A spices magician: Badriya Al-Hodar

A spices magician: Badriya Al-Hodar

What’s cooking Badriya?The wonderful aroma that would waft from spice lady BADRIYA AL-HODAR’s home, when she starts roasting some spices in her kitchen, in an experimental bid to find new and delectable mixes, would quite often result in neighbours knocking on her...

Hope is a woman selling tamarind: Dirbibi Al Balushi

Hope is a woman selling tamarind: Dirbibi Al Balushi

71-year old Dirbibi is Muttrah souq’s lucky charm. On a dreary Monday morning, along with other sellers and early-bird visitors, DIRBIBI AL BALUSHI, 71, shuffles in to Arabia’s oldest marketplaces, Muttrah souq, clutching many tiny packets of sweet tamarind and other...