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Under
the Patronage of H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mubarak Al Nahayan |
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The
Emirates Natural History
Group, Al Ain Chapter,
P. O. Box 18057, Al Ain
December,
2003 – Issue #217 |
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Iftar,
2003
Hosted by the Zayed Centre
for Heritage & History
Catered by the Intercon Hotel Chefs staff |
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On
the steps of the Zayed Centre for Histroy and Culture in Al
Ain
Article by Amal Baky - Photos compl. Zayed
Centre |
Editor’s
note: Credit for the success of this event goes to Amal
who was in charge and to Mervat, Dr. Al Naboodah's executive
assistant, along with Sami (banqueting, Intercon), Simon
(head chef, Intercon), Dr. Al Naboodah (generous beyond
words), Intercon staff (efficient and unob-trusive), the
speaker, Dr. Adnan . . .
Without
doubt, one of the most pleasurable aspects of exploring
different lands, traditions and cultures is the cuisine.
The Middle East and Arab region is no exception.
Arab hospitality is legendary showcasing
itself at mealtimes. For centuries Arabs have invited
any passerby to their tables. Failing to do so, a whole
tribe or community risks being stigmatized by odes expressing
repugnance and abhorrence for their despicable, scandalous
and unforgivable behavior. The rawi or community narrator
would travel from one tribal territory to the other singing
or reciting the poems till they are instilled into peoples’
minds, colloquialism and native folklore so that the tribe
or person’s name featured in local proverbs and
nursery tales ands rhymes. It would take such as stigma
many a year to wear off if ever!
From the Aegean Isles to the bazaars
of Persia cooking traditions in the Middle East date back
many centuries. Although recipes have regional variations,
the hundreds of years of interchange, migrations and largely
undocumented history make it difficult to trace the source
of any one dish to a definite origin.
Many ingredients in Middle Eastern
cooking are widely used. Among vegetables eggplant, spinach
and okra are common. Chickpeas, lentils, rice and bulgur
wheat are also popular. Lamb and dates are integral to
tribal based Arab communities. Chicken, yogurt, and olives
are also very widely used throughout but are more popular
in the Levant and Jordan. Arab cuisine is also famous
for its wonderful aromatic spices that tease the palate
and salivate the mouth. Among these are cardamom and nutmeg
in the gulf, turmeric and saffron in North Africa, cinnamon
and sumac in the Levant and cumin and mistika in Egypt.
It is worth mentioning that women do
virtually all of the cooking in these very traditional
and painfully patriarchal Arab communities. Without further
ado, here then are the Iftar recipes. |
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| This broadsheet is published
free to families in the Al Ain area. If you are a member planning
an activity with a natural history theme please notify us so that
others can join you. Everybody is able to contribute to ENHG and Emirates
recordings. For further of our activities please visit our website:
www.enhg.org or join our e-mail discussion group at Topica.com. The
Group meets at 7.30pm on 2nd & 4th Tuesday of the month, usually
at the Intercontinental Hotel, check Topica for details. New Members
are welcome. |
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| The ENHG
Newsletter…
December, 2003 – Issue #217
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Over
the millennia, Egypt has developed a cuisine that boasts
unique dishes and ingredients. Due to a history of foreign
trade, invasions and dominations by other cultures,
Egypt has borrowed lots of food particularly from Turkey,
Italy and the Levant. But even those were modified in
Egypt to a great extent, making them genuinely Egyptian.
Although
Egyptian cuisine is rich in spices, only natural when
you consider the ages-old spice trade from Arabia, Ottoman
Turkey, North Africa and India, spices are used to enhance,
not mask, the flavor of food. The Egyptian table is
never free of baladi bread made of rye. It is not uncommon
for Egyptians to eat using the first three fingers of
a hand, and to use bread as a “utensil.” |
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The
Egyptians are quick to point out that the best meals
are found not in the restaurants but in the homes. In
this land of culture and tradition, the emphasis is
clearly on preparing your own. One of the most popular
meals is a vegetarian dish called koshari. Because of
its modest price koshari is served on everycorner and
is eaten for lunch or dinner. Our Iftar brings you koshari
, lentil soup and sabanikh bil-bashamal, spinach béchamel
from Egypt.
