*Warning: this post contains graphic photos of dead animals.
I once heard Salalah called the Coffs Harbour of the Gulf. Whilst I think it was said for comedic effect, the fact is that when the weather in Muscat rises above what is tolerable, locals from the Gulf states make a beeline for one particular area in Oman. Salalah, on the southernmost area of Oman facing the Arabian sea is where the locals flock. And why? During a time called Khareef or the summer monsoon season, cool winds and light mists results in cooler weather. Monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean bring along with them a much welcome curtain of rain and mist and it is a welcome respite from the oppressive and constant heat. And yes it rains in the desert!
Every year, coinciding with this, Omanis make a quick sojourn to Salalah to holiday before the start of Ramadan where they will return to their families and fast before Eid. The Salalah area of Oman and parts of nearby Yemen are the only Gulf states to have this unique occurrence. Where sand once lay, the ground is lush and green with vegetation for just these few months of the year.
Waking up early to leave Muscat we take the 1 hour 40 minute flight to Salalah which can also be reached by car although the journey takes about 10 hours and is bereft of much scenery. Many here speak Jaballi which is similar to Hebrew and is said to be the mother tongue of Salalah. With a population of almost 200,000, it is the second largest city in the Sultanate of Oman after Muscat, the capital city.
The airport is about 30 minutes from the town centre although this in itself is quite spread out. We pass hundreds of ornate black and gold street lamps that go on as far as the eye can see. Cars pass us covered in a layer of dust and sand and the view of flat, sandy stretches are punctuated with the occasional camel. They move in that slow chewing amble, big long lashed eyes batting. Further up, a herd of adorable tiny goats run across the sand and we also see low lying frankincense trees. We drive over wadi which are valleys where water may occasionally run through to the sea.
Throughout the long stretches of drive between areas, we see families lay down picnics on the sandy, rocky ground. Our guide Ali tells us “Gulf city people, they come for the rain and for the clouds. We are different from Western people, we love the clouds and the rain.” The prices for hotels are at the highest during Khareef. Direct flights from Europe during September to June bring holiday makers from overseas who don’t want the rain and the clouds but instead the sunshine. We drive down highways and see blue and red tents adjacent to the highway.Families will sit having picnics in the rain without flinching.
Warning: graphic photos to follow
Camping, Omani style with tents adjacent to each other available for rent
Camping is another aspect to Omani life which is done differently to the West. Here they congregate in groups renting tents on the side of highways. The ground isn’t soft, it’s rocky and dry and unlike those who want to camp in a far away area, the tents are clustered together. They camp near vendors who cook grilled meat kebabs or roasted whole animals.
Goat appears to be particularly popular with skinned goats being hung in front of the stand selling goat. And in front of one stand is a skittish white goat tied to a rope, perhaps aware of its fate. Strips of meat dangle from lines ready to be cooked while another line holds strips of fat. Red, yellow and orange spiced chicken sit already grilled and in foil cooking away, the charcoal smoke catching the wind.
The car makes the slow and mist filled journey up to Job’s tomb. A prophet in Islam, the site of his tomb is said to be about an hour’s drive out of Salalah (although several places claim to be the tomb’s location). Taking the slow drive up we become increasingly engulfed in fog and for much of the drive, we can only see a few metres in front of us. Photos are next to impossible and we watch as kids stand up through the sunroofs and stretch their hands to touch the fog.
Wadi Darbat which flows into the sea at Khor Rori is another popular location. The national park is a place for picnics or get togethers. Once we arrive at the wadi we see stalls selling food and on the water, small boats carrying people make their way down the wadi and there is said to be a waterfall at times.
A family picnicking near the wadi
The hillsides surrounding the wadi are thick with vegetation and we watch as one family picnics there with a small girl dancing in the middle of their circle. Treats like popcorn and dates are sold at stalls and I get a cup of corn with lots of lemon and spice. It’s probably not my favourite snack but I’m glad that I tried it.
Salalah is also known as the perfume capital of Arabia and one of the scents that originated here was Frankincense. It is the sap or resin that comes from the Boswellia tree. The Frankincense tree pictured above is a small one and would not be mature enough to harvest from. Harvesting Frankincense is a difficult procedure and is usually only done on trees that are much older with a lot of leaves. To harvest the sap, you make small cuts into the branch and allow the Frankincense to bleed out and dry (called tears).
