If you want to know the history of a place, observe its cuisine. The flavours that garnish a plate tell the story of the visitors who carried ingredients, spices, and recipes to its shores. Each morsel speaks of a chef enthralled with the alchemy of cooking and techniques that have evolved over time. Each cut of meat cooks differently, absorbs tastes differently, and presents in a way special to its new home.

For a trading hub like the UAE, the food is its medal of honour, one that recollects its nomadic roots that witnessed cooking techniques such as baking bread over coal, stone, or sand; community, for meals were not a solo activity but moments filled with laughter and news of other members; and foreign exchanges — tales written in fine spice blends from overseas.

For Mariam Al Mansoori, who calls it her responsibility to teach others about her cultural heritage, the journey of discovery began at home with her six children when she didn’t even know she wanted to be a chef. She has since made history as the first Emirati to win the Gold Award for ‘Best in Culinary Art’ from France; been the driving force of the Abu Dhabi-based Montauk Boutique Café and Restaurant, and most recently opened a spot in Sharjah called Kashtat Amina, which draws from her mum and grandmum’s recipe books to offer authentic Emirati fare. And she has no plans of slowing down.

As a child, Mariam dreamt of being a doctor, an engineer, or a teacher. By the time she got married, she had earned her spot as a petroleum and water development engineer. The subject of her reverie began to shift as she began to think of owning her own space, of doing her own thing. “But I didn’t know what it would be,” she confesses. It was only when she got married and had children that the abstract idea began to take shape.

Chef Mariam's mother, Amina

“I had begun reading up more about healthy food and Emirati cuisine. Our cuisine talks a lot through our food. There is a lot of transfer of knowledge, culture, habits, and hospitality that can be communicated through food,” she says.

When she travelled, she recalls, she would knock on commercial kitchens and ask to look inside, to learn about the habits
and techniques of other cultures as well. “In some of them, you need to pay for your
dish and then you can learn how to cook it,” she explains.

When her kids began to praise her efforts, she began to dream bigger. “My kids and my husband would say complimentary things about the food I made. Some of them would say, ‘Mama, we only want to eat the food you cook’. It felt like a sign — like I needed to do more.  And suddenly, God made all the barriers disappear — and I could begin my cooking journey,” she says.

With her latest enterprise, she wants to put an old debate to rest: is Arabic cuisine the same as Emirati fare? She hums: “We have a lot of dishes that maybe have the same ingredients, but the difference is in the technique of cooking, the presentation, the names of the dishes, and the occasions during which the dishes are served. So, they have rice, we have rice. They have beef, we have beef. We all grill, but the difference is in the spices we use, in the methods we employ.”

A traditional dish served at the new restaurant

In the works are plans for insightful conversations, behind-the-scenes, in-the-kitchen engagements, and even cooking classes. “Kashtat Amina will be like a landmark where we will teach visitors and the
younger generation about our food, our palate,” she says.

The restaurant is named after her mother, Amina, and weighs in on the dialogue of identity and what it means in a globalised context where ingredients are available in plenty and from across the world. The dishes are an amalgamation of the old and the new, the familiar and unfamiliar.

“It’s not because of some trend that we use things grown locally. We feel that this is a responsibility — to the land we are from
and proud of. Plus, we need to encourage the local farmers. This is something important for sustainability within the country. I’m also trying my best to not have lots of wastage. And we are looking into eco-packaging,” she adds.

The idea is to have a responsible brand in line with government plans, and one that showcases the best of the country, from fruits and vegetables to delicacies.

Jostling motherhood and entrepreneurship over the years, Mariam explains, requires focus and the precision of a tailor on a deadline running out of cloth. “You need to prioritise the things that are important to you and cut out things that are not. As a mum, I also know that children grow up quickly and if you don’t prioritise your time with them, you miss a lot of things. If you cannot involve them in what you are doing, like I do, you need to be strict about time management,” she says.

“I involve my kids in our businesses — and in fact, I have two junior chefs,” she says, smiling. “When we are home, we speak the same language, we are all interested in this one thing: food.”

Kashtat Amina

“I am a traditional mum. I am attached to the past, so I bring a tray with everything, from bread to protein to salad to where the kids are. I ask them what they want in their sandwiches and I make it more than cooking. I make it like storytelling time, or an activity. Sometimes, we do cooking competitions between the kids, and share
the results on TikTok. It gives them a boost. Even when we have family dinners or movie nights, they revolve around food. It is a
language that everyone understands at home,” she adds.

This is her support system and gives her the strength to carry on no matter what. Of course, she says, challenges do appear, and when they do, you may need some help navigating the icebergs. “But it’s something you must also do for yourself. You can look in the mirror every morning and say to yourself: ‘I am a strong woman. I can do this’.”

It’s just as important to keep an eye on your end goal. “This is for my family, my kids, my UAE. My vision is to make a place in the world for the Emirati cuisine,” she explains. And she’s determined to do so, one meal at a time.

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