In honour of World Food Day, yufeed is featuring an article by Liliana Christofides, an Anthropology graduate whose article can also be found in the cookbook, Empowering Women Through Cooking UAE:

Opening a food delivery website or app and scrolling through your options when living in the UAE is like wandering through an international food festival – from Portuguese bakeries to Kenyan steakhouses, the options and possibilities are endless.

The majority of the UAE’s population consists of expatriates, making the country a hub of diversity. When people leave their homes to integrate into a new society, they naturally try to bring aspects of their culture with them, and one way they do that is through food. Food is an essential feature of cultural identity. There are certain meals that when we see, smell, or taste, give us a warm feeling of comfort and contentment. Recreating and sharing these dishes are useful in consoling homesickness and keeping one’s cultural identity alive.

We can learn a great deal about a culture through their eating habits. Many nationalities, such as the Greeks, are known for their hours-long meals in large groups. These meals are the core of social gatherings and represent the family and society-oriented aspect of these nationalities; not at all dissimilar to Emirati and Middle Eastern cultures. Many other cultural values and beliefs are portrayed through food, such as slurping soups in Japan as a sign of appreciation. There are also superstitious beliefs, such as eating twelve grapes on New Year’s Day in Spain, Portugal, and Peru to ensure good luck for the rest of the year, or avoiding holding your chopsticks upside down in China as that is an omen of death.

In addition to the eating practices, it is also the meal itself that holds cultural significance. For example, haggis, which is a traditional Scottish dish known to be an acquired taste and consisting of strong spices, grains, and meat, cooked inside an animal’s stomach lining. In Scotland, this dish is an object of culinary pride; a symbol of simplicity and humble beginnings that is very prevalent in Scottish culture. Similarly, the ‘Harees’; not many UAE expats are familiar with this dish, but it somehow makes you feel right at home, and is a beautiful testament to the generosity and hospitality that is typical of Emirati culture.

We are all connected by our common need to eat, a necessity that brings people together. Regardless of our infinite differences, it unites us all. It is vital that we preserve our cultural identities through food as well as take opportunities to learn about the cultures of others – and I am so pleased to say that such opportunities have always been very accessible living in Dubai. And so I say sahtein (or bil’aafiyah), bon appétit, kaleksi, smakelijk eten, prijatnovo appetita and jal meokkesseumnida!