However, if you make the wrong cuts, you can easily kill the tree. The trees only thrive in dry, arid areas and harvest season is after the khareef or monsoon season as well as January to March. There are four different types of Frankincense trees that produce this resin and it is sold in little amber coloured lumps. There is a little Frankincense on this tree which we try. The aroma is similar to a complex lavender and then some and it is a sticky resin, much like wax you would use for waxing hair off skin. Our guide Ali popped some into his mouth and chewed it, apparently it makes for a good chewing gum and the taste is similar to Vietnamese mint and lavender.
We’re here to try some more traditional Omani food. Because of the different climate here in Salalah, there are tropical fruit such as coconut, papaya and banana. We stop by a road side stand that sells different types of bananas including a milk banana which is similar to sugar banana, another variety which is close to the Cavendish banana. We take a sip of coconut water which is lightly sweet and refreshing. There are a range of fruit, some new to us including bithen, egg fruit, chico as well as mango guava, custard apples and pomegranates.
A man walks past us carrying fairy floss in bags. Here it is called Shein Banat which means girl’s or lady’s hair!
Curiously, we notice here and in other places that the long stretch of Al Dahariz St Daḩārīz road is lined with countless banana and fruit shops and it seems that competition is not an issue as we see streets full of hairdressers and barbers, sweets shops, bakeries all clustered together.
A series of sweets shops yields a quick tasting of halwa, a sweet made out of sesame seeds with a gelatinous texture not unlike Turkish delight. It’s different from the Jewish halwa which is almost powdery or chalky. This is stretchy and delicious stuff. Halwa’s sweetness means that it is followed by Arabic coffee which is a type of unsweetened coffee. Tea with milk is drunk all throughout the day and sometimes they may add rosewater or cardamom to flavour it.
There are three types of halwa on offer, a dark date halwa, a plain halwa and a cashew and honey halwa. The prices for trays of each is 1.50 OR/$3.77AUD for the plain and date and 3.00 OR/$7.54AUD for the cashew and honey. The cashew and honey is my favourite followed by the date and the sticky, sweet texture ensures that the you keep coming back for more.
We take the drive to Mughsail Beach, about 40kms west of Salalah which is a popular destination and flocks of Omanis visit there. Thy watch the enormous waves crashing against the moss covered rocks and blow holes spurt water high up into the air.
The women there mostly wear the abaya dress with the niqāb veil some covering the hair while others cover their face completely except for the eyes. A cafe sits right next to the ocean and the strong waves are choppy and full of white water foam (and there are not recommended for swimming or surfing due to the strong currents).
It’s lunch time so we take a drive to a restaurant serving traditional food. Outside, there are cars that drive up outside. Waiters in uniform take their orders and bring back bags of food to take away. It’s drive thru or drive past, Omani style.
We sit down on the floor of a carpet lined room with three thick cushions to lean against. They spread out a light plastic cloth and Ali orders our food for us as the menus are in Arabic. Here at Khoor Al Mukala they make Yemenese food as Yemen is close by. They are known for their rice, five kinds in fact. They bring us our drinks and food quickly.
We start with bowls of soup, fragranced with cumin and coriander seeds, the flavour is like a dahl but without the lentils at the bottom and more of a clear soup.
There is also sheaf of wild rocket served with our mains. The five types of rices come in various shades. The favourite rice is mandi rice which has a gorgeous light smokey flavour to it. There is also a plain rice with shredded carrot, an onion and garlic rice which is also delicious. And the way to eat it? Traditionally you would eat with your hand. The washrooms are nearby and we wash our hands before digging in. You gather the rice in your hand and use the thumb to push it in the mouth. And yes it takes practice!
The grilled half chicken is spicy with a char from the grill although served slightly cold. The fish is quite dry and dipping it in the tomato, garlic and onion sauce helps a little but the best bet is with the chicken. Dessert is a plate of orange segments and sweet, glossy dates.
Our hotel for the time in Salalah is the Juweira. The location is quite far away from where the action is, about 30 minutes or so on a high speed 120kms/hr drive. The hotel itself is a boutique hotel that has very recently opened and it has that brand new feel to it. The lobby is welcoming and the staff are friendly for the most part.
