Food of the United Arab Emirates From Past to Present From Mother S Dining Table to National Branding

Emirati cuisine remains one of the most enduring expressions of cultural heritage in the Gulf region, shaped through the interaction of geography, maritime exchange, family life, and social continuity.This study explores how food culture in the United Arab Emirates has gradually evolved from a largely domestic and intergenerational practice into a visible component of cultural identity, tourism, and national branding.A qualitative and interpretive approach grounded in ethnographic observation and thematic analysis was adopted.Field observations were conducted intermittently between 2022 and 2026 across traditional bakeries, restaurant kitchens, seafood centres, local markets, and other public food spaces in Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi.The study examines how dishes such as Harees, Machboos, Threed, Jasheed, and Ozi function not only as foods but also as carriers of memory, hospitality, and social meaning.The findings indicate that Emirati cuisine exists in a dynamic relationship between preservation and modernization, where inherited culinary traditions increasingly intersect with heritage initiatives and tourism economies.The study also highlights the continuing role of women, particularly mothers and grandmothers, in preserving culinary knowledge and sustaining cultural continuity across generations.