Qatari food and culture to be highlighted at Russian music fest

A ‘unique pop-up project’ of Qatari food and culture will be presented at Afisha Picnic, a major Russian summer music festival, in Moscow on Saturday.

This comes as part of the Qatar-Russia 2018 Year of Culture, which offers exhibitions, concerts, heritage events and festivals aimed at further strengthening relations between the two countries.“Being one of the main happenings in the gastronomy and lifestyle programme of the Year of Culture, the Meet Qatar pop-up will reveal one of the key ideas in the DNA of the project - the similarity in Qatar’s and Russia’s approach to evolution and progress being achieved through cherishing and preserving tradition as well as focusing on future development,” Qatar’s Ministry of Culture and Sports said in a press statement on Friday.The Meet QATAR pop-up aims to share the spirit of a contemporary, yet authentic Qatari experience and will feature food corners that will “show how local food is transformed into a modern interpretation of mom’s kitchen”, souvenir shops and an authentic lounge with colourful oriental rugs. Meet Qatar will open its doors to more than 50,000 guests.The zone has been constructed with the use of organic materials, creating a “complete illusion of one's presence in Qatar and offering a walk through the sands of the Arabian desert”, the statement notes.One of the main focus areas is gastronomy. Qatari cuisine will be represented not only by the top Doha restaurants, but also by the famous street food corners: starting from home-made Arabic dishes to the popular Torba Farmers Market pop-up projects with doughnuts, cronuts, burgers, vegan food, traditional pastries and other desserts.Well-known products from Qatar, such as Arabic coffee, saffron, cardamom and other spices, Karak chai and dates of all shapes and sizes are being brought to Moscow especially for this occasion. Guests at the pop-up festival will also have the opportunity to take part in the cooking master class and learn how to make traditional Qatari bread. Food will not be the only highlight of the Festival. The Meet Qatar zone will also feature shops with natural fibre clothes, kitchenware made of coconuts, wooden cutlery, textile bags and aromatherapy candles.The Ensemble Suffiks band will perform ethnic music, creating an atmosphere of legendary Arabic markets.The Qatar-Russia 2018 Year of Culture creates an atmosphere of trust and understanding, which is crucial to build business relationships and strengthen economic, tourist and cultural partnership between the two countries.Afisha Picnic is an annual music festival that had been held in Moscow since 2004; in 2018, it is taking place for the 15th time. Over the years, the festival became one of the most significant music events in Russia.