I make my way to the room 105 which has a marina view. The room itself is spacious and very clean with a long desk for working and a large king sized bed. Lighting fixtures are modern and there is a view out to the marina with the large sized chess pieces. A largeish flat screen tv faces the bed and the channel selection is somewhat limited with a couple of channels for English movies and tv shows and apart from that, there is news. However my room was near the giant chess board and as I learned, sometimes crowds can gather to play right outside your window until quite late.
The bathroom isn’t too bad a size and although there is no bath. The shower is very comfortable with lots of space with a powerful shower head. The toiletry selection includes shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, vanity set with cotton buds and pads and a shower cap. Soap is in the shower cubicle although there is a large liquid soap pump on the vanity. Towels are very soft and there are also soft, thick robes and slippers.
The mini bar is very reasonably priced with mini sized cans of soft drinks at 1 OMR/$2.50AUD although the range for crunchy items is limited (something that I tend to crave). Two bottles of complimentary water are given along with tea and coffee making items including that very odd non dairy creamer stuff. A bowl of fruit holds an apple, orange, kiwifruit, grapes and a mangosteen.
Internet is 6 OMR for 24 hours or 2OMR for an hour and when you log in, it tells you that the price is for up to three connections. Although my internet was fast, neighbouring rooms have little to no internet signal. Also when we checked out later, despite it saying that there were up to three connections allowed, each device was charged for separately so the wording is deceptive.
I do a few hours of work before I realise that it’s time for dinner. We start with a drive to to Murbait port where we have a distinctly camelly encounter. There are hundreds of camels that roam the areas alongside the highway and they occasionally make their way onto the streets. Here’s one slowly but determinedly making their way to where they live via a side trip in front of a moving car.
We pass a goat herder or shepherd who corrals his charge of tiny goats in browns, black and whites. They obediently follow him with small, fast steps.
We drive through the old city which is full of abandoned buildings in various states of disrepair. Once lovely houses are crumbling, with windows broken. Off in the distance, we see boats of fishermen who are coming in for the day. We one again see the goat herder again who brings his herd in for the night.
Crowds gather to inspect the fish brought in. Every day from 4pm to nightfall the fishermen sell their catch. Just opposite, there are charcoal grills with skewers being turned. The meat on the skewers is camel meat, all red cubes of flesh with the occasional white cube of fat.
Grilling camel meat
I try a piece of the marinated camel meat and it is really good indeed with a tangy spice mixture and char from the grill, it is served with a tamarind and garlic sauce.
As it is festival time, there are events that are held as part of the celebrations so we head back to Al Dahariz St Daḩārīz past the banana stands which are still in operation until 11pm or midnight. These are now lit up with bright fluorescent tubes. Further on, the street turns into a huge shopping street where mobile phone stores line up against each other. There are also ready to wear clothing boutiques, hairdressers and grocery stores although the fashion isn’t quite the same as what we would see in boutiques at home.
We make it to the festival which draws a huge crowd and is only put on for the khareef festival. Cars park in every space available and we walk through the clothing bazaar to the main area.
Jewellery for sale
We opt for a traditional Omani dinner and there are five items on offer here such as Tharid which is a vegetable and bread curry very popular around Ramadan. It’s tomato based and the bread pieces are slippery soft, like pasta. There is also biryani or baryani, speaking to the Indian influence in their cuisine. There are also makroni and spaghetti type of noodles with a light sauce and the pasta is cooked until quite soft. The Masarin or offal is actually one of my favourites with a lot of flavour. I pick and choose my offal pieces, I’m not a big tripe fan so I leave this but the rest of the offal is delicious. The Al Hareess is a thick gruel type of dish made with wheat grains. Mild flavoured but savoury, it is close to grits or porridge.
And what’s for dessert? These gorgeous syrupy donut balls are soaked in a cardamom syrup. Biting into one squeezes the lovely syrup out so you are best to swallow one whole.
Another cuisine that is represented in Oman is Lebanese. Restaurant Baalbeck, named after a region in Lebanon serves both Lebanese and Omani food. Located on the 23rd July street (the date that the Sultan ascended to the throne), it does a fast trade for takeaways with bags of takeaway awaiting collection. There is also car washing available for 1 OMR (about $2.50AUD), a necessity in this location.
Appetiser for 4 people 6.70 OMR/$16.84AUD
Prices here are quite reasonable and the menu is in both English and Arabic. We start with the mixed dips which has a range of creamy smooth hummus, motabl (an eggplant dip with onion), a crunchy fattoush salad, tabouli, dolmades and cheese, spinach and meat sambousek. They’re all delicious and come with pockets of fresh, soft Lebanese bread which we use to dip and spread.
