Turkey is big bird for festive season

Turkey is big bird for festive season
By Mariam M. Al Serkal, Staff Reporter
Published in Gulfnews: December 13, 2007, 23:18

Dubai: Christmas is not far away and families are planning for the traditional roast turkey with cranberry sauce along with the other festive treats such as mince pies, plum pudding, and of course the Christmas cake.

The UAE mainly imported turkey from Saudi Arabia and the US, but with the recent spell of bird flu in Saudi Arabia, poultry imports have been drastically reduced from the neighbouring Gulf state.

"I bought all the turkeys this year from the US because poultry from Saudi Arabia is banned. The prices have certainly gone up, possibly due to a high demand from the market at this time of year, as well as the devaluation of the dollar," says Andy Kurfust, Executive Chef at Renaissance Hotel in Dubai.


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Mariam M. Al Serkal/Gulf News
When it comes to Christmas dinner there is no other meal that can capture the spirit more than a turkey.
Turkey is big bird for festive season

By Mariam M. Al Serkal, Staff Reporter
Published: December 13, 2007, 23:18

Dubai: Christmas is not far away and families are planning for the traditional roast turkey with cranberry sauce along with the other festive treats such as mince pies, plum pudding, and of course the Christmas cake.

The UAE mainly imported turkey from Saudi Arabia and the US, but with the recent spell of bird flu in Saudi Arabia, poultry imports have been drastically reduced from the neighbouring Gulf state.

"I bought all the turkeys this year from the US because poultry from Saudi Arabia is banned. The prices have certainly gone up, possibly due to a high demand from the market at this time of year, as well as the devaluation of the dollar," says Andy Kurfust, Executive Chef at Renaissance Hotel in Dubai.
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It was earlier reported last month that Saudi Arabia destroyed 216,000 birds following the discovery of bird flu, taking the total number of birds culled to nearly four million.

In 1978, Gulf News published an advert from a shop called Fresh Farm Meats which was selling turkey at Dh7 per pound (Dh15.4 per kilograms). Today, a frozen turkey is sold at Dh8.6 per pound (Dh19 per kilogram), and a fresh turkey is sold at Dh42 per kilogram.

"The traditional way to cook a turkey is to roast it in the oven, accompanied with either onion and sage, or apple and cranberry sauce, depending on your taste. Families have their own secret recipes," said Kurfust.

"The popular way is to buy a take-away roasted turkey in advance and to spend Christmas dinner with loved ones in their homes", he says.

The standard cost for a Christmas dinner at restaurants in Dubai ranges from Dh250 to Dh370.

In the spirit of the festive season, restaurants are offering a variety of turkey sizes for up to 12 people. A small turkey weighing between four to five kilograms is good for four people and costs Dh317, with all the trimmings, according to the chef. A turkey weighing seven kilograms is enough to feed between 10 to 12 people at a cost of Dh370.

"Customers for Christmas dinners are mostly Europeans and Americans, as well as some Asians." Last year there were very few Arab diners, he says.

So what do Arab Christians traditionally eat for Christmas dinners? The tradition of roasting a turkey varies from one family to the next. Two Lebanese women, both from Orthodox Christian backgrounds, shared their experience of how they prepare the special feast in their own ways.

"I always prepare a roasted duck for Christmas dinner, and cook it with rice, minced meat and chestnuts, which take about three hours to prepare," says Raymonda Khoury. "I also make sure that I have plenty of special treats for dessert, such as chocolate cake and special biscuits and cheese," so that when her 20 guests arrive, consisting of family members and extended relatives, there is plenty to pass around.

Christian Chartouni is celebrating Christmas this year with her husband, two daughters and her in-laws. This time around is going to be a special evening as her parents have travelled from Lebanon and will be able to join the rest of the family to celebrate Christmas.

"I am going to make a roast turkey so that my family can have a typical Christmas because that's the way it has always been done. The turkey will be stuffed with rice and minced meat, along with pine kernels, almonds and figs, which is exactly the same way its been done for generations."

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