10 unique foods from around the world to try at Global Village

Journey around the world on the Global Village culinary carpet…

Take a foodie trip around the world from right here in Dubai – Global Village’s culinary offerings range from floating markets to street food stalls and sit-down restaurants. There’s so much variety, you’re sure to be spoiled for choice.

Pljeskavica

This is a traditional Serbian burger – the name is actually given to the meat patty only, made with a mix of meats and grilled over a charcoal fire. It can be served on any kind of bread – flatbread, pita and whatnot, and slathered with condiments, but out and about you’ll get it in the most popular form of the burger. Tito Serbian Burger in Global Village is serving up delicious sandwiches, filled with quality meat, a legendary Serbian cheese spread called Urnebes, chilli flakes, Serbian-style cabbage salad and diced onion.

@titoburgeri

Birria Tacos

Birria and tacos are two different components of Mexican food, but combined they make one of the most delicious foods in Mexican cuisine. Birria is a rich, slow-cooked stew of meat and tacos are well, tacos. Birria tacos are juicy, cheesy and hearty – think a typical meat taco fried up with cheese and doused in the birria stew. La Birria is serving up this delicacy to Global Village visitors in the Fiesta Street section – don’t miss out.

@labirriadxb

Mango Sticky Rice

This iconic, uber traditional Thai dessert is so wholesome and so very simple, made with only a few ingredients and enjoyed around the world. It can be found at Coco Mango in the Floating Market in Global Village. The authentic version comes as sweet, glutinous rice, fresh mango slices and coconut milk but this Global Village version is taking it up a notch with coconut ice cream into the mix. It’s the perfect, refreshing dessert for when you visit in these humid days.

@cocomango.ae

Baklava with ice cream

This is a Turkish spin on the Baklava, a dessert spread throughout the Middle Eastern and Greek region. Turkish Baklava is a symbol of culinary history and legacy in the country, finding origins in the reign of the Ottomans – a layered pastry with phyllo, pistachios, sugar syrup and other nuts. Traditionally, ice cream is not a part of this equation, but modern iterations feature a slab of Turkish ice cream placed between the two halves of the sliced pastry. Turkish ice cream is also unique, with a chew and a stretch owing to a lack of eggs in the recipe.

Coxinha

Brazil’s very first entry into the roster of country pavillions in Gobal Village this year – here, you can find coxinha, pronounced koh-sheen-yah, a delicacy from the South American country made of chopped or shredded chicken meat, covered in dough, molded into a shape resembling a teardrop, battered and fried. It’s a cutlet of sorts, and can have a variety of fillings ranging from potato to maize depending on the version. Find this in the Brazilian pavillion.

Nihari

Nihari is part of cuisines across the Indian subcontinent but this one is the Pakistani version – a tad bit different from the Indian or Nizami variations. Pakistani nihari is more tart and spicy as compared to the more meaty and ghee-laden Indian one, more lemony and thicker in consistency as well. Bundoo Khan is where you’ll find it, a traditional, whole-in-the-wall restaurant that has been coming to Global Village for years and years. They serve everything Pakistani and you can sample some kebabs alongside this, with some steaming fresh naan, of course.

@alhaajbundookhandxb

Ceylon Koththu

A delicacy from Sri Lanka, consisting of chopped roti, a meat curry dish of choice (such as beef, mutton, seafood, chicken) along with scrambled egg, onions, and chillies. It’s a mish-mash of a variety of delicious things that come together to create something so wholesome, so filling, so comforting, you’ll definitely want more. Authentic Ceylon is the stall you need to go to to sample this, located in the Road To Asia section. It’s spicy, it’s flavourful and the perfect street-food.

@authenticceylon

Pancit

As authentically Filipino as it gets, pancit takes various forms across the Philippines. Like most traditional national dishes, the version varies from region to region, changing in terms of the type of noodle, the spices used, the availability of the indigenous ingredients and the way it’s cooked. Whatever the version, this is the noodle dish you need to try from the island nation, and there are three Filipino stalls dedicated to serving this and other delicacies from the cuisine, located inside the Floating Market.

Frietje Met

Dutch fries, an incredibly popular global version of the French fry – Dutch fries are different because the are much thicker and fried not once, but twice, and that’s what gives them that shattering crunch while keeping the inside soft, fluffy and creamy. The star of the show is also the frietsaus or fries sauce, and is a sweeter, smoother and creamier version of mayonnaise. While it may seem like fries are hard to localise, this version is quite true to the Dutch land. There is a stall serving these and it won’t be hard to spot.

Luqaimat

We all know Luqaimat – it’s a local love, essentially little fried balls of chewy dough, very light and airy on the inside but crispy on the outside. Traditional Luqaimat is served with date syrup, sprinkled with sesame seeds and eaten with a cup of gahwa or Arabic coffee. It’s basically a little doughnut, and a delicious handheld dessert. Variations of luqaimat are present across the Middle East and the Levant, but in Global Village, you’ll find the local one, fried fresh for you by Emirati women, and even served with Nutella.

@globalvillageuae

Images: Socials