Top chef serves up the story behind Saudi Arabia’s new national dishes

Top chef serves up the story behind Saudi Arabia’s new national dishes
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Jareesh is a slow-cooked dish of cracked wheat, vegetables and a sauce, with the optional addition of lamb. (Saudi Culture Ministry)
Top chef serves up the story behind Saudi Arabia’s new national dishes
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Maqshush is made of buckwheat bites topped with some combination of ghee, honey, dates, molasses and sugar. (Saudi Culture Ministry)
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Updated 02 February 2023

Top chef serves up the story behind Saudi Arabia’s new national dishes

Top chef serves up the story behind Saudi Arabia’s new national dishes
  • In an exclusive interview with Arab News, Rakan Al-Oraifi explains the appeal and cultural significance of jareesh and maqshush
  • They were recently named by the Saudi Ministry of Culture’s Culinary Arts Commission as the Kingdom’s national dish and dessert

RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Culture’s Culinary Arts Commission announced this month that jareesh has been selected as the national dish of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and maqshush as its national dessert.

Jareesh is a slow-cooked dish of cracked wheat, vegetables and a sauce, with the optional addition of lamb. Maqshush is made of buckwheat bites topped with some combination of ghee, honey, dates, molasses and sugar.

The commission’s announcement forms part of its National and Regional Dishes Narratives initiative, which seeks to identify and celebrate popular dishes that are part of the Kingdom’s culinary culture. It will include research to discover which dishes best represent each region, the results of which are due to be announced later in the year.

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, Rakan Al-Oraifi, an internationally renowned Saudi executive chef, welcomed the initiative, which he said will showcase traditional dishes and ensure they are at the forefront of the Saudi Culinary scene.

Al-Oraifi, who is a member of the World Master Chefs Society and the founder of Kit Catering, said that jareesh originated in the central Najd region and there is more than one variety.

“Usually, we cook it with laban (buttermilk), so it is known as white jareesh,” he said. “We also have a second kind of jareesh, which is from Hail (in north-western Saudi Arabia), and it is red because we cook it with tomato sauce.”

The distinctive flavors of the dish come from its topping of ghee, caramelized onions and lemon powder, he added.

The selection of jareesh as national dish reflects its popularity across Saudi society, the Culinary Arts Commission said, and references to it can be found in heritage books dating back centuries. It is considered one of the most important dishes in Saudi heritage and is known as “master of dishes,” it added.

Al-Oraifi said that the main reason jareesh is so popular is because people in the Najd region historically ate wheat rather than rice because it required fewer resources.

“Jareesh is a traditional dish everyone likes, young and the old,” he said. “The dish is filled with different flavors; it is kind of salty, a little bit sour because of the buttermilk, and you can eat it during winter or summer.”

According to the commission, the dish is typically served on a variety of occasions, mainly happy ones, and though it originated in the central region it spread throughout the Kingdom.

Maqshush, meanwhile is a dessert typically served as breakfast in Saudi households, and comprises wheat flour, ghee and honey or sugar. It is particularly popular during the winter. According to the commission, the history of the dish dates back more than a century and it is commonly served with Saudi coffee.

Al-Oraifi — who is also a member of the World Association of Master Chefs, the Emirates Culinary Guild, Latin American gastronomic association Aregala International, and the Saudi Arabian Chef Association — is pleased that the dessert, which originated in Hail, is being recognized.

“Maqshush also is made from wheat,” he said. “We mix two kinds of flower in Maqshush: white and brown.”

He added that it is a popular breakfast dish because the wheat, ghee and honey provide energy and power.

In addition to their widespread popularity, the authenticity of their flavors, and their significance in Saudi culture, jareesh and maqshush were chosen as national dishes because they are simple to prepare using ingredients that are readily available, the commission said.

According to “Saveurs d’Arabie” (“Flavors of Arabia”), a cookbook published recently by the commission and Cassi Edition, maqshush might be considered a combination of pancakes and bread because of its taste and texture. It’s small, soft loaves are simple to make and were traditionally baked on a saj, a convex metal pan.

According to the book, the word maqshush means one who picks the smallest portion or pieces of food, which is thought to reflect the fact the dish is prepared from simple, inexpensive ingredients.

Al-Oraifi has been crowned the best chef in Saudi Arabia three times. In 2021, he was awarded first place in the culinary category at the National Cultural Awards. He was the executive chef of Suhail restaurant in Riyadh and AlUla, for which he created a unique, authentic menu.

He joined Al-Khozama group as Executive Chef in 2022 to create a contemporary Saudi menu for Maiz restaurant in Diriyah, and recently moved to Paris for the advanced study of French pastry.

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Jareesh and maqshush

Jareesh, a popular dish that originated from Saudi Arabia's central Najd region, has been designated as national dish of the Kingdom by the Ministry of Culture’s Culinary Arts Commission. It is a slow-cooked dish of cracked wheat, vegetables and a sauce, with the optional addition of lamb. Maqshush, made of buckwheat bites topped with some combination of ghee, honey, dates, molasses and sugar, is the national dessert.


Bus crash kills 20 in Saudi Arabia’s Asir region

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Updated 58 min 28 sec ago

Bus crash kills 20 in Saudi Arabia’s Asir region

Bus crash kills 20 in Saudi Arabia’s Asir region
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RIYADH: A bus crash killed 20 people on Monday and injured 29 more in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern region.