For dessert umm ali is also served. It is said that
this mix of sweetened milk and puff pastry is the chopped
breast of the Egyptian Mamluk Queen Shagaret Al-Dhor.
After being killed barbarically in her Turkish bath
on the hands of a jealous first wife, umm Ali or Ali’s
mother, her breasts were cut up and served to their
joint husband; abu ali in this case. The raisins are
said to be her nipples. I hope this trivial tale has
not made you swear never to go any where near umm ali!
It’s a delicious dessert but very high in calories.
This story was invented by Egyptians, generally well
padded, to discipline themselves from eating too much
of it. It hasn’t worked for we remain well padded. |
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The
foods of Morocco take great advantage of the natural bounty
available throughout the country. The strong Arab influence
found in two of the royal cities, Fez and Marrakech, contributed
greatly to Moroccan cuisine, as did the Andalusian sensibilities
of Tetuan and the Jewish traditions from the coastal city
of Essaouira. Aspects of all of these cultures can be
found in one of the best-loved Moroccan dishes: couscous;
a fine semolina grain usually piled on a large platter,
with the stew heaped on top. |
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Couscous
is a classic Berber dish which has seen many interpretations.
Traditionally, it is served for Friday lunch or for
special occasions. It is never a main dish, rather it
is served as the last dish at the end of a meal. A "couscous
of seven vegetables" is common in Fez, where seven
is considered a lucky number. The seven "lucky"
vegetables are onions, pumpkin, zucchini, turnips, chili
peppers, carrots and tomatoes.
From Morocco we bring to you chicken couscous. |
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Dr. Adnan Abdulla
offers a copy of the Zayed Centre’s book / CD, “Archaeology
of the U.A.E.” during his talk. |
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___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| The ENHG
Newsletter…
December, 2003 – Issue
#217 |
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Jordanian
food is a form of Arab cuisine. Lamb and chicken dishes
are popular, often accompanied by yogurt, bulgur, eggplant,
tomatoes, rice or bread. Garlic and mint are most common
seasonings. As in the UAE Jordan’s national dish
is the mansaf, whole lamb cooked with yougurt sauce
and served on rice.
Our Iftar includes sheikh al-mahshi literally the Lord
of Stuffed Vegetables!
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Lebanese Cuisine |
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From
Lebanon, come many dishes that have become synonymous
with Arabic and Mediterranean cuisine such as tabbouleh,
humus, fatoush and baba ghanoush.
Many traditional Lebanese dishes are simple preparations
based on grains, pulses, vegetables and fruit. Often the
same ingredients are used over and over, in different
ways, in each dish. Yoghurt, cheese, cucumber, aubergines,
chick peas, nuts, tomatoes, burghul and sesame (seeds,
paste and oil) are harmoniously blended into numerous
assorted medleys. Parsley and mint are used in vast quantities
as are lemons, onions and garlic. Lebanon’s national
dish, kibbeh, consists of ground lamb or beef and bulgur.
Our Iftar table brings you the many mazza, mixed grills
and the many desserts. |
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Syrian Cuisine |
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 The
after dinner talk about Iftar was enjoyed by all. |
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Like
the Lebanon, Syrian mazza, or hor-d’oeuvres, is
appetizingly and colorfully served in bows and dishes
of all shapes and sizes. An elaborate spread of forty
or fifty hors d'oeuvres of almost every known green thing
and dip; lettuce, radishes, celeriac, baby turnips, beans,
peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, humus, baba ghanouj,
tomiyya, etc. indulge you before the main meal.
