Doha -

Thousands of people of different nationalities and ages flock daily to the "Al-Bida' Park" overlooking the Doha Corniche in the heart of the Qatari capital, to eat the most delicious food in the open air and enjoy the activities of the Qatar International Food Festival, which will be held this year in conjunction with the launch of the Arab Football World Cup.

Which gave the festival a special flavor.

The 11th edition of the Qatar Food Festival will last for 3 weeks, with the participation of more than 140 restaurants and hotels from Qatar and several countries.

The Qatar International Food Festival is the oldest festival specialized in culinary arts and food in Qatar, and combines culinary arts with entertainment events, including a live cooking theater by world-renowned chefs, and the celebrations also include a lot of family entertainment for residents and visitors of all ages.

This year's edition of the festival is distinguished by its being held at the end of the fall season, unlike what was followed in previous years, in the interest of the Qatar Tourism Authority (the festival's organizer) to attend the largest number of people, especially those coming to Doha to attend the Arab Football World Cup.

Famous chefs in Qatar and the world presented live and interactive cooking experiences (Al Jazeera)

family entertainment

The Culinary Theater - the main event of the festival - attracted many famous chefs in Qatar and the world, as they presented live and interactive cooking experiences, and shared their tips and experiences with food lovers from the festival's goers.

The culinary scene featured celebrity chefs from the region, including Dani Garcia, Aisha Al Tamimi, Shams Al Kasabi, William Dessen, Saif Rahman, Hervé Corto, Hassan Al Ibrahim, Grinal Godinho, Alexandre Ugrikledge, Arturo Mendes, Roberto Riatini, Hj Fernando, Sergio Galazzo, and Sergio Galazzo. , Santiago Guerrero, and others.

Maryam Al-Maslamani from the Qatar Tourism Authority says that the festival - which this year extends for 3 weeks from last November 26 to December 18 this year, provides family entertainment throughout the duration of its session, pointing to the diversity of entertainment offers between live music and " DJ", road shows, mini golf, trampoline, hot air balloon experience, carnival games, and other events.

Al-Maslamani added - in a statement to Al Jazeera Net - that the Qatar Food Festival, in addition to its presentation of entertainment events;

It celebrates a group of global cultures, which greatly enriches the festival and provides it with additional attractions, and gives new dimensions to the distinguished position it achieved in the past years.

Celebrity chefs show off their culinary skills (Al-Jazeera)

Qatari folklore

It also indicates that the festival organizers were keen to attract more visitors to the festival and take advantage of its convening in conjunction with the Arab Cup to contribute to spreading Qatar's welcoming message to all the peoples of the world.

Al-Maslamani noted that the festival administration will work to attend Arab team players for some of the festival’s activities and learn about the different arts and cultures hosted by the festival, pointing out that choosing the timing of the festival and its synchronization with the Arab Cup aims to attract more tourists and show Qatar’s ability to organize more than one event at simultaneous times. .

The founder of the Qatari Culinary Academy, Mohammed Al-Hammadi, says that the current edition of the Qatar Food Festival is a continuation of the successes presented in the past years, explaining that the festival is an opportunity to introduce participants to the heritage and cuisine of the Gulf in general and Qatari food in particular.

Al Hammadi added - in a statement to Al Jazeera Net - that the Cooking Academy he heads is interested in the art of food making and aims from its participation in the Qatar International Food Festival to preserve the popular heritage of Qatari dishes and present it to the world, in addition to benefiting from the presence of international chefs and contacting them and benefiting from their experiences.

A unique cultural experience

He points out that the Culinary Academy - by presenting 12 chefs representing several countries - is keen to show the diversity that exists in the State of Qatar, where hundreds of nationalities and cultures are present;

Thus, it was necessary to satisfy all tastes in the Qatari society.

Shams Al-Qasabi presents an innovative collection of Qatari spices at the Food Festival (Al-Jazeera)

As for the Qatari chef, Shams Al-Qasabi, who is participating for the first time in the Qatar International Food Festival, she says that the festival is an opportunity to introduce the world to Qatari culture and creations in all fields, noting that visitors to the festival will have a date with a unique cultural experience with the delicious flavors that characterize Qatari dishes.

And what she will present to festival-goers in her first participation, Al-Qasabi indicates that she seeks to introduce festival-goers to "the spices of the sun", which is a group of Qatari spices that she has created and includes more than 480 types of spices and mixtures that give taste and flavors to food.

She points out that its products include spices and spice mixtures of their own that can be added to all dishes, whether Gulf or international, stressing that the quality of its products, especially in the field of food industries at the local and Gulf levels, prompted many concerned authorities to honor it with numerous awards and shields for entrepreneurship.

It is worth noting that the Qatar International Food Festival has contributed to enriching the food scene in Qatar, not only by attracting famous international chefs to open their own restaurants in Qatar, but also by providing a platform through which local entrepreneurs can present their innovative presentations.