State TV Al-Ekhbariya said the accident occurred around 4 p.m. in Aqabat Shaar, in Asir province. The bus had departed Khamis Mushayt and was heading to Abha.

Reports indicated that problems with breaks on the bus led to a collision with a barrier at the end of a bridge, which caused it to overturn and catch fire.

The Aqabat Shaar is a 14 kilometers road that was opened over 40 years ago. Its construction included cutting through mountains and establishing 11 tunnels and 32 bridges, according to the Saudi Press Agency.


Saudi crown prince, Iraqi PM discuss cooperation

Saudi crown prince, Iraqi PM discuss cooperation
Updated 28 March 2023

Saudi crown prince, Iraqi PM discuss cooperation

Saudi crown prince, Iraqi PM discuss cooperation

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani, have discussed ways to enhance bilateral strategic cooperation and partnership within the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council.

The officials also reviewed issues of mutual interest, the Saudi Press Agency reported early Tuesday.


Saudi Arabia’s wizkids of the future offered expertise on the appliance of science

Several short academic, international and research courses will teach budding scientists practical skills. (SPA)
Several short academic, international and research courses will teach budding scientists practical skills. (SPA)
Updated 28 March 2023

Saudi Arabia’s wizkids of the future offered expertise on the appliance of science

Several short academic, international and research courses will teach budding scientists practical skills. (SPA)
  • Mawhiba foundation has 12,000 places on programs designed to guide gifted students on career path

RIYADH: Thousands of students are being given the chance to find their inner boffin and get to grips with ethical and social issues of science research on programs by the Mawhiba foundation.

The foundation, also known as the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, has opened registration for several short academic, international and research “enrichment” courses that teach budding scientists practical skills and help them find a future path.

Mawhiba says on its website that the programs are open to “gifted and talented students of both genders” from across the Kingdom, and are intended as a first step to helping them “identify their skills and potentials” and prepare them for more advanced foundation schemes.

Taking part also increases the opportunity to obtain scholarships offered by the Ministry of Education, it said.

The foundation said that the academic enrichment course aims to enhance a student’s “personal and social skills… improve their competence and readiness, build their scientific and practical expertise and challenge their abilities.”

HIGHLIGHT

The academic enrichment course aims to enhance a student’s personal and social skills ... improve their competence and readiness, build their scientific and practical expertise and challenge their abilities. The research program teaches scientific research ethics, deals with issues surrounding intellectual property rights and sets students on a path to their preferred field of expertise.

The research enrichment program teaches scientific research ethics, deals with issues surrounding intellectual property rights and sets students on a path to their preferred field of expertise.

It said the programs use “instructors and academics who have undergone continuous training courses and advanced programs that keep pace with the best technologies and scientific discoveries.”

In-person courses will take place in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Dhahran and Al-Ahsa and will be complemented by virtual courses open to students across the Kingdom.

Registration is open until June 13. Courses begin towards the end of July and finish mid-August. Mawhiba said that there are a total of around 12,000 places on its courses.

 


Deal signed to promote cultural activities in Jeddah

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Updated 27 March 2023

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  • The initiative aims to run a series of cultural, intellectual, and training events in Al-Balad for young people while helping support and develop youth talent

JEDDAH: Officials from the Jeddah Literary Cultural Club and Al-Hijaz Cultural House in the city’s historic Al-Balad district recently signed a cooperation agreement to promote cultural programs.

The initiative aims to run a series of cultural, intellectual, and training events in Al-Balad for young people while helping support and develop youth talent.

Club chairman, Abdullah Al-Sulami, said one of the main provisions of the deal was to establish cultural and social activities, adding that the community partnership was a requirement for everyone “who plays a constructive role in thinking and caring for young men and women, developing their talents, and presenting them to a conscious and promising society.”

Al-Hijaz Cultural House manager, Mohammed Al-Hasani, said the link-up with the club would be managed by the Abqar Poetry Hub which offers monthly activities including poetry evenings and workshops for young talents supervised by poet and journalist Abdulaziz Al-Sharif.

 


Belarusian FM backs Saudi Expo 2030 bid

Abdulrahman Suleiman Al-Ahmad, who is also the Kingdom’s ambassador to Russia, spoke with Foreign Minister Sergey Aleinik
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Updated 27 March 2023

Belarusian FM backs Saudi Expo 2030 bid

Abdulrahman Suleiman Al-Ahmad, who is also the Kingdom’s ambassador to Russia, spoke with Foreign Minister Sergey Aleinik
  • The host country for the Expo 2030 is expected to be announced in November

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Belarus met with Minsk’s top diplomat on Tuesday last week.

Abdulrahman Suleiman Al-Ahmad, who is also the Kingdom’s ambassador to Russia, spoke with Foreign Minister Sergey Aleinik about a number of issues.

Aleinik relayed to Al-Ahmad his country’s support for Saudi Arabia’s bid to host Expo 2030. He added that Riyadh would stage the event to a “high standard” and that Minsk would contribute any assistance required in making it a success, a Belarusian Foreign Ministry statement said.

Also on the agenda were development of political dialogue, the prospects for expanding trade and economic cooperation and investment interaction between the Kingdom and Belarus.

The host country for the Expo 2030 is expected to be announced in November, Riyadh is competing with Rome, South Korea’s Busan and Ukraine’s Odessa.