TAKE YOUR TASTE BUDS GLOBETROTTING

Qatar is a melting pot of cultures, with our huge expat community bringing wide cultural influence to the table.

None more so than with cuisine, where diversity is dished up daily. In these quarantine times it’s the ideal opportunity to explore global cuisine from home, and to share the experience, virtually. Here is our FACT passport to international eating, valid without leaving your home.

Schedule a night or afternoon with your flat mates, family or friend zoom list, select a country that you have always dreamed of seeing, and make an event of it. If you’re going full-on with the experience, how about decorating your home to the country theme and dressing for the occasion in national costume?

Now for the key ingredient, food. There are two approaches to this. You can either create some of your own magic in the kitchen or on the barbeque, preparing the dishes with homemade effort and a personal touch, or you can stamp your global cuisine passport and put things in the hands of the experts, by ordering in from speciality restaurants to match your theme.

To inspire you, we have shortlisted a country that registers high on our gastronomic radar, adding a recipe for success that will cater to your odyssey. Come dine with us.

DIY SOUTH AFRICAN BRAAI.

Most people would have attended a barbeque of some sort during their lives, but as any South African would be quick to point out to you, a barbeque is not necessarily a braai. It all starts with choosing good firewood and firelighters and then keeping an eye on it until the coal’s just right.

In South Africa people often have what they call a ‘bring-andbraai’ (which roughly translates to ‘bring your own’) and can be a real time and cost saver. Your small party of guests simply bring the meat they wish to eat and cook their own food while socialising.

Braai Broodjies:
1 sliced white bead
1 sliced onion
2/3 sliced tomatoes
Cheese slices
Butter
Salt
Pepper

Butter each slice of bread. Lay half of them out on a big platter (making sure to keep the buttered side to the outside of your sandwich). Next put some slices of onion, cheese and tomato to cover the dry side of your bread. Season it and put the second slice on top, again making sure to keep the buttered side up.

Now all you need to do is pop these on the braai once the coals are not too hot. Make sure to turn the sandwiches over on the grill to avoid burning and your fire-toasted sandwiches are good to go.