Strawberry juice 1OMR/$2.50AUD
The strawberry juice is simply pureed fresh strawberries that are deliciously sweet. I don’t tend to drink a lot when eating out but it’s so good that I can’t really bear to send it back half drunk so they put this in a container to take with me.
Shawarma 1.6 OMR/$4AUD
The shawarma is served either on Lebanese bread or on a plate. We opted for the breadless version as we had plenty of bread already. Ali ordered a mix of chicken and beef and it sits on a plate of that lovely hummus. We happily devour it with a little of the whipped garlic sauce.
Mixed baalbeck 2.7OMR/$6.75AUD
The mixed baalbeck comes with two rounds of pita bread, one underneath the meat and one on top. The top round is spread with tomato paste and onion and underneath it lies the several types of meat. There are skewers of beef, beef mince, chicken and chicken mince along with a lamb cutlet which is a bit dry. They all have a fantastic grill flavour to them but the chicken meat is the favourite as it is tender with a lovely spice seasoning mix. There is also the addictive Omani hot sauce on the table although this isn’t really fiery at all.
Istanboule kebab 2.1OMR/$5.25AUD
The beef kebab comes as three thick skewers of beef mince topped with a tomato sauce and an onion side salad. It’s good although out of the kebab meats, the tender flavoursome chicken meat is my favourite.
Om Ali 0.6OMR/$1.50AUD
The Om Ali means “the mother of Ali” and is a pastry pudding mixed with milk. Quite mildly flavoured it relies on the chopped, toasted almonds on top for flavour. It is like a wetter, milkier but less sweet version of a bread and butter pudding. I’ve also had it in the past with coconut or raisins added to it.
Mehalabia 0.9 OMR/$2.25AUD
The Mehalabia is a thick pudding made of milk and cornflour or mastic. The texture is thick, almost like a jelly or kazandibi and it is drizzled with honey and toasted chopped almonds and has a light flavour of cardamom.
The next day we wake early to see a little before we leave Salalah. The undercover stalls at the Al Haffa markets house Omani and Indian traders offering shoe repairs, jewellery, clothing and of course the omnipresent frankincense. There are several grades of Frankincense and the highest grade is this green opaque frankincense. A 800g bag of good quality frankincense retails for 8 OMR/$20AUD and the texture when dried is similar to rock or yellow sugar.
Top quality Frankincense
Stores sell burners and alongside the frankincense are jars of dark black perfumed wood. You place these highly aromatic oil laden wood shavings in a burner and the aroma will envelop a room much like an incense stick. Men and women also stand over these oil burners and it fragrances their dishdashas and abayas with perfume until the smoke emerges from their arms holes.
Warning: graphic photos will follow shortly
About five minutes drive away is the fresh market where camel, beef and fish are sold. Staff wear maroon uniforms; some are butchers, others are workers that take care of customers. Customers can opt to have their meat delivered to their car directly. Inside, the butchering takes place and there are all sorts of parts being butchered. I debated with myself whether to put up some of the more graphic pictures-of course these were just reflecting the way of life there and there’s little gained from people thinking that meat comes from plastic sealed trays. Nevertheless, it is quite confronting seeing buckets full of jaws and hooves with the skin still on.
The fish market has baby shark, and large fish. Dried hammour fish similar to jerky is a popular snack.
Dried hammour fish
A traditional Omani breakfast can be had at Lialy Hadrmout where we watch several men eating the same dish. It’s scrambled eggs with tomato and onion picked up using their fingers and a torn corner of the enormous charred flat bread. Similar to chapati, it is thin and dry and served piping hot from their oven. The chef rolls the dough fresh to order and then places them in the oven and fishes them out with a flourish using a metal stick. He then cracks eggs into a frypan of sauteed onions and tomato in the little room which is ferociously hot.
Milk tea
The milk tea is a strong black tea and a sip instantly reminds me of a Hong Kong milk tea but with a few more spices and a layer of tea leaf sediment at the bottom.
And the price for a breakfast like this, three teas and three bottles of water? Just 1.2 OMR or $3.10AUD. The breakfast is delicious although you’d be hard pressed to finish the enormous disc of bread folded over in many layers. We follow the lead of the man at the table next to us who used a piece of the bread to scoop up the tasty egg filling.