Our Iftar offers you, lamb maqlouba or “up-side
down” from the Levant. This is a casserole of meat,
vegetables and rice served by inverting the baking dish
onto a palate thus its name. |
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| The ENHG Newsletter…
December, 2003 –
Issue #217 |
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the people of north-western Australia’s Dampier Peninsula
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Presentation
and photographs by Geoff Sanderson, article by Will Moore |
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The first ENHG presentation of September, 2003 was given by
non other than our own Geoff Sanderson, relating his experiences
in the region of north-western Australia round Broome over
the summer break. He shared some excellent slides, gave us
some great insights into the aboriginal culture and even played
us some musical sounds from the place. He has a personal interest
in this region and so took an in-depth tour exploring the
gap between the needs of tourists / tourism and the needs
of the aboriginal culture of the Gularabulu. What could be
more appropriate for an Al Ain ENHG presentation than this? |
Dampier peninsula, from Broome to King Sound |
Waterbank cattle station, a left-over from the European
settlers is under legal process for transfer back to the original
“owners” of the land, the Gularabulu. It is a
1000 sq. mile tract of land with fences, some broken, and
cattle gone feral. These are being exterminated and consumed
gradually. The fences are being repaired where necessary and
removed where they’re no longer needed. Most importantly,
geological and biological data are being gathered into a database
so that the information is available for future planning.
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Geoff’s talk also focused on a tribal tradition, the
Lurujarri Dreaming Trail, a 72 km 9-day long walk along the
coast and local interior, which retraces an aboriginal song
cycle. Aboriginal history and culture are preserved in songs
rather than stories. Sixteen years ago the aboriginals began
sharing their walk with non-aboriginals in order to educate
them to the land as they know it. They guide, teach and share
their way of life along the way with whoever is there. Lurujarri
refers to the coastal dunes predominant in the area. The walk
begins at Ganthaume Point, just outside Broome. It proceeds
northward through Coconut Wells, Willie Creek, Quongdong Point,
James Price Point and on to Coulomb Point. Visitors might
learn about the crocodile that live here, or about the stealing
bird or how to use certain plants indiginous to the region.
The walk is now a World Heritage site and is recognized as
credit-worthy in some Australian university programs.
Geoff left us to ponder the
mystery of the “ancestors” that inhabit the aboriginal
world on a daily basis. Some of Geoff’s informative
photos are presented on the following page |
| Broome, Waterbank station and
the Lurujarri Dreaming Trail which runs from Ganthaume
Point in the south, to Coulomb Point in the north. |
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The ENHG Newsletter…
December, 2003
– Issue #217
The
Gularabulu - the people of north-western
Australia's Dampier Peninsula
photos
by Geoff Sanderson |
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Termite
mound after a bull has attacked it. |
Quangdong
Point to James Price Point along the Lurujarri Dreaming
Trail. |
A giant emu
footprint preserved in rock. |
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The Stealing
bird or Bower bird blends in nicely with the foliage. |
Weeping Ghost
gums – Corymbia bella |
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| The ENHG Newsletter…
December, 2003
– Issue #217 The
Triple Crescent - #1 Jebel Qatar
By Will Moore |
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Friday morning, Nov. 7th at 8:45 am, a
group of ENHGers and friends gathered at the
base of Jebel Qatar for the first of three ascents in the
Triple Crescent Award. Some had camped the night there and
others had just arrived. As we perused an excellent photographic
map of the area, a herd of some 100+ goats wandered down out
of the mountain headed for their home a short distance out
in the valley bottom. We were 14 in all, a good mix of men
and women – one amongst us stood out as she was 73 years
old. The first bit is just an introduction to the hike –
we assured ourselves that “This is the hardest part!”
again and again. The hike |
wasn’t really difficult, we climbed up a couple
of short steep pitches and crawled beneath a ledge or two,
but mostly we walked upright. We walked from shade patch to
shade patch under the guidance of our leader, Mr.
Ibrahim Zakhour.
The initial ascent lead to a hidden
valley, running away to our right as we climbed. And off to
the right of this valley a small notch in the rocks led to
the first lookout. Along this route we identified a tree quite
rare in these parts, the Maringa sp. known by its long edible-seed
pods and fine long needle-like leaves. And a real find at
the look-out itself - two snakes coiled up in a
rock pothole beside a small pool of water. These
were photographed for identification, but otherwise undisturbed.
After a brief stop at the cliff edge, we were pointed towards
the final ascent, an upward sweep which didn't look |
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too imposing away behind us. This impression was soon dispelled.
