Review: Stepping back in time for a Bedouin iftar experience in the Dubai desert

Platinum Heritage’s traditional 1950s iftar features a variety of juices, salads and Emirati dishes. Duncan Chard for the National

Ramadan is a time when traditional culture is at the forefront of people’s minds, so stepping back in time to sample a “­traditional 1950s iftar” has a certain nostalgic appeal.

The 1950s was the decade before oil was exported, when the simple pleasures of sharing the dishes available at that time (mainly meat, fish and rice) went a long way – especially after having to fast without the comfort of air conditioning.

During May and June, Emiratis often moved from the coastal villages inland into the desert, where they would spend their summers in less humid climes.

It’s this thinking that prompted Platinum Heritage to offer a historical iftar experience to those interested in experiencing old-school desert dining during Ramadan.

The camp is surrounded by pristine copper-tinted dunes in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, just off the Dubai-Al Ain highway.

The experience

We meet our guide at the reserve’s main gates, and climb into a freshly-painted red 1955 Land ­Rover and make our way across the dunes.

The somewhat bumpy ride is the closest thing that this safari experience provides to dune bashing, which is forbidden here to protect the plants and wildlife. As well as an abundance of ­camels and gazelles, there’s a rare ­Gordon’s wildcat living in the reserve and desert foxes too.

We look on as the orange sun sets over the sweeping dunes, and it occurs to me that being so far into the desert, away from the mosques and the muezzin calls, Emiratis in the 50s would have been dependent on the ­positioning of the sun to know when to pray and fast.

Our waiters prepare glasses of sparkling date and apple juice, along with dates and a ­halloumi-like cheese, which we’re told is the traditional Emirati way to break the fast.

“You open the date, take out the seed, and use it like bread to dip in the cheese,” explains Wesam Farajalla.

“Because the cheese contains salt and the dates are full of natural sugars, it replenishes your system quickly.”

As we enjoy the entree, two Emirati brothers give us a five-minute presentation about the meaning of Ramadan. We move inside the tented camp for the first course – salad, pickled vegetables, bread, hummus, and kibbeh. Although tasty, I suspect none of these items would have been widely available in the desert in the 1950s – except for the Emirati bread, raqaq, which is made from soft, flattened unleavened dough and is crispy.

Much to the guests’ surprise, the mixed berry cordial drink, Vimto, is served in large jugs with the meal. Although it originated in the United Kingdom in 1908, Vimto became the soft drink of choice in the Gulf throughout the last century and is still ­popular with Emiratis during the holy month.

Farajalla explains to us about the Bedouin tradition of ­hospitality. When a guest came to their desert camp, they would be obliged to host and feed them for three days.

“Whatever animal was available would be slaughtered – goat, sheep or camels,” he explains. “The meat was wrapped in palm leaves and stuffed with rice, and a big hole was dug and filled with layers of lit charcoal, with stones on the top to keep in the heat. The wrapped meat was then covered with a pile of sand.”

Whereas the traditional cooking process would have taken 24 hours, the modern guest is not patient enough to wait that long to get served.

So although on this occasion the meat is cooked ­underground, a pot is used to hold in the heat, and instead of palm leaves, Farajalla’s team use aluminium foil.

The resulting lamb and rice, which is served with yogurt, is tender and juicy. Two other Emirati dishes, both commonly served at local weddings, are also offered to guests – marinated camel meat (which tastes much like beef) and harees, which is meat and wheat cooked for a long time until it blends into a paste. Barbecued chicken and vegetable rice are also available, with watermelon for dessert.

After dinner, we ride camels, get painted with henna and watch Emirati yola dancing before returning home.

• The traditional iftar costs Dh350, and Platinum Heritage provides pickups from Dubai Outlet Mall or Dubai’s Oasis Centre. For details go to www.platinum-heritage.com/company-iftar-dubai