Local, global cuisines attract people to QIFF

TheQatar International Food Festival (QIFF) 2018 continues to attract alarge number of residents and visitors with its myriad local, regionaland international dishes, as well as delicacies, sweets and drinks,offered by more than 170 participants at the Hotel Park.The 11-dayculinary event, which will run until March 25, hosts several foodstalls, food trucks and coffee stands, including 16 from hotels, nineembassies in Doha, and Qatar Foundation’s Torba Farmers Market.Amongthe popular and ‘in-demand’ cuisines include those from Thailand, fromthe famous sticky rice with mango and Pad Thai (chicken and seafood) tobeef with oyster sauce and chicken with sweet sour sauce.“This is100% authentic and delicious Thai food cooked and prepared by Thainationals like us,” said an employee of a Thai restaurant participatingat the festival.Turkish kebabs and shawarma, as well as Indianbiryani, samosa, pani puri and Bombay frankies, are also a big hit amongdifferent nationalities.Italian cuisine also satisfies visitors’ taste buds with pasta and pizza, served by renowned restaurants and hotels in Doha.Anumber of stalls are serving Chinese food such as sea food friednoodles, cold noodles and prawn with salt and pepper, among otherdishes.Meanwhile, American burgers, chicken sandwiches and Mexican food (tacos in particular) are also favourites at the festival.SomeAsian cuisines such Japanese and those from the Philippines satisfyAsian nationals’ (mostly Filipinos’) cravings for sushi and sashimi,turon, kuchinta, puto, and various dishes cooked with chicken and beef.Festival-goers’culinary journey will not be complete without trying a wide variety ofsweets like banana and chocolate crepes, cheese cakes, Turkish icecream, and Sheraton Doha’s famous Umm Ali, which has its own story totell.QIFF’s Coffee Zone is also attracting a large number ofvisitors every day since day one, offering various kinds of hot and colddrinks – with caffeine and decaffeinated, mild and strong, Arabica andBrazilian coffee beans, among others.Two baristas from Black Dosecoffee (a Qatari start up business), Jay Buan and Jovan Lantion, saidthey have been very busy in the past week serving hundreds, if not,thousands of coffee lovers at the festival.“There is a huge demandfor coffee in the region, especially here in Qatar. Coffee’s aroma isreally appealing to almost all nationalities,” said Buan, who alsoworked as a barista in other GCC countries.