DCT Abu Dhabi Launches New Initiative to Celebrate Local Cuisine

21 Mar, 2021

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has launched a brand-new initiative to offer food fans across the emirate a range of mouth-watering discounts on Emirati dishes.

The ‘Machboos Mondays’ initiative, part of the recently launched Emirati Cuisine Programme, will give residents and visitors fantastic discounts on local cuisine at a select number of hotels across the emirate every Monday until May – an unmissable opportunity to experience the authentic flavours of Abu Dhabi’s culture and heritage.

The Emirati Cuisine Programme (ECP) was launched in late 2020 to make Emirati food more accessible and to provide a broader cultural experience for both visitors and residents. Under the programme, 32 chefs in approximately 30 hotels received training from Emirati chef Khulood Atiq to prepare and serve a range of authentic Emirati dishes, such as luqaimat, machboos, balaleet, and aseeda. The Programme aims to establish more partnerships with hotels across the emirate and train more chefs to prepare these dishes in the near future.

“Emirati food is a symbol of the UAE’s renowned generosity and hospitality and a celebration of our local culture and history,” said HE Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi. “We are delighted to be able to share this part of our rich heritage with visitors and residents through new initiatives such as Machboos Mondays, which is part of the Emirati Cuisine Programme. Our ultimate goal is to make Emirati food more widespread and accessible for everyone within the UAE in order to provide them with an authentic taste of our culture.”

Machboos Mondays will offer discounts ranging from 10 to 20% on Emirati dishes at a selection of hotels across Abu Dhabi Emirate every Monday. The initiative will be rolled every Monday until May 2021, at 11 hotels across the emirate, with the number of participating hotels set to increase as the initiative expands over the coming months.

The participating hotels for the launch of Machboos Mondays include Al Rawda Arjaan Hotel By Rotana, Centro Al Manhal by Rotana, Anatara Eastern Mangroves, City Seasons Al Hamra, Marriott Hotel Al Forsan, Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi, and Premier Inn Abu Dhabi International Airport in Abu Dhabi, as well as Ayla Grand, Ayla Civic, Ayla Bawadi, and Hili Rayhaan by Rotana in Al Ain.

“We invite visitors and residents to take advantage of the discounts and sample new Emirati dishes on Mondays to experience an authentic taste of culture. Following the tradition of Taco Tuesdays, DCT Abu Dhabi plans to promote Machboos Mondays as an ongoing initiative that we hope to further grow and expand in the future,” added HE Al Shaiba.

With more hotels and offers set to be revealed as part of ECP in the near future, visitors and guests can find out more about the programme on https://visitabudhabi.cn/en/campaign/emirati-cuisine.

Offers and discounts under Machboos Mondays can be redeemed directly at the participating venues.