2022 World Cup a chance to showcase Qatari hospitality
"Visitors to Qatar will see the generosity and kindness of our people, and I’m sure they will love our cuisine," chef Mohammed Al Abdullah says.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be a festival of football that brings together fans from across the globe, making it the perfect opportunity for Qatar to showcase its exceptional hospitality to the world.
“Qatar will be welcoming millions of visitors from countries around the world during the World Cup,” says Qatari chef Mohammed Al Abdullah, “and it is the ideal chance for them to experience the hospitality we inherited from our ancestors. Visitors to Qatar will see the generosity and kindness of our people, and I’m sure they will love our cuisine. We’ll welcome fans from all over the world by preparing dishes bursting with local flavour.”
Al Abdullah continued: “Traditional Qatari cuisine is famous for its wonderful spices - and I believe the quantity and variety of spices reflects the generosity of our people. Majboos is one of the main dishes with which we welcome guests.”
Al Abdullah looked back with pride on the moment Qatar won the right to host the World Cup, saying: “When the Qatari bid won in 2010, I was with my friends. We watched it on a big screen in a square, and when we saw Qatar’s name come out and the joy of the Qatari delegation, it was really emotional. I’ll never forget how happy I was and how proud of my country I felt.”
Al Abdullah has contributed to several initiatives implemented by the Department of Community Communication of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy - the body responsible for organising the 2022 World Cup - and ran a number of gastronomy workshops during the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar.