Emirati Majlis: The True Emirati Culinary Experience
Yahoo
The Majlis, literally ‘seating area’ in Arabic, has a long history in bedouin tradition and Arab values of hospitality. Traditionally, the Majlis, was a tent that tribes allocated for social gatherings and in which the men of the tribe hosted guests or mingled with one another. Because showing guests hospitality and providing them with comfort, food and drink is a very important part of Emirati values, the Majlis plays a very important cultural role. Sheikhs and rulers used to use the majlis as a forum through which they can invite their tribe members to approach them for conversation, or to air out concerns.
Today, most Emirati homes have a Majlis, a room in the front of the house, where bedouin style day mattresses cover the parameter of the room. Traditionally, the male host would sit on the floor and then invite his guests to form a large circle around him. The host, or a member of the host family, will serve the guests food and drink.
Typically, dates, luqaimat (Emirati sweets), and Arabic coffee would be served in the Majlis. The host would take a coffee pot or a ‘dalah’ and small arabic coffee cups around the room and offer coffee to the guests. Customarily, a host will continue to refill a guest’s cup unless the guest indicates that they have had their fill by shaking the cup from side to side.
Experiencing a Traditional Bedouin Majlis
‘Majlis’, an Emirati restaurant located in downtown Dubai, offers guests the opportunity to experience a traditional bedouin style Majlis. Tourists can take an excursion out to the desert of to dine n their desert camp cafe location. Diners will have the chance to taste a staple of the traditional bedouin diet - camel milk. Al Majlis offers a wide array of camel milk beverages, sweets and pastries.
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