dubai also grab rice with their hands.
△The streets of Dubai are full of South Asian flavors/unsplash
The mystery of this scene will soon be solved.
Since more than 350 years ago, the origins of the UAE and India have been inseparable.
From the geographical point of view, the latitudes of the two are the same. India is 8°24′~37°36′ north latitude, and the UAE is 22°~26.5°. Both are hot weather, and both rely on spices and oils. Fry to preserve food.
From historyLook, this land was protected by the United Kingdom before it was called the “United Arab Emirates”. In the 19th century, the British also appointed British Indians to manage various tribes and emirates, so there is a lot in common with India. .
Many spices are still passed from Indian merchants.
△The entanglement between Dubai and India started 300 years ago/unsplash
When oil was discovered in the 20th century, Indians naturally poured into the culturally-based UAE to look for job opportunities.
According to demographics, only 15% of Dubai are locals, and the remaining 85% are foreigners. Indians account for 28%, which is more than locals, almost one third of Dubai’s population. .
When the UAE people are making traditional camel meat, they apply Masala(famous Indian spices) and pile up basmati rice, Old artists know that the influence of Indian culture on UAE cuisine is not simple.
△Indians in Dubai/unsplash
Salon, a traditional dish of the UAEIt originated in India, and the method is similar to that in India. For example, chicken Salon, stew the chicken until soft and easy to eat, add turmeric, olive oil, minced ginger, minced garlic, onion, pepper, spices, a few hours later, Indian curry The fragrance oil emerges spontaneously.
And Indian chicken curry(Chicken tikka masala), chicken rice (Chicken biryani), curry dishes (curry) and noodles are also very popular among the UAE.
△UAE’s super delicious curry chicken rice/unsplash
Tariq Al Kazim, a 23-year-old rich second-generation family living in the UAE, said (Tariq Al Kazim), “I like my Indian personal chef very much. It has not been changed for more than 10 years.”
Many UAE people have been eating Indian food since they were young, and it has become a childhood memory. Asma Al Bahri, a student at Zayed University, said, “I like Indian food. We are used to their spices and flavors. Part of our culture.”
It seems that the curry flavor of Dubai cuisine cannot be eliminated.
3. UAE cuisine digested by modern times
Unfortunately, being a tall building and an international personWhen the mouth is filled with our eyes, the face of UAE cuisine becomes more and more blurred.
German chef Uwe Micheel(Uwe Micheel) recalled the scene when he first came to Dubai in 1993:< /p>
“The tourist asked us where to eat local UAE food. We took him to an Iranian restaurant. I’m sorry I don’t even know what UAE food is.”
In Dubai, there are 7,000 to 8,000 restaurants, with a variety of Middle Eastern, European, Southeast Asian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese cuisines. But 10 years ago, it was difficult to find an UAE restaurant.
For the foreigners living here, except for Luqaimat(a kind of sweet croquettes) and Harees(a mushy delicacy made from wheat and meat), they have hardly heard of UAE cuisine. They prefer the national cuisine that can be easily found in Dubai.
As for the locals in the UAE, nowadays they are so rich that they disdain to become chefs, and they are happy to try the food of different countries.
Traditional UAE cuisine is gradually disappearing in modern society. Another reason is that is very complicated and time-consuming.
For example, the Harees mentioned above, although the ingredients are simple, consisting of chicken, wheat and salt, it must be boiled for at least 3 to 4 hours until the chicken is fully integrated into the wheat. Eat during iftar or wedding.
△Yes, you have to boil it until you can’t see the ingredients before it’s finished/list.ly
As for the complex use of spices, it is very difficult to control. There are more than a dozen kinds of spices in a dish. How much to put and when to put them all test the chef’s experience.
Moreover, the traditional UAE cuisine is a large plate, and then a group of people sit around and grab it with their hands. In modern cities and commercial centers, it’s hard to imagine this scene.
△Traditional UAE dishes are eaten by sitting around with your hands/ryanrowe
As a result, the transformed UAE cuisine has become a favorite of tourists and locals.
Evolved to this day, the ingredients of UAE cuisine are not so limited. Except for religious reasons, pork is not eaten, chicken, cattle, alpaca and camel meat are all made into dishes. Spices are essential, and the way to eat is simplified to grilling =”text-remarks” label=”remarks”>(mashwi), fried (maqli), curry stew(salona), or with rice (machboos and biryani).
Shawarma(Shawarma), undoubtedly DiWorship people’s favorite national snack.
At first glance, it looks unremarkable, and it looks a bit like a Mexican chicken roll, but the inside is very different: the sliced tender lamb or chicken must be sliced, soaked in the sauce for a few hours, and then tightly attached to the vertical grill Top, blanch it with high temperature.
When eating, cut it off, dip it in a thin yellow garlic paste, mix it with salad, and roll it into a piece of Arabian bread with some cheese, lettuce and pickles, which is refreshing, full and not greasy.
△Shawarma (Shawarma)
For hard dishes, Thareed is their curry stew.
Use lamb or chicken, add potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkin and other side dishes and spices to stew at low heat, boil it until juicy and easy to eat, pour it into a kind of UAE pancake called rigag, both Combined with eating, let the taste of stew reach the brain.
△Thareed/Dayout Dubai
The best way to eat seafood is to grill it. For example, this Shamak Mashwi(Sakak Mashwi).
inThe fish was cut a few times, coated with traditional mixed date sauce, and grilled on the fireplace at an angle of 45°. The oily fish showed its brilliance under the fire, and finally the sound of fish fat burning Under the fascination.
△Sakak Mashwi/Dayout Dubai
For dessert, I recommend Luqaimat.
Fry balls with flour, butter, and milk. The essence is that a spoonful of jujube syrup has been boiled for several hours. After a bite, the outside is crispy and the inside is soft as sponge.
△Luqaimat/Dayout Dubai, a dessert coated with date syrup
It is a pity that such a treasure in the Middle East has not been unearthed by the world.
Although UAE cuisine is not taken seriously in Dubai, it is said that tourists will gain a few pounds of fat after leaving.
This article is from WeChat official account:Nine lines (ID: jiuxing_neweekly), author: Huang Po