Foreign cuisine competes with Qatar's traditional meals during Ramadan

By Nasser Elghanem in Doha
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-08-17

[-/AFP/Getty Images] During Ramadan many of Qatar's restaurants offer a variety of dishes in addition to the country's national dishes.

With about 1.25 million expatriates living in Qatar and just 300,000 Qataris, foreign dishes compete with national meals during the month of Ramadan.

When Ramadan begins, many Qatari families prepare to cook their most popular Ramadan dishes, especially "tharid," (porridge), "luqaimat" (deep-fried dumplings), and "haris" (mash).

Hassa Bint Nasser (Um Khalifa), a researcher in Qatari heritage, told Al-Shorfa Qatari eating traditions have changed.

"The Qatari table used to contain limited meals and dishes, because of the level of poverty before oil was discovered, and the Qatari family also used to rely on mash, given its low cost," she said.

"However, today mash became a popular dish, not to mention the fact that the Qatari table has become full of various dishes that were brought by Arab and foreign expatriates in Qatar," she added.

Umm Khalifa said that Shami meals and dishes from Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, such as chicken and rice, mezza and moghrabieh, represent the strongest competitors of the Qatari traditional dishes.

While Qataris may be outnumbered by expatriates, their skills in preparing traditional foods are still in demand. Umm Ahmad is a Qatari citizen known for her ability to make porridge.

"This dish is made using meat and vegetables such as potatoes, gourd, eggplant, and zucchini, in addition to all kinds of spices that add good flavour to the porridge," she said.

The porridge is served in a deep plate with Rokak bread.

"The Rokak, or thin slices of bread, are the main ingredient of the porridge. Rokak is prepared using the 'tawah,' a thick, round-shaped sheet of metal. The woman applies a thin layer of dough over it after heating it well. The woman should apply some oil to the surface of the Tawah so that the dough does not stick to it," Umm Ahmad said.

In Qatar, Luqaimat is the most famous Ramadan dessert on the table.

"Luqaimat is an essential sweet during the month of the fast, and it is made of cardamom, fat, saffron, fermented dough, and water. Some people use milk too, but this is optional," Um Ahmad said.

Umm Ahmad, however, does not conceal her concern that the favoured status of traditional Qatari meals is being challenged by the diversity of dishes that Doha knows today.

Most restaurants in Qatar prepare for the month of Ramadan by informing customers that they have a variety of dishes, in addition to the national Qatari dishes.

Ehab Ata, a Lebanese citizen who owns a restaurant in Doha, said his establishment serves special meals prepared for this month.

"Probably, the most prominent dishes are those of the Shami table, which is welcomed by the majority of Qataris and Arab expatriates in Qatar," he said.

"We serve all the traditional Qatari dishes, including the mash and porridge, and we have hired a Qatari female cook to prepare them."

The unusually warm summer motivated many Qataris to spend the month of Ramadan in other countries. Ali bin Juman, 32, an accountant at a bank in Doha, decided to spend Ramadan in Jordan for better weather.

"I was keen on preparing the meals of Luqaimat, porridges, and mash and taking them with me, because these are traditional Qatari dishes, and we cannot do without them. I will go with my wife and children, taking sufficient provisions of these meals that we prefer here in Qatar," bin Jumaan told Al-Shorfa.

Yusuf bin Muhaymid, 45, a public sector employee, plans to spend the month of Ramadan in Doha and refuses to leave.

"I will organise daily banquets for my family and relatives, where our traditional dishes will be present, because the Ramadan table in Qatari houses is famous for its diversity. I enjoy raisin juice, which helps one endure the hot weather," he said.

Bookmarking

Please comment on this article so that we can improve the experience of viewing this website.