Cuisine of Qatar

KITCHEN

According to Shoefrantics, Real Qatari cuisine is practically unknown to foreign tourists. For many centuries, local residents, living in conditions of severe shortage of food resources, have developed very ascetic recipes for cooking. Almost all dishes were created on the basis of only three components – dates in all forms, camel milk and butter from it. Meat has always been in short supply, so today these dishes can only be tasted in Bedouin tents in the desert. All restaurants and cafes practice the preparation of “more European” dishes and recipes imported from more “rich” in the culinary traditions of the Arab countries – traditional “hummus”, “shish-kebab”, “tikka”, “mutabbal”, fried meat on a spit or fish (despite the “marine” location of the country, fish in the diet of the Qataris is represented rather poorly). Everywhere there are Indian and Pakistani restaurants and cafes with the appropriate cuisine. Traditional drinks are fruit juices and coffee. Coffee is usually brewed “Bedouin style” – very weak and with a lot of sugar, but traditional Arabic coffee is also becoming more common – strong brewed, without sugar, but with the addition of cardamom, ground date seeds, etc. Alcohol is practically not consumed. Although its sale is limited only by licenses (available in large hotels and expensive restaurants), the Qataris themselves drink very little alcohol. Coffee is usually brewed “Bedouin style” – very weak and with a lot of sugar, but traditional Arabic coffee is also becoming more common – strong brewed, without sugar, but with the addition of cardamom, ground date seeds, etc. Alcohol is practically not consumed. Although its sale is limited only by licenses (available in large hotels and expensive restaurants), the Qataris themselves drink very little alcohol. Coffee is usually brewed “Bedouin style” – very weak and with a lot of sugar, but traditional Arabic coffee is also becoming more common – strong brewed, without sugar, but with the addition of cardamom, ground date seeds, etc. Alcohol is practically not consumed. Although its sale is limited only by licenses (available in large hotels and expensive restaurants), the Qataris themselves drink very little alcohol.

Qatar: Money and currency of Qatar

Money, CURRENCY

Qatari riyal (international designation – QAR, inside the country – QR, actually pegged to the US dollar), equal to 100 dirhams. In circulation are banknotes in denominations of 500, 100, 50, 10, 5 and 1 rial, as well as coins in denominations of 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 dirhams (however, only coins of 50 and 25 dirhams are in wide circulation, the minting of the rest discontinued in the 70s of the XX century, although they are still found in circulation in the markets in the interior of the country).

Qatar: Culture of Qatar

HOLIDAYS

January – February – Eid al-Adha (Day of Sacrifice)
February – Muslim New Year
June 27 – the anniversary of the accession to the throne of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani
September 3 – Independence Day
November – December – Eid al-Fitr (Eid al -Fitr, the end of Ramadan)
Muslim holidays are celebrated according to the lunar calendar (Hijri)