We struggled to maintain our composure, some zigged, some
zagged and some took lots of |
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rest stops. With lots of encouragement we all reached the
top and enjoyed our accomplishment – only to discover
that there was another peak of equal height just a few hundred
meters further on. And our leader insisted that we join him.Thank
goodness he |
did, for we would have missed some fine scenery, for the peak
was really the edge of another cliff, this one allowing us
to look deep in to Oman, where the sand flats and
basalt outcrops were truly breathtaking to see.
The distant mountains begged to be explored. Here we lunched
– it had taken us 2.5 hours to make the ascent. We began
the descent by a circular route back to the first lookout
and soon picked up our well-rested member, and then continued
downward, careful not to allow the cramps beginning to take
hold in our legs to become disabling. I know lots of Isotonic
drink helped this hiker down the mountain. By 2:30 we were
once again gathered on the valley floor. Names were recorded
carefully and promises were made |
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| to do
(or not do) the remaining two ascents in the near future. A
fine way to spend the day. Thank you Ibrahim for your guidance
and joy on this outing. |
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| The ENHG Newsletter…
December, 2003 – Issue #217
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| Book Review
by Will Moore
Map Corner |
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Nathanial’s
Nutmeg
by Giles Milton |
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Ptolomy’s
map – showing latitude and longitude. |
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“Nathanial’s Nutmeg” by Giles Milton
is a great read. Thoroughly researched, it tells the
tales of the many people involved in the Great Spice
Race during the 15 and 1600s. It is an interesting tale
as it is a true recounting of events. It is a grizzly
tale in that it spares no detail of the truly horrifying
acts of torture, murder, assassination and war indulged
in by various captains, governors and potentates involved
as the ships traveled from Europe round the Horn of
Africa, to the Middle Eastern peninsula and on to India,
finally arriving just south of New Guinea in the South
Pacific, at the Islands known as the Spice Islands.
It includes excellent
details of Frobisher’s, Barent’s, Henry
Hudson’s and Sir Francis Drake’s early voyages,
but focuses on the life of one Nathaniel Courthope,
a simple factor who protected the rights of England
to the island of Run, the smallest most insignificant
island of the Banda Group, commonly known as the Spice
Islands or Moluccas. The Portuguese, Spanish, English
and Dutch all vied for superiority and control of these
islands and they made bloody war upon each other, all
and sundry - ceaselessly. People died of scurvy, dysentery
and pneumonia. They died heroically and they died in
vain. The book provides good maps and lots of illustrations
from the journals these people kept. Thanks to Nathaniel,
a forgotten hero of the times, England kept a finger
in the business.
And as an added feature, a
very quixotic bit of information is included which I
cannot reveal. This book is a must for history buffs
and a good read for all. How easily we forget!
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Claudius Ptolomy
(Father of Geography) 87 – 150 AD.
Ptolomy was an Egyptian astronomer
and geographer living and studying in one of the most
important trade centres between west and east, and home
of the greatest library of any period; Alexandria. This
meant that he could study ancient authorities and consult
contemporary travelers and merchants. From this wealth
of accumulated knowledge Ptolomy produced his Geographica,
a work of considerable genius which dominated the whole
of the Christian and Moslem world for an astonishing
1500 years! and which was still appearing as reprints
by different producers up to 1840! He introduced the
concept of latitude and longitude to form a grid covering
the whole world so that it would be possible to plot
the position of principal landmarks on the map by observations
and then to fill in other information from other sources
including the notes and “Itinary of Marinus
of Tyre”, perhaps the most accurate source
available at the time. |
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| The ENHG Newsletter…
December, 2003 – Issue #217
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The
Annual Fall Photography Competition – 2003 |
‘Scapes:
1st
“Barrier Dunes” by Jerry Buzzell
" The Old Man in the Mountain” by Jerry Buzzell
2nd “Chasing
Clouds” by Geraldine Kershaw
"Jazeera Road” by Geoff
Sanderson
3rd “Shade”
by Will Moore
Culture
& Heritage:
1st
“Abandoned” by Geoff Sanderson
2nd “Past
in the Future” by Eniko Telegdy
3rd “Maritime
Commerce” by Jerry Buzzell
Flora:
1st “Maiden
Hair” by Geoff Sanderson
2nd “Atypical
Effect of Irrigation” by Brigitte Howarth
3rd “Anticharis
gladulosa” by Bob Reimer
Fauna:
1st
“Task Accomplished!” by Anna Venter
2nd “Asilidae
(Assassin flies) Mating” by Bob Reimer
"Gecko, Gekkonini Stenodactylus leptocosymbotus”
by
Bob Reimer
3rd “Oh,
So Beautiful! Female Lime Butterfly, NOT
on Lime!”