Next we return to Muscat to see what else the capital has to offer and see how the other half live…
So tell me Dear Reader, what do you think about graphic photos? Do you think I should have shown more or less?
NQN travelled as a guest of the Ministry of Oman
Juweirah Boutique Hotel
Marina Town, Salalah Beach Resort Taqa Road Salalah, Oman
(0)23 239600
Baalbeck
23rd July Street, Salalah, Sultanate of Oman
Tel: 23298834
Open 8am to 1am
Lialy Hadrmout Restaurant
Sultan Qaboos St, Salalah, Sultanate of Oman
If you enjoyed this post, why not share it with your friends?
What is NQN up to now?
NQN on Facebook
RSS
51 Comments | Add your own
Oooooh, that halwa! All the halwa! Not so keen on the meat, as you’d know, but that halwa would go down a treat
I feel like I’ve had a little trip to Oman before I’ve had breakfast. Great photos and I am not bothered by the graphic photos, there were plenty of warnings for people who didn’t wish to see them. I agree that it is part of the cycle by which food arrives on our plate. I would only be turned off if I could smell the blood (which has been known to make me pass out – not a great fan of it). Great post!
Beautiful pictures, they remind me of a mini travelogue!
Hi Lorraine, I chuckled when I read that you had a marina view room…
Anyway, let’s get serious about graphic photos. I don’t mind because it shows the country and the way those people leave. I don’t like those glossy magazines that invite you to visit their country and realize later that it’s just for a show. I love what you did, and if someone is too sensitive, they can skip those photos. Although, they might as well get one of those glossy magazines…
I don’t understand people that travel half way around the globe just to stay in the similar hotel as on nearby street in their own town and limit their visit to well manicured tourists destinations. Do you?
So, dear Lorraine, thank you for showing the real life of people of different groups in Oman…
I think the photos you showed were fine and not too graphic at all. Like you said, it’s all a part of travelling and the way of life over there. It looks like a fascinating place. Oman seems to be “the place to go” at the moment.
Dear Lorraine,
Thanks for the warning. I thought the pics of dead animals were quite mild, then again I’ve seen animals being slaughtered in wet markets across South East Asia and during Hari Raya Haji in Malaysia. More curiosity than gross factor for me
Wow!! What a post I love it how you like to put in details…..you are fast becoming the ‘go to’ blog for tourism
As for the graphic pics,it’s amazing how much a culture can tune you into things which can seem unpalatable elsewhere. I grew up with such goat shops in almost every bazaar that we went to in India…..and never thought a thing about it. Yet when you put it out like this, it forces me to look at it with a completely new perspective…
Your photos are brilliant as always Lorraine, although I tried to bypass the one of the hanging goat. I love Middle Eastern food and have done several foodie tours around Lebanese, Turkish, Persian and Syrian food suburbs and find their food absolutely delicious! We are so lucky living in Sydney and having all these amazing cuisines and ingredients so readily available.
All the same seeing your photos is like being there in Oman. Thank you for sharing your wonderful trip!
Thanks for a fabulous article and photos – great reading over my first coffee for the day!
i don’t mind the graphic photos–they show the reality of the atmosphere, & give you a sense of actually being there. However, im not a vegetarian & i do eat fish head curry, so one might say that friday night cooking is ‘graphic’ at my place. But the detail in your photos makes me want to visit Oman
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the photos as long as you give warning! I had a similar experience in Thailand but as you said it’s their way of life!
I loved the contrast between the restaurant where you sat on the floor and the next photo of the lavish hotel!
Wow the places you have been. To imagine this is on the same planet as our lifestyle in Australia. Such an ancient civilisation … if those crumbling walls could talk …
Food is food…we are quite insulated from reality whereas their abbatoirs are on show. And I’m a meat lover so I need to realise how it looks before it’s on the plate ! Thank you for sharing such a mystical world.
Wow, what a journey indeed! Again I loved how you showed not just the fancy-pantsy hotel you stayed on, but the tents for the locals too, and the restaurant to street food as well. Your travel posts always cover both sides so well that it really gives the reader a great feel for the area .
