This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
From one continent to another, each nation has its own culinary history. The evolution of practices tells the story of distinct, diversified and unique peoples at the same time. Report from Dubai, an emirate whose young history already includes several culinary chapters.
The history of Dubai, the second largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates, is recent. It was not until 1971 that the union was formed to put an end to the British protectorate, in place since the beginning of the 19th century.e century. The construction of Port Rashid in 1972 and that of Jebel Ali in 1979 made Dubai a major commercial hub. Then come the creation of free zones, the opening up to international tourism and dizzying real estate development. This partly explains Dubai’s economic boom. But despite the bling, there are people. And in Dubai, the vast majority of the population (about 90%) comes from elsewhere. However, its cuisine is deliciously seasoned by its unique community.
Taste history
The guide, Moza Almatrooshi, of the female company Frying Pan Adventures, takes us through the journey of the inhabitants of old Dubai through their culinary specialties. The tasting begins at the restaurant Haji Ali Cafeteria, where we taste the rolled sandwich illustrating well the cultural mix of Dubai. This is a paratha, an Indian flatbread, in which you put a fried egg, cream cheese, Louisiana hot sauce and Omani chips. It’s crunchy, creamy and spicy all at once. Everything is accompanied by a karak chaia very bitter black tea infusion elongated with sweetened condensed milk.
We continue our culinary epic in the spice souk, where we discover all kinds of ingredients with culinary or medicinal virtues. It ranges from saffron to indigo, including zaatar and Omani frankincense. There is something for all the senses!
We then refresh ourselves at the Jafer Biman Ali counter, which has been in the souk for more than 65 years. It serves fresh juices, such as rose water and lime, and desserts from Iran. Moza Almatrooshi explains to us that trade between the two peoples has existed for a long time, especially for fine pearl fishing in the second half of the 19th century.e century, since the Iranian country is on the other side of the Persian Gulf.
Indian scents
The Indian immigration story is similar. Indians have been settling in the area for more than 200 years to trade. So much so that the name of the souk, Baniyan, evokes the Indian caste of merchants. On that note, we stop at the Indian restaurant Foodie Junction, where they serve panipuri, thin fried and hollow balls in which we add a mixture of potatoes and chickpeas, a slightly sweet and spicy broth. We eat them in one bite to create a perfect blend of all the flavors, but also to avoid making a mess!
We end this tasty visit at the Emirati restaurant Al Khayma, whose dining room is in the interior garden of a traditional house. We share a fattoush salad and hummus, an important legacy of the Lebanese community. We continue with a machboos, widely adopted by the Emiratis. This Indian biryani-style spiced rice dish is served with braised lamb.
Like what the history of immigration tells us a lot about the history of cooking as well as about the sharing of ingredients and culinary knowledge across borders.
Our journalist was the guest of Turkish Airlines and Visit Dubai.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.