RIYADH: Visitors to the 10-day Saudi Feast Food Festival have been getting a taste for authentic and diverse flavors from around the Kingdom.
Organized by the Culinary Arts Commission and being staged at King Saud University in Riyadh, the event celebrates the country’s culinary heritage.
Open from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. until Dec. 2, the festival features 13 zones including culinary art heritage, theater, the Gourmand Awards, Greece, business, and a children’s interactive farm.
The Greek zone highlights the country’s traditional dishes and food culture, while the culinary arts heritage area has been divided into five sections representing different regions of Saudi Arabia and showcasing their history, identity, and food through exhibitions, live cooking shows, artisanal displays, and cultural performances.
The tasting experience begins with the Tabuk region where popular dishes often use ingredients unique to its topography.
Some of the Saudi chefs taking part in the event are rising culinary stars. Habiba Abdullah’s popular Tabuk-inspired offerings are free of hydrogenated oils and Maggi cubes, a lifestyle choice she made after her son was diagnosed with diabetes.
She said: “I have been using olive oil in my cooking, and I made a promise to myself to try and alter the lifestyle of other families to avoid diabetes and other illnesses resulting from unhealthy lifestyle choices.”
Abdullah has worked as an assistant chef at the Ritz-Carlton and is a certified international trainer and consultant in cooking. She teaches Saudi culinary students at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.
Asir, another featured region, is famous for its honey and coffee. Chef Noura Al-Asiri, from Asir, has been offering visitors the chance to sample arekah, a traditional regional dish made from dough which is grilled on a sheet pan before being plated for ghee and honey to be poured in the middle, and then decorated with dates.
Meanwhile, the smell of fried kingfish topped with regional spices has been drawing festivalgoers to the Eastern Province zone.
Argentine chef Chakall said: “I traveled to over 130 countries, and Saudi Arabia became one of my favorites; the diverse food from its regions, and the people are honest, friendly, and kind.
“I tasted food from different regions in Saudi Arabia, and I was blown away with what I saw, I had no idea what the food and the people were like before coming here.”
Chakall’s TV show in China and Germany is watched by millions of people, and he runs five restaurants in Portugal. And at the Saudi festival, he took part in a Gourmand Award zone discussion about his culinary journey.
The award is an international competition for food culture content, honoring the best cookbooks. In Riyadh, the zone offers local food enthusiasts an opportunity to meet leading industry figures.
Saudi cuisine showcased at food festival
https://arab.news/rj6wv
Saudi cuisine showcased at food festival
- Open from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. until Dec. 2, the festival features 13 zones
- The Greek zone highlights the country’s traditional dishes and food culture
The secret keepers of desert balance in Saudi Arabia
- How the Kingdom’s wildcats control pests, protect public health, and sustain the ecosystem
RIYADH: During the summer of 2024, two desert lynx kittens were born in Taif as part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to protect and increase the population of caracals in the country.
Although caracals are critically endangered, wildcats in general play a significant ecological role in the Kingdom. They act as natural pest control, and Saudi Arabia is committed to conserving these species while increasing their populations to support a thriving ecosystem.
Despite the Kingdom’s harsh, arid climate, conditions are suitable for wildcats not only to survive but also to flourish. Among the terrestrial species inhabiting Saudi Arabia are sand cats, Arabian wildcats, and the desert lynx.
Felis margarita, or sand cats, are small — around 40-60 cm — with pale sandy fur that allows them to blend into the desert. They have a broad head, large ears, and long hair on the bottom of their feet to walk on hot sand.
“It is small in size and does not mate with other cats. It is the only cat species in the world with hair on the soles of its feet instead of skin to prevent it from sinking into the sand,” said Obaid Alouni, a Saudi environmentalist.
Alouni explained that one defensive technique sand cats use is to lie flat on the ground to avoid detection.
“It lies flat on the ground when it senses danger to avoid being noticed by other animals.”
These cats primarily feed on rodents and small reptiles, occasionally large insects, obtaining their water from their prey. Sand cats are native to West Asia and help regulate rodent and insect populations, preventing outbreaks and reducing disease spread.
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Interestingly, raising sand cats as domestic pets is becoming more popular, Alouni said. But he emphasized that adoption is easier when they are kittens, as they remain wild animals. Although widely distributed across the Kingdom, exact population numbers are difficult to determine due to their elusive nature. They are currently listed as “least concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Similar to sand cats, Arabian wildcats (Felis lybica) are found across the Arabian Peninsula and play a vital role in environmental health.
“They are wild cats that live independently without human intervention,” Alouni told Arab News.
Arabian wildcats resemble domestic cats but have thicker, sandy to grey-brown coats with faint stripes or spots and ringed tails with blunt tips. Like sand cats, they feed on rodents, birds, reptiles, and insects and are listed as “least concern” by the IUCN.
However, Alouni warned that pure populations of Arabian wildcats in Saudi Arabia could be threatened by hybridization with domestic cats.
“Currently, wild cats face the problem of interbreeding with domestic cats. This weakens their immune systems and makes them more susceptible to diseases from other cats,” he said.
“This contributes to the extinction of the purebred lineage and, consequently, the disappearance of their wild instincts,” he added.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Sand cats are the only cat species with hair on the soles of their feet, allowing them to walk on hot sand without sinking.
• Caracals, locally known as Al-Washaq, are native and endangered, capable of jumping 3 to 4 meters in a single leap.
• Pure populations of the Arabian wildcat are at risk due to hybridization with domestic cats.
While both species are desert dwellers, sand cats are harder to spot as they avoid heavily trafficked areas. They are mainly found in the Ad Dahna desert and the Empty Quarter, where sand dunes dominate the landscape. Arabian wildcats, however, inhabit rocky or mountainous areas such as the Tuwaiq Mountains, valleys, and farms with abundant small prey.
“Wild cats come around towns and villages, and unfortunately, begin mating with domesticated cats that people release outside,” Alouni explained. He stressed the importance of keeping domestic cats away from wildcat habitats, including deserts and camping sites.
The third wildcat species native to Saudi Arabia, the caracal or desert lynx, is critically endangered. “The lynx is classified in size between large and small, and is distinguished by its jump, which can reach 3 meters or even 4 meters in the sky,” Alouni described.
Locally known as Al-Washaq, desert lynx have reddish-tan coats, long legs, and black-tufted ears. They feed on birds, rodents, and sometimes small antelopes. Thankfully, these cats are protected under Saudi law due to their critically endangered status.
Hunting any sand cats, Arabian wildcats, or desert lynx can result in fines of approximately $20,000, according to the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.
“There is a very severe financial penalty in Saudi Arabia for anyone who hunts it,” Alouni added.
The Kingdom has strict regulations to protect endangered animals, criminalizing not only hunting or killing but also trade. Violators could face penalties of up to $8 million, up to 10 years in prison, or both.
Overall, sand cats, Al-Washaq, and Arabian wildcats are essential to maintaining a healthy environment in Saudi Arabia. By controlling rodent populations, they help prevent outbreaks that could threaten agriculture and public health.
