10 food items you must enjoy at Global Village

A visit to Dubai's Global Village is considered incomplete if one hasn't tasted the numerous food items being sold at country pavilions, restaurants and food stalls.

Admit it: There have been times when you visited Global Village only for the food.

Here's a list of 10 mouth-watering food items you should taste:

1. Luqaimat

This Arabic delicacy has to be on top of every list. Made with flour, these round, crispy and soft balls dunked in date syrup are a must-have. What adds to the charm is that they are prepared in a traditional style Arabic kitchen.
Also read: How to reach Global Village using public transport

2. Baked potato (also called jacket potato)

This one is