OFF as Omani Flavors Festival

As the old saying goes “You are what you eat”. Let’s twist it around a bit and claim that “You are liked as much as your food”. While the latter is less philosophical it certainly applies when it comes to gastro tourism i.e. the touristic appeal of the local food.

Let’s just start from the basics and assume that the Arab world and in particular Oman does not lack genuine recipes and interesting traditions of cooking and nutrition. What might lack though is focus on showcasing all of this [link to previous post].  While the number of restaurants and food places have grown over the last years, there are still very few that provide a truly Omani experience. Nor are enough places and events that have as main goal to promote the local cuisine (as diverse as it may be) bringing the indigenous flavors back in people’s mouth.

But this has changed now. We have recently attended the well-planned and nicely organized Omani Flavors Festival!  And I mean a standalone festival, not a food court for another event diluted to range of take away food stalls.  A whole master planned space structured around the ritual of eating. It has an “Appeteaser” area with a selection of mandazi (triangle shaped bread), bajeeya (fried bean balls), and mishkaak (meat skewers on a stick) prepared on the spot, engaging the visitors right from the entrance. Then we moved on to the Khubz Village where women were baking the different type of Arabic flat breads (rikhal, muhala) in a traditional way.  Our kids could not help engaging for a baking workshop in the Kiddie Kitchen, which kept them entertained and busy for quite some time.  We also bumped into the HealtyChoice area where all recipes were focused on your health without compromising (too much) on your joy.  Some choices were even better tasting than the originals.  After some hours of intense palate work we stopped for a wind down in the Majlis Al Khawa – focused on the great Omani coffee and a tea selection.  Tasting the still hot halwa in the Dessert District got us as close as possible to a fulfilling experience.

A cozy food and spice souk --leading you out to the parking area-- was offering all-you-can-imagine spices, ingredients and even traditional kitchen wear. We could also get vouchers for restaurants that offer genuine local recipes.

There were also a range of unique events and happenings that spiced up the dish.  Recipe competitions – open for all gourmand enthusiast, Chefs’ parades – engaging the heavy guns of the local restaurateur community.  We heard that a Shuwa day took place on the first and the last day of the festival showing the skills and technic of this great lamb cooking method.

So, all in all, it was an event worth driving for even a few hours.  The only problem was that it all happened in my dream, but I guess that could change, could in not?

Buy the way, there are a whole range of similar events around the world that we can learn from [link to external site].  And if you got a bit hungry than help your choice reading some good reviews here [link to another blog].

Pictures are from whitedogleader.blogspot.com