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Food is something that unites us regardless of our differences. But what happens when the food we eat is diverse to begin with? On World Food Day today, Bahrain-based cross-cultural couples have come forward to share what dinners in their homes look like, nodding to the kingdom’s endearing cosmopolitan diaspora.
Bahraini homemaker Jehan Alsairafi has been married to her English husband Matthew Dadd for 10 years. Over time, the couple from Saar have created their personal traditions surrounding the dinner table.
“I started having an appreciation for roast dinners after I met my husband,” the 40-year-old food and fitness enthusiast told GulfWeekly.
“But I use Arabic spices for the vegetables to give it a spin.
“Easter has coincided with Ramadan a few times and that is when I put an Arabic twist on a traditional Easter roast,” she added.
“A favourite in our home is the English hot cross buns but I make them with pistachios and dates so it has an Arab feel,” added Jehan, who moved with her family from Abu Dhabi back home to Bahrain last year.
The duo have two boys – Tobias, nine, and Nicholas, six.
Australian expatriate and therapist Beth Noble, who is married to Spaniard Sabino Sastre Verdu, believes that food has played a major role in bringing them together as a family.
“When we have guests, it’s the Spanish chef’s turn for the meat, barbecue or paella and I usually do the salad or some kind of platter,” the 52-year-old said.
The Mahooz residents have called Bahrain home for the last decade and have a 17-year-old daughter, Jasmine.
“We had mango and jamon as an entree for our wedding. The Spanish usually pair jamon with melon but mangoes are grown in North Queensland so it was a nice inter-cultural creation,” Beth fondly recalled.
Restaurant owners Shaheer Rizwan from Pakistan and Kurisha Beckles from Trinidad and Tobago took a while to find a middle ground with their meals.
Inspired by their love for food and culture, the duo opened their Caribbean eatery Chai Burg this year.
Caribbean cuisine is a rich tapestry woven from various cultural influences, including ‘Amerindian’, African, European, Indian, and Asian traditions.
“My husband is a third culture kid, who grew up in Saudi, so he is more open to and creative with mixing ingredients. However, I learned from my grandmother and focus on doing the dishes I know ‘the right way’,” 34-year-old Kurisha from Saar explained.
“Over time, we have created some fusion dishes like chicken tikka marinated in Chadon Beni – a Caribbean green seasoning,” added the sociologist.
Bahraini Sana Thadani, 58, brought her Sindhi heritage with her when she married Bahraini-Iranian businessman Dr Raed Sarhan.
Sindh is a city in Pakistan and Sana’s family migrated to India during the 1947 India-Pakistan partition. The Sindhi community in India has a rich gastronomical culture that blends the best of both countries.
“My mother-in-law taught me the famous Iranian biryani made with minimum spices but full of flavour from the saffron, turmeric, cumin, cardamom and raisins,” former banker Sana from Nuwaidrat noted.
“I added an Indian touch with whole spices including cinnamon and cloves, as well as aromatics like bay leaves and fresh ginger, and a special homemade Indian biryani masala (spice mix),” the entrepreneur said.
Raed, who was a banker for more than 15 years, enjoys Indian tadka dal (tempered lentil curry) and Sindhi kadi (curry) made using different vegetables.
Former Bahrain resident Ashwathy Yallowitz was in town this week and caught up with GulfWeekly to talk about how she incorporates her Indian and Bahraini roots in meals. The fashion and fitness enthusiast and homemaker married United States coast guard Jake Yallowitz and moved to New Jersey, the US, in 2019.
“Tahini is one of my favourite condiments and I make brownies and a honey cheesecake with it, which is a hit with our family. I make couscous with Indian chicken curry, mixing Arabic and Indian flavours,” the 31-year-old, who grew up in Bahrain and attended the Asian School and Indian School, said.
Indian expatriate from West Bengal Devamalya De reminisced how before saying ‘yes’, his wife Namita had one condition – the man must love fish as much as she does.
“My wife is from Madhya Pradesh, raised in Maharashtra so our marriage was a merger of two fish-loving dynasties,” the 50-year-old said.
Despite the smooth start, the couple navigated some ‘puzzles on the plate’ as food cultures starkly vary across India.
“What began as culinary confusion has turned into comfort food now,” the Salmaniya resident noted.