Graphic photos are ok, you gave plenty of warning, and as you said it its simply a cultural issue more than anything. You didn’t show any animals in distress which might upset some people, just the meat as displayed to the public. Actually I saw beef legs like that for sale in a fancy butcher this week here in Canberra! The only difference was that these were neatly shaved and hairless. I stood looking art them wondering what recipe I could use them in
Great post Lorraine thanks!
To me the ‘graphic’ photos were not graphic at all. If you eat meat you have to accept that your meat was once an animal and that it was slaughtered and dismembered before it got to your plate.
I would have been cool with no warnings and been shown a lot more if that’s what you wanted.
Thanks for telling us about Oman. It’s not a place I’ve even really thought about let alone considered a travel destination. It’s certainly a big wide world out there with lots to see and teach us.
If I had to kill an animal myself I would probably become a vegetarian, but it is a bit silly to be squeamish about dead animals when I eat them.
Great post NQN, Oman has always been fascinating for me, it was great to see your realistic take on it all. I didn’t find the “graphic” photo’s graphic at all. We all know where meat comes from and I’ve seen worse in Hong Kong! I think you should show us everything you see on your trips warts and all….I want to hear about things that are great and not so great. I hope you will always do that for your readers!
Wow great informative post Lorraine! I’ve never been to the Middle East nor have I really eaten their food, but i have made friends with a couple of Muslim colleagues from work and some of the things in your post sounds familiar as they were telling me about it
Everythings so new and interesting to me! Camel meat wow… lol I never thought that was edible ~
I think you had a good amount of graphic photos
Not too many or too little ~ I use to be really disturbed by these photos but now I think I’m getting a lot better 
A shame about the hotel and the internet charge…i hate it when hotels are deceptive about costs…
Looks like an interesting place to visit.
HI EJM! I promise, I am always honest and it’s always warts and all
However I did post a much milder picture on my facebook page and some people complained very vocally about it which surprised me. So I thought I should exercise caution with a few of these photos as they were more graphic.
What a fascinating place! I think the graphic photos are necessary, you can’t get a real feel for the place if you don’t get to see what it is really like and that is obviously part of their culture and day to day lives. Thanks for sharing.
Those photos were much more tame than I had expected – I thought you must’ve visited a halal slaughter house on your trip! Sounds like an once in a lifetime trip – so colourful.
looks like you had a great adventure.
I lived in Oman for 4 years, so this is a nice little trip down memory lane – thank you!
Also, I don’t find that lamb photo offensive, we post similar things, we just warn a few of our vego readers in advance.
Another great travel story where I felt I was walking beside you Lorraine. Great photos, depicting the lifestyle to a ‘T’. Not too graphic at all and yet you have to tread lightly because the ‘sensitivity’ issue is controversial and people react differently. Funny how Porteno in Sydney can get away with cooking an animal over the coals but you get ‘grilled’ for posting a photograph depicting a similar scene????
Can’t say I’m too fussed with some of the food, especially the mishmash of the Omani plate which doesn’t look very appetising, I’m not a fan of Offal at all. Don’t mind the breakfast with the tomatoes and egg and flat bread. Would love to try the exotic tropical fruits, especially the ones we don’t have here in Australia.
I love the smell of Frankincense ( weird I know) and would love to have a tree in the backyard so I could have a ready supply. Did you bring some back with you? How odd that one can chew it like gum!Did you buy any of the jewellery?
This post will make my husband very jealous indeed – Oman is on the top of his list for our next trip.
Great post, fantastic photos!Thanks, S
Oh how wonderful!!! The whole post which will be read over and over again
! Thought I had heard of Salalah: when the perfume connection came up, realized why! Did not know such a pocket of micro-climate existed: love the misty photos. Would be very interested to try all the food spicing also and was surprised my beloved Lebanese food reached so far across. Delightful – kind’of hope there is one more in that series!! Graphic photos? Which graphic photos? How could those shown possibly offend? Well, perhaps those of us whose early childhood was pockmarked by daily atrocities, shootings, rapes etc etc [I have just deleted four words lest I offend!]for years right in front of our noses, take a more sanguine view of what goes on in this world!!!
I love the “tour” of the place, my Hubby was also recently in Oman and he took lots of photos to show me. Great since I dont get to visit the place myself.
