Fatima bint Mohammed on her quest to keep Emirati cuisine alive

Sometimes the most important discussions take place over a shared meal.

For as long as she can remember, Fatima bint Mohammed has had a passion for cooking Arab food. For the Emirati, preparing a meal means bringing families together. Her kitchen, as she puts in, is her kingdom.

“It’s the place where I enjoy spending a good time,” she says.

In her kitchen in Khalifa City, Mrs Mohammed remembers how her culinary journey began.

“I got married at the age of 17,” she says. “I had to cook for my husband.” In those days, in the 1980s, women were expected to cook and do all the household chores. The 17-year-old was on a mission to master her cooking skills in Khaleeji and Emirati food, but she had another challenge to overcome.

“I was disappointed at the lack of sources available,” she says. “Back in the 80s, the internet was unheard of, so I couldn’t do my own research,” she says. It was during this time she thought of doing something to protect local dishes from dying out.

“When I visited family or friends, I would seize the opportunity to get their basket of recipes from all the dishes available on the table,” she says. She would go home and write down the ingredients in her notebook. Having a wide circle of friends from countries such as Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iraq added further to her stockpile of recipes.

“My mother and grandmother were my primary references. They knew a great deal about local food items.”

Soon, she began to cook the newly learnt recipes from the comfort of her home and took photos of them and recorded them in her notebook.

Original article by Asmaa Al Hameli

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Fatima bint Mohammed on her quest to keep Emirati cuisine alive