Muscat Festival: Visitors throng Omani food corner at Amerat Park

Muscat: If you visit the food corner at the Amerat Park venue of the Muscat Festival, you will find delicious Omani dishes to suit every taste.
In fact, the aroma of food cooking here is such that it compels visitors to head straight to the Omani food section to try out some of the delicacies on offer.
Wearing traditional and colourful clothes, a number of women can be seen preparing and serving the food. They have travelled from different governorates of Oman, to offer a variety of delectable traditional Omani dishes to the visitors and are keen on ensuring that their offering is of highest quality.
Omani bread is in huge demand because of its nutritional value and unique taste and is very popular in the Sultanate.
“All of these women are interested in providing food with high nutritional value and great flavours,” Abdullah, a visitor, said.
One local dish that is popular at the stalls is the Omani halwa, a famed sweet in the Sultanate that is prepared at every traditional occasion.
It is one of the main traditional industries in the country and has helped shape the Sultanate’s cultural identity. Omani halwa is famous in the country and abroad for its different and delicious taste and ingredients.
A number of other items also available. There is Omani bread with various additives, such as cheese, egg and honey, Harees and Khabisah in addition to Al Qoroos, Al Mohamas and Al Lukaimat. There is also Al Danju, Al Bajil and Omani sweets and snacks.
A lot of people want to try the Omani bread with cheese, egg and honey, which is the focus of visitors in the food corner.
Every dish is available and served in a way that displays their skills and taste and that is what sets each dish apart from the other.
“There is huge demand after sunset and it peaks from 7 pm to 9: 30 pm,” said a woman, who cooks Omani dishes in the food corner.
“On weekends, the food corner is extremely crowded since the gates open at 4 pm and it stays that way until the closing of the festival at 11 pm,” she added.
“What they are offering is extremely mouth watering. We maybe Omanis, but we hardly get to eat traditional dishes in our homes. Many of us don’t cook these delectable recipes anymore,” said Hassan who had come with his family.
These women are offering a taste of authentic, traditional and real Omani foods for Omanis, as well as expatriates, and are turning out to be a huge hit with the crowd.
“These dishes are distinct in taste. It is very unlike our food,” said a westerner relishing Omani bread.