Middle Eastern and Asian countries’ markets can be confronting for us closeted westerners who purchase our products pre packaged and without any obvious link to their origin. I thought you were right to warn about the graphic nature of the photos for the more sensitive readers who may find them confronting, but meat comes from animals and that’s how they’re presented in much of the world to the market. I found the fact that they’re not refrigerated more confronting when I went to similar markets in Morocco and Asia – but if you shop each day for food and buy it fresh it seems to work. That said, my worst food poisoning ever was in Morocco, and resulted in hospitalisation in Paris, but I got a great story out of it.
Not everyone in the world has refrigerated packaged meat, and we need to come to grips with this. Your post showed it like it is. Looks like a really interesting trip.
Oh, Lorraine, thank you, thank you for this post. I inhaled every word, every photo, including the graphic ones
When I lived in Abu Dhabi in the 70s, the border was porous and you could just drive through to Oman with no problems. And we did, frequently, to camp on the beach and explore. Oh for some date halwa–and although I ate lots of hamour, I’ve never had it dried. I’m intrigued!
YET another GREAT travel adventure through your eyes!
Always fills me with tourism and food wonderment and surprise!
Your photos was like the third bear,
You presented them with care,
Was it too much? No. Was it too little? No. Was it just right? Yes!
Lorraine, what an adventure!!! Thanks for the warning – once I knew they were coming they were totally fine. Fascinating post. That halwa!! So would love to do the same visit. Ben would too!
Heidi xo
Awesome post. What an amazing place to go. Loved all the pictures Lorraine.
That poor goat! Could they have kept his skinned brothers and sisters away from his view? They really do have a different way of treating animals. Are they tolerant of Westerners in Oman or did you have to cover up and dress like a Muslim? I think it’s up to the blogger to decide what pictures they do or don’t decide to share. I think yours are fine, I was getting worried I was going to see something really off-putting, but I’m not sure I’d want a tour of their abattoir region xx
Oman sounds so interesting – I’d love to go there. I’m much more familiar with Lebanese food than Omanian but both looked delicious.
Oh my…but at least no one can say that it wasn’t a grand trip!
Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
Erm, Lorraine, much as I would love to take credit of Biryani coming from India, actually its the other way round. Biryani was brought to India by the Mughal chefs, who immigrated from Persia with the conqueror Babur. It slowly infiltrated Indian cuisine, to be adapted into different styles. The kingdoms of Awadh, Hyderabad and Bengal lay special claim to the art of Biryani making, who adapted the recipe to their taste. From India, it went to South East Asia, possibly through Bengal, which enjoyed a close port-to-port trade relationship with Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Java and Sumatra. However, the original recipe goes back to the Arabs.
I was expecting the photos to be a lot more graphic than that, but I think it’s very kind and sensitive of you to put up several warnings in your post.
The desserts look interesting, but I love sloppy, mushy, wet foods.
That photos weren’t too graphic. Love middle eastern foods. Glad you got to visit beautiful Oman
Wow I so love your photos from Oman, it’s such a lovely looking place and all that food! I’m jealous.
Beautiful shots my friend, the culture of Oman is so different and special
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
It’s hard to believe that those beautiful tropical fruits can grow in that part of the world. Amazing
I really enjoy your blog!! Thanks!
Brilliant post loved it, a fantastic experience and thank you for sharing a piece of Omani life.
Oh, Lorraine, your time in Oman was fascinating! I only saw Muscat and not even all of what you saw, but how lucky you were to be able to travel a bit. Fascinating and your posts make me want to go back. And the food is so good!
I LOVE SALALAH~OMAN PEOPLE & CULTURE OF OMAN !!!
Where to begin? I absolutely loved this post! I’ve never been to the middle east, and this has been such an interesting read for me. It seems so exotic to me, hehe.
I think it’s a good idea to show the graphic photos – apart showing the local culture/markets etc, for those of us who choose to eat meat, I think it’s important that we respect and appreciate where it comes from!
Hey Lorraine -
As someone who was born and raised in Oman, I was so excited to read about your Omani experience!
I love the “donut balls” you talk about – locally called Luqaimat. Tried making it this Ramadan and it turned out great! If you ever want to try making them – would be more than happy to share the recipe!
Looking forward to more great posts!
I am not at all bothered by graphic photos and actually enjoy them as they really give you an idea of the local traditions. I think you gave ample warning and people can easily click away if bothered by them.
I spent two months in Salalah last summer. I ate at Baalbeck almost every day and when I wasn’t in class spent most of my time in the Haffa Market. You’ve captured the city beautifully. Thank you for your post.
Post a Comment