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

Food for Thought...

What's the shortest way to your satisfaction when you travel? Odds are that great food might just do it!  It is also likely the shortest way to tourists' wallets! You might find it hard to refuse the prospect of a great culinary experience, even if it comes with bolder price tag. Some say food gives it's best when savored in its indigenous environment, because it's not all about the chemical reaction in ones mouth, it's about the scents, the ambiance, the sounds, the feel, the colors, the mood, the weather... everything.

This rule should be put at work in Oman as well. There is a great effort going in the development of a unique tourism offering with massive man made attractions and infrastructure, but we might loose sight of a very important feature: showcasing the local food.  Capitalizing on the local cuisine and gastronomic potential could also be a major differentiating factor when it comes to competing with other regional destinations, as most of the others are also not doing too well on this front.

In Muscat most of the tourist proof offering is either in the expensive and universal kitchen sort of range (steak based or fusion type) or is good value for money but not really local (Turkish, Indian, Pakistani etc.).

Perhaps the best place to showcase the Omani food is in Mutrah Docklands/Port  and Cornish area. A "Food District" could include a whole range of locally inspired restaurants and it could define a whole new future for the area in the spirit of so many Dockland re-genreation projects around the world (like London, or Melburne  for the larger ones, or Cape Town for size and a tourism character comparable to Muscat). A comprehensive mixed use scheme should be elaborated with several retail outlets, restaurants, cafes, residential developments overlooking the marina (de-industrialized), and why not some offices space as well do diversify. But unlike many other examples where docklands re-generations were all about the residents this one in my view will have to be equally focused at residents and tourist. Creating what is know as the Waterfront Buzz through such a "Food District". The city obviously develops and extends northwards (Ansab, Seeb etc) therefore this historic center piece has to be treated almost like a heritage site, where some essential features of the Omani culture is well presented through food, proximity to the sea and tastefully designed traditional trading outlets (obviously the Souk would be a key feature, perhaps with a better designed signage policy).

Muscat cannot forgo such an obvious call.  Maybe the fish market redevelopment scheme was carefully thought trough in this spirit.  However if such a project seems unfeasible for Mutrah, it can work well for other Omani coastal towns, perhaps at a smaller scale. What do you think?

For more on Omani restaurants visit http://www.omanicuisine.com/