by Brigitte Howarth
"Lizard Fish”
by Joyce Zomer
Archeology & Architecture:
1st “Collateral
Damage, Jebel Akhdar War,
"1958” by Laurence
Garey
2nd “Archway
and Bird Shit” by Jerry Buzzell
3rd “Fujairah
Doorway” by Anne Weeks
People of the UAE and Oman:
1st “Study
in Patience” by Josette Garey
2nd
“Swimming” by Bob Reimer
"Lady in Red”
by Jerry Buzzell
3rd
“Workers Wandering Home” by Geoff Sanderson
"Qalhat” by
Anna Venter
Miscellaneous:
1st
“Burying the Past” by Geoff Sanderson
"Sunlit Doorway”
by Geraldine Kershaw
2nd
“Can’t Get Any Higher” by Will Moore
3rd
“After the Rains” by Geraldine Kershaw |
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“Anticharis
glandulosa” photo by Bob Reimer
"Anticharis
glandulosa," a member of the figwort family, can
be found on page 498 in Marijcke Joenbloed's Comprehensive
Guide to the "Wild Flowers of the United Arab Emirates."
A group of us were looking
for a route to Jebel Dahat near Khudra. We happened
upon this isolated plant in flower near a solitary residence
west of Khudra.
I documented the location
and took a variety of pictures. The flower on the plant
is about 1 cm long. The stiff hairs and gland are very
fine and barely visible to the naked eye. Geoff Sanderson
was able to identify the plant for me from pictures.
Since it is quite rare,
we will return to try to collect seed from it.
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| Editor’s
note:
This year’s competition saw 133 entries into seven
cate-gories. A special “Youth” aspect was
included and these ent-rants received a roll of colour
film for participating. Well done Luke Howarth, Hannah
Kershaw, and Philip Kershaw.
The evening was a success
largely due to the diligence of the Intercon staff who
kept the FIFA event from interfering and who provided
food that was just right. Thanks to them, the eve-ning
went smoothly. Three judges determined the winners be-forehand
– thank you judges - and the People’s Choice
was determined by those attending. Congratulations to
Bob Reimer! And a thank you to Gerald Buzzell for his
fine organizational skills.
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| The ENHG Newsletter…
December, 2003 – Issue #217
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| National
Clean up UAE Day Campaign – 12/12/2003 |
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| Thank
you to all those who pitched in Friday morning to clean
up a desert area near Al Masoudi. I did not get a precise
count, but there were in the order of 200 individuals
involved, the majority young nationals from Al Ain schools.
To put the event in perspective, it is important that
you recall the event a year ago: three or four vehicles
and seven or eight ENHG types picking up garbage in
Fossil Valley.
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Volunteers brought in lots of garbage, litter and debris |
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Khalifa Al
Kaabi, Brien Holmes and numerous partici pants gather
after a successful campaign. (photos by Will Moore) |
| The
credit for the turnout goes to EEG volunteers who made
phone calls, sent fax messages and produced all the t-shirts,
gloves, signs and other bits and pieces necessary for
such an event. And a great deal of credit goes to the
Al Ain Municipality, and Salem al Kaabi in particular.
Approximately 72 hours before the event, there really
was no event. But Salem and his department worked very
hard to make it hap-pen, including ambulance (there were
two casualties Friday morning that I know of) and work
crews. Salem made a point as we were packing up Friday
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| morning
that he wanted to work with our organization again next
year to make it an enviable campaign. The start was delayed
as busloads of school children kept arriving. This was
due in part to the fact that Salem and I only agreed on
the site at the last moment and there had not been time
to send maps and other details to all the schools in the
city. We know this will not be the case next year.
