Food fosters friendship between Qatar and Indonesia in Medan

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MEDAN, North Sumatra (ANTARA) – The 2023 Qatar-Indonesia Cultural Year Food Tour kicked off in the warm and friendly atmosphere of Petisah Market in Medan, North Sumatra on Sunday, June 25, 2023.

The two chefs representing Qatar at the cultural programme, Hassan Abdullah Al Ibrahim and Noof Al Marri, greeted people they met, including tricycle drivers and traders, with a friendly look on their faces.

Ibrahim even tried riding an autorickshaw and took photos with local residents.

Ibrahim is an expedition chef who earned the nickname “Captain Chef” because he is also a pilot. He has traveled to 175 cities around the world to taste different cuisines and owns at least three restaurants in Qatar.

Another chef, Mali, is a well-known chef in Qatar who specializes in cooking local Middle Eastern dishes. He is also a food entrepreneur and owns a restaurant called “Desert Rose Cafe” in Doha.

At the Petisah market, they bought some spices, vegetables and fruits. According to Ibrahim, the vegetables, fruits and spices sold at the Petisah market are unique and interesting.

The two chefs’ journey in Medan got off to an interesting start and continued on Monday, June 26, 2023. They added more interesting chapters to their journey, which they said left a deep impression on them and will be forever engraved in their memories.

friendship
For Ibrahim and Mari, Medan is a unique city. In the capital of North Sumatra, they witnessed a strong fusion of ethnic cultures.

The city of Medan’s ethnic diversity is inseparable from the region’s long history of plantations, which attracted immigrants who eventually chose to stay.

It is therefore not surprising that Medan has a diverse population of ethnic groups including Malays, Bataks, Chinese, Javanese, Acehnese, Sundanese, Indians and Arabs.

The openness of Medan residents to diversity makes visitors feel at home. Ibrahim and Mari share the same sentiment.

The two did not feel like foreigners as they were warmly welcomed everywhere.

The friendly atmosphere inspired them to carry out various activities in Medan from June 25 to 26, 2023.

For example, on Monday, Mari held a cooking workshop at Vocational School No. 14 in Medan, during which she interacted closely with dozens of students, who were happy to ask questions.

When cooking Qatari dishes, SagoShe encouraged students to never give up and achieve their dreams in the culinary field.

Mali said: “Do whatever you want to do and don’t listen to negative comments from the outside world.” After the event, she happily took photos with students and teachers.

On the same day, Ibrahim visited a home in Naingolan to taste Batak cuisine.

When he arrived, the chef was immediately greeted with a traditional Batak cloth. go outindicating that he had been accepted by his owner as a good friend of the family, and he felt very flattered by this gesture.

He then tasted several Batak dishes, e.g. Asik Goldfish (Carp dishes), Fish Roe (Carp dishes cooked without open flames) Chicken Curry (Curry Chicken) Hobo is easy (buffalo milk) and pyramid-shaped cakes – wrapped in banana leaves, made of rice flour and sometimes filled with palm sugar.

Besides learning how to cook these foods, he also learned the meaning behind these dishes in Batak culture.

Intrigued by these foods, Ibrahim came up with an idea to mix them with a Qatari food called “Qatari Gee” and make it directly there.

Qatar Gee is a clear brown liquid food made from ingredients such as grains, butter, dates and saffron.

After cooking, the chef mixes it with buffalo milk and chicken curry and invites those present to taste it.

Toga Nainggolan, a family representative and Batak culinary observer, praised the taste of food from different cultures. He even suggested calling the dish “Batak-Qatari”, which made Ibrahim laugh.

The friendly atmosphere was also felt when Ibrahim and the Nainggolan family ate together. It is common for Batak people to eat together when they gather with relatives.

After dinner, he beamed. He had almost no food left.

The story behind the food
The food tour in Medan became an unforgettable experience for Ibrahim. For him, food is not only about the taste, but also about the story behind it and the love that goes into making it.

He told ANTARA: “I am happy that we had dinner together, talked together, and everyone welcomed me.”

He promised to try cooking several Medan dishes in Qatar, including Batak dishes, and he had already bought some spices needed to make these dishes at the Petisah market during his visit on Sunday.

Ibrahim, who visited Papua before his trip to Medan, expressed hope that the relationship between Qatar and Indonesia would become closer in other areas besides the culinary field.

Indonesia and Qatar have many cultural similarities which will contribute to the development of brotherly ties between the two countries.

He assessed that Indonesia and Qatar need to develop more cooperation, not only in the culinary field, but also in business and other fields so that the people of the two countries can stay connected and increase their knowledge.

Santhi Serad, coordinator of the Eid and Qatar-Indonesia Culinary Tours programme and one of the founders of the I Love Indonesian Cuisine (ACMI) community, expressed similar sentiments.

She stressed that food is a language of friendship that everyone can understand and tap into.

This idea became the essence of the Qatar-Indonesia Cultural Year 2023 Food Tour. In addition to Medan, the tour will cover two other destinations: Papua from June 19 to 24, 2023, and Bali from June 27 to July 2.

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