'Kurtoskalacs', the famous Hungarian chimney cake at Muscat Festival 2014

I'm enjoying Muscat Festival 2014 more than ever before and for those of you who are following my posts, I'm sure you all know that my sweet tooth is the reason for that. After savouring the Omani and French delicacies  on previous visits, we had the opportunity to try out the famous Hungarian Chimney cake on this one. 

Called 'Kurtoskalacs', the chimney cake, is a traditional Hungarian pastry that is wrapped around a wooden spool and slowly turned over an open fire. It is believed to have originated from Transylvania, but is  now celebrated as the oldest pastry in Hungary, and more often than not, makes for really great street  food. 

We had the opportunity to watch closely while the  pastry chef happily obliged. Not only did she tell us exactly how its made but gave us a great photo op as well.

Its really quite simple and like most pastries, the dough is coated with oil and sugar, and when baked it creates a crunchy, sugary outside crust, not unlike a hot pretzel, with a soft doughy inside.We had a choice of coatings and chose the walnut coating based on their recommendation. 

One lady prepares the pastry while the other does the actual baking

Best eaten when they are just hot off the fire and delicious!

The Disney Parade  as we enjoyed  our tea and cake

Naseem Gardens-All lit up

Sitting outside in the gardens on a delightfully nippy evening, the strains of Arabic music somewhere in the background, the Disney parade in front of us, hot steaming tea and the Hungarian cake.....










We really couldn't have asked for more! 

Delicious Crepes and Coffee - A Taste of France at Muscat Festival 2014

It was on my second visit to the Muscat Festival 2014 earlier this week that I first heard it. It sounded like the lyrics of a beautiful French love song, but my questioning mind asked, 'How was that possible"? But I followed the sound as I came out of the International Pavilion at Al Amerat and saw what looked like a 'Taste of France'  here in Muscat. It was a real little outdoor cafeteria with delicious aromas of coffee and crepes mingled with each other and it wasn't very long before I walked in.

 And was hooked!

A taste of France in Muscat

A crepe  is a type of very thin pancake usually made from wheat flour (crêpes de Froment) or buckwheat flour (galettes) The word is of French origin, deriving from the Latin crispa, meaning "curled". Crêpes are served with a variety of fillings, from the most simple with only sugar to to the more elaborate savoury galettes.

Another very interesting French and Belgian crêpe is the 'Crepe Suzette'  a crêpe with lightly grated orange peel and liquer, which is usually lit on presentation.

I was lucky to get a personalized demo by 32 year old Caquinean Thomas,who has specially come in from France along with a few other members of his team and clearly loves what he does! 

He first showed me how the batter was made. Using a regular brand of all purpose flour, and about half that quantity of regular sugar, he made a well in the centre and added 6 eggs to the mixture, stirring briskly all along.When he had the required consistency, he poured that thin liquid batter  onto a hot frying pan or flat circular hot plate, often with a trace of butter on the pan's surface. The batter was spread evenly over the cooking surface of the pan by distributing the batter with his spatula. 

Making the batter

Caquinean informed me that common savoury fillings for crêpes served for lunch  or dinner  are cheese, ham, and eggs, ratatoille, mushrooms, artichokes or even meat products. The fillings are commonly added to the center of the crêpe and served with the edges partially folded over the center.When sweet, they can be eaten as part of breakfast,  or even as a dessert. They can be filled and topped with various sweet toppings, often including 'Nutella',  jams and preserves topped with sugar (granulated or powdered), maple syrup, honey  lemon juice, whipped cream, fruit spreads, custard, and sliced soft fruits.

Taking a closer look, I saw that he had primarily sweet fillings so when asked what kind of a filling would I like, I opted for blueberry jam.

Walking towards my simple yet stylish wooden table with beautiful French music playing in the background, I could well imagine that I was back in France. Sipping my aromatic black coffee , closing my eyes for a brief moment and taking the first bite of that delicious, not too sweet, blueberry jam crepe,  I thought, yes, I really and truly could.....

A taste of Omani food and hospitality- Delicious Honey drizzled pancakes at the Heritage Village, Muscat Festival 2014

I love going to Muscat Festival, an annual event held in January every year and have been to each one since it first began in 1998. A month-long annual event showcasing Omani and international art and culture, it was inaugurated at Naseem Park and Al Amerat Park almost a week ago and will run till the 22nd of February giving everyone a chance to visit the locations and enjoy the fabulous treats that lie in store.

The Omanis are well known for their hospitality and to be invited into someone's home is considered to be a real honour. It usually means coffee or kahwa a strong, bitter drink flavoured with cardamom, and dates or halwa, a sticky sweet gelatinous substance which is made from brown sugar, eggs, honey and spices. More substantial meals often have rice as the main ingredient, together with cooked meats. The main daily meal is usually eaten at midday, while the evening meal is lighter. Chicken, fish and mutton are regularly used in dishes. 

A favourite drink is 'laban', a salty buttermilk and yoghurt based drinks, flavoured with cardamom and pistachio nuts are also very popular.

Snacks are also very popular and of these,  sweet pancakes drizzled with honey is definitely my favourite! So when I had an opportunity last evening to watch Raya, a delightful Omani lady of about 35, from Al Amerat at close quarters making her delicious pancakes, it was something that I really enjoyed and hopefully learnt from as well. In future, I certainly hope to try out something like the ones I had and will keep you posted on my progress.

Raya busy making the pancakes

Here is the recipe and method  for these delicious honey drizzled pancakes, which can be easily made at home 

Ingredients

1 cup of brown or white flour 
2 cups of water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
Butter and honey

Cooking Instructions

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, water, salt and ground cardamom. 

Beat well with a spoon. 

Making sure the colour and consistency are just right.

Pour about 1/8 cup of batter on a hot and lightly greased griddle.

She flips them over , they look almost done

Cook until golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook until the other side is also a golden brown. Drizzle with a little butter. 

Pour honey over it and serve hot.

My plate, I got an extra pancake. 4 for 300 Baisas as I was  her first customer

They were absolutely delicious and I was seriously tempted to go back for another plate but the aroma of Omani Halwa close by tempted me. Of course that was my next stop. 

It will also be my next blog entry ...