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| I
will be meeting with Salem and his staff Saturday and
Sunday to review
the event and to share photographs.
For the Natural History Group, it was
a rewarding experience
as we collected several beetles and other
specimens
for the collection.
Again, thanks to all those who volunteered. I know picking
garbage is not
an especially popular field trip activity
but, considering the relative free
hand we enjoy in
touring the country, it is a small sign of our appreciation. |
Left: A
gheko and a large beetle carapace were among the
unexpected treasures
brought in by volunteers. |
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___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| The ENHG Newsletter…
December, 2003 – Issue #217
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| This excellent article was picked up off
the internet by one of our members and found its way to
this page – it is that useful. We only have space
to reprint the most important information, but for a good
read try http://slate.msn.com/id/2088863/ |
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What’s the Best Remedy for
a Bee Sting?
By William Brantley
Pharmaceutical - Excellent
Caladryl (med/diy/mom), $6.49/6 ounces. Calamine lotion
with an analgesic, this pain- and itch-killer calmed
my symptoms with a soothing tingle. I applied it while
my symptoms were raging at 9, and, within 45 minutes,
they had sunk to 2. Four hours later, the symptoms suddenly
flared up to 10, but I found that I preferred this dramatic
seesawing to the gradual return of symptoms I experienced
after using other remedies.
Home Remedies - Excellent
Paste of vinegar/baking soda/meat tenderizer (diy/doc),
$2.59/16.9 ounces vinegar, $2.79/2.25 ounces meat tenderizer.
Due to the acid/base interaction of the vinegar and
baking soda, the concoction fizzed like an Alka Seltzer
on my arm. The symptoms raged on at Level 9 for the
first 20 minutes but then began to subside. An hour
later, the symptoms had gone down to Level 2, and they
stayed that way for several hours. Chalk one up for
the meat tenderizer, which contains papain, an enzyme
found in papaya that supposedly breaks down the toxins
in bee (and other) venom.
Home Remedies - Best
Toothpaste (diy/web), $3.99/tube Crest Advanced Cleaning.
Like the Caladryl and meat tenderizer potion, the toothpaste
tingled. This not only made it seem medicated, it felt
like I was actually scratching the itch, which was both
psychologically and physically satisfying. One doctor
I spoke to suggested that the glycerin found in most
toothpastes dries out the venom concentrated under the
sting area. But several others I asked said the tingle
was a result of the alkaline toothpaste neutralizing
the acid in the bee's venom. Either way, the toothpaste
knocked Level 10 symptoms down to 0 in 15 minutes and
held them below 7 for more than five hours, but the
winner of the experiment is…
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Ice
(med/diy/doc/rex/bee/web/mom), universally cheap. Almost
every source I checked mentioned ice as a top remedy.
And they were all right. Ice works. A 20-minute application
knocked out the symptoms almost immediately and kept
them subdued for half the day. Ice reduces swelling
by constricting vessels and slowing down the flow of
venom-tainted blood. By numb force, it also cancels
out pain and itching. Its flaw, of course, is its temperature;
it can become uncomfortable without some kind of buffer
wrapped around it (which, you know, is simple to do).
Then again, ice is very easy to find and it's also super
cheap.
Goodbye
- Ibrahim Zakhour
As
it turns out, the hike up Jebel Qatar was Ibrahim’s
last outing with the ENHG. After 20 years with the group
he is departing in early December for England, where
the rest of his family awaits him. He will be sorely
missed by those he leaves behind as he was an avid outdoorsman
with more knowledge than most. He was largely responsible
for keeping the group going for many years. Members
enjoyed the tribute prepared by Brien Holmes and friends
at the December 9 meeting. Let it be known that the
Triple Crescent Award will in future be known as the
Ibrahim Zakhour Triple Cresent Award in honor of his
energy, love and spirit. So who will look after the
Christmas Eve Dinner in the Desert? Anybody sing in
Greek?
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Ma’as
Salama,
Ibrahim! Merry
Christmas!
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