Sharing cuisine strengthens Emirati-Swiss relations

Abu Dhabi: Dates are one of the most abundant fruits in the UAE and for those looking to use the delicious fruits in interesting dishes, the Emirati-Swiss Food Festival that was inaugurated in the capital on Thursday is the place to go.

This was the first event of the Emirati-Swiss Friendship Forum established last November.

The festival includes recipes like chicken with dates, and dates with goat cheese, that have been shared by Joy Bruelhart, the wife of the Swiss Ambassador to the UAE.

The week-long festival, organised in Lulu Hypermarket outlets in the capital, will highlight Emirati-Swiss food combinations, as well as 30 other Swiss products.

"Knowing about the food and cuisine of a country is a wonderful way of getting to know its people and a great way to link the countries, and this is why the food festival is one of the first events organised as part of the friendship forum between Switzerland and the UAE," Wolfgang Amadeus Bruelhart, Swiss Ambassador to the UAE, told Gulf News.

Currently, the UAE has about 2,000 Swiss expatriates and the Ambassador added that the number was increasing rapidly.

In addition to the food festival, the forum also plans to visit a number of schools across the UAE soon to strengthen Emirati-Swiss relations and to educate young children about the two nations, Urs Stirnimann, executive director of the Emirati-Swiss friendship forum, told Gulf News on the sidelines of the festival.

Cooperation

"In addition, a trip to Switzerland by Emirati representatives this June will further enhance the mutual cooperation between the countries," he added.

Dr Ali Saeed Al Ameri, an Emirati and Chief Executive Officer of Al Shoumoukh Group of Companies said: "Many of us are only familiar with Swiss cheese or chocolates like Nestle, so this is a great avenue for learning."