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Spirit of Ramadan at Mall

ABU DHABI — The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) has brought some food for thought —and for the taste buds —to Marina Mall this Ramadan.

The authority has set up a traditional-looking pavilion in the mall, half dedicated to food and half to books for children.

Take Mohammed Ismail and his wife Khair. Waiting patiently for the pancakes to cook, they even help the Emirati ladies with their appliances. “We love Emirati food, but it is such a rare treat to be able to taste these authentic dishes. Only if you are invited to traditional local families do you get such an opportunity,” says Mohammed.

Meanwhile, Umm Jamal and Umm Khalifa have bought everything from their own pocket — from the cooking ingredients to the electric cooking appliances and even dishes. After a quick set up, they settle down on the floor and start frying and baking.

Umm Jamal pours an entire 1.5 litres bottle of sunflower oil into a pot. As soon as it becomes hot, he drops small, donut-sized balls of dough into the sizzling oil. Umm Khalifa is in charge of the pancakes.

“Before coming here, I finished cooking the meal for Iftar. Now the sweets here, and later I will prepare food for Sohour. Every day is like this, but I love cooking. I cook all the time,” says Umm Khalifa.

Next to them, Ibrahim Mohammed serves Arabic coffee and tea. This is, in fact, his full- time job, as his company, Golden Della, does exactly this – serving tea and coffee at weddings, parties and other big events. “Sometimes we travel to Qatar, Bahrain or Oman to serve coffee and tea,” says Ibrahim.

The programme at Marina Mall will continue everyday from 9pm to 11.30pm, until the end of Ramadan.

silvia@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE