Apr 12, 2025 11:45:00

I tried Emirati cuisine from the United Arab Emirates, including makhboos and camel milk, at the Osaka Kansai Expo

At

the Osaka-Kansai Expo , which opens on Sunday, April 13, 2025, you can try a variety of cuisines at each country's pavilion and marketplace, but if you're here, you'll want to try some cuisines you don't usually see. At the restaurant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) pavilion, you can try dishes such as makgeolli (match booth), saloona, kamile, and sago.

UAE Pavilion | EXPO 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo Official Website
https://www.expo2025.or.jp/official-participant/uae/

The UAE pavilion is located on the right hand side if you head towards the Large Ring from the East Gate, enter the inside of the ring and proceed along it.

The theme of the exhibition was 'From Earth to Sky,' and it featured a row of date palms reaching from floor to ceiling, which are said to symbolize the spirit of the UAE people.

A variety of traditional Arab cuisine, 'Emirati cuisine'.

On the media day we visited, only bento style meals were served, and the main dish could be chosen from two options: 'Vegetable Saluna' and 'Matchbooth Samak (fish Matchbooth).' This time, we chose the 'Matchbooth Samak.'

For the special drink, we could choose one from six types: 'Iced coffee with date seeds,' 'Green juice,' 'Ghaf leaves and apple juice,' 'Spice Laban,' 'Iced Slimani tea,' and 'Lahsh and camel milk.' Here, we chose the 'Lahsh and camel milk' which was recommended by our guide.

After waiting about 5 minutes, the food was brought out. It was very colorful.

This is 'Machboos Samak'. Machboos (Machboos) is a rice dish eaten in Arab countries. The restaurant in the pavilion used spices and nuts. The fish was marinated in the UAE spice 'Bazaar' and grilled.

The refreshing white fish is infused with the flavor of spices, giving it a deep flavor, and the spicy makhboos is a perfect match. Even if you're tired from walking around the various pavilions, this will give you a boost of energy.

'Kamil' is a light snack with a fluffy texture similar to bread or naan. It doesn't have any particular flavor, so it goes well with grilled fish.

The salad is topped with cottage cheese made from camel milk, and has sautéed glutinous barley with turmeric at the bottom. If you're a light eater, this salad alone might be enough to fill you up.

The orange one is 'sago.' It is a starch extracted from the trunk of the sago palm and looks similar to tapioca, but the one I had this time had a softer texture than tapioca. It was slightly sweet. The one below it is the fruit of the date palm. It is chewy like a dried persimmon and has a sweet taste.

And 'Lafsh with camel milk'. Lafsh is a traditional Arab dessert that resembles cotton candy and is topped with roasted pistachios. The camel milk underneath is iced and cold, with a distinct sweetness.

Don't miss this opportunity to try Emirati cuisine.