The Dinner in the Mountains, with Moza Almatrooshi (2022).
Edible lecture and immersive trip, supported by 421, (2022).
We developed the narration and introduction of each dish. This combined the embodiment and research that Moza has acquired through farmers, foragers, and beekeepers, as well as my sensitivities towards spiritual ecology, experimental recipe writing and the personification of nature.
The story we told began in the 1950’s when the British were impacting agricultural practices in the UAE with the introduction of monocropping. The indigenous knowledge of the tribes of the UAE would become dismissed, due to their inability to grow root vegetables introduced by the British.
Other similar themes would arise of erasure due to colonialism and capitalism. As Moza presented these facts based on her readings and encounters, I wrote the narrative from the voice and the lens of these more-than-human species, imagining their despair as this ecosystem would slowly and gradually be reduced to an uncommon practice.
Our menu consisted of dishes where indigenous plants such as Atti, Khansour, Sidr would be at the forefront- we were very focused on studying their qualities and being as expansive as we could in our experimentation. Among some dishes on the menu were; dates stuffed with Chaami and ghee infused mountain grass, tea and coffee infused with Atti, wild Sidr honeycomb and Sfaa bread, hand made laminated pasta with foraged leafs and a Bzaar spiced butter.
Arabic Coffee and tea infused with Atti- a fragrant medicinal shrub populated across the Jabal Yanas mountains and Northern Pakistan.
Dates and Chaami
Khodari dates stuffed with Chami, drizzled with a mountain grass infused ghee
Honey, Bread and Kraft Cheese
Wild bee Sidr Honey Comb, paired with Sfaa’ bread and activated charcoal brushed on sculpted cheese triangles, placed on a sculpture created by Moza Almatrooshi that is inspired by the rock beehives constructed by the Shihi Tribes in Jabal Yanas- an ancient practice that showcases the kinship between the native wild bees and the people of the mountain.
Aish and Sehna
Sehna Mcheecha sprinkled on rice mixed with Sidrleaves, atop a Loomi and onion piccalilli. A drying practice of anchovies as an act of preservation and pungent flavor, brought over into the UAE through trade with Iran.
Ma3karona Mal Il Italian
Laminated pasta with fig leaves, wild mint, and Sidr - cooked in fig leaf infused water, and topped with Bzarcompound butter. Another juxtaposition of trade, the result is a buttery, South Asian seasoned pasta dish typically served in cafeterias and Emirati homes.
Khansoor wa Teen
Fig leaves cooler with Khansoor syrup- a succulent plant valued for its bitterness and medicine.
Rock Chocolate
Rock chocolate mixed with rock sugar and topped with candied Khansoor. A kind of chocolate found in most Iranian spice shops, in a series of colours.
Arabic Coffee and tea infused with Atti- a fragrant medicinal shrub populated across the Jabal Yanas mountains and Northern Pakistan.
Lamb and Rice
Slow cooked lamb on top of fragrant rice mixed with smoked tomato hot sauce, and tree leaves pulled from the landscape. Accompanied by fermented yogurt with flowers and Atti.
Ghee
Ghee candles infused with Bzaar - a South Asian/ Emirati spice blend.
Aish
Sfaa’ & Regag Bread, which are paper thin, crispy and layered.
Greens
Herb bouquets of Rocket, Ya’da, Parsley and Mint.
Sweet Potato Saloona
Winter root vegetables stew poured over roasted sweet potato, soured with dried limes.
Farni atop Betheetha with Sidr Honey
A rice custard pudding with a date dessert sweetened with local Sidr honey.
To Drink
Fig Leaf Cooler
Khansoor Ice Tea Kombucha
Laban with foraged herbs
Spiced Tea & Coffee