Arabic Ice Cream!

Hi! Sorry, I know I disappeared from cyberspace for a while… I guess I was a bit heartbroken with all the restrictions on WordPress that I just felt lazy to post anything… :-O

Anyway, just wanted to share with you a video I took in Global Village last month.. I like learning about others’ culture and tradition, so I enjoyed watching them prepare their local Arabic Ice Cream. They pounded the ice cream with a big wooden paddle, and banged on the tin with the music.. They kept on doing this, so the end result is a very, very compact ice cream covered in chopped pistachios, kinda gooey and not very creamy… and it takes forever to melt! It’s good, and has an arabian taste that I couldn’t figure out. I googled it and found out that it has arabic gum (hence the gooey/gummy texture), rosewater, and “sahlab” (an extract from orchids) — ohh so that explains the fragrant/flowery taste..

That night, I indulged in cotton candy, arabic sweets (deep-fried dough balls with caramel syrup), and lastly, the arabic ice cream. Understandably, my tongue was already sore from eating too much sweets, that I couldn’t finish the ice cream anymore. I went around the souks (stalls/markets) and waited for it to melt (so I wouldn’t feel too guilty throwing it).. but this ice cream just would not melt!
Enjoy the show! Welcome to my world in UAE…