A blend of two national cuisines at MIA Cafe

Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture has added a culinary experience, consisting of Camel cottage pie and Eton Mess - two traditional British dishes with an Arabic twist, to its year-long cultural exchange programme.The culinary treats have been created for the MIA Café by its restaurant’s executive chef Romain Meder.Speaking of the new addition, Meder said: “We wanted to ensure we capture the essence of traditional British food, being able to add an Arabic twist to the dishes. By using the finest locally sourced ingredients, we have created the Camel cottage pie and Eton Mess, representing Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture from a culinary angle.”The Camel cottage pie features braised camel meat, aromatic garnish, mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. Adding Arabic spices and camel meat, a regional delicacy, creates a tasteful blend bridging the two national cuisines. If museum goers want a sweet treat, the traditional English dessert Eton Mess, named after Eton College in Windsor, will be the perfect choice. The dessert consists of a mixture or mess of fresh strawberries, meringue and cream, flavoured with thinly sliced local fresh mint.Commenting on the newly added delicacies, Aisha Ghanem al-Attiya of the Qatar UK 2013 said: “Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture has so far offered a wide range of events and activities highlighting the relationship between Qatar and the UK - mostly through artistic and educational exchange. What we wanted to do with this menu is let people in Qatar experience the cultural relationship through a shared passion. By taking traditional British recipes and enhancing them with local ingredients, we are bringing the spirit of the Year of Culture to the table.”The Camel cottage pie and Eton Mess are some of the signature creations infused with Arabic flavours to be found in the constantly renewed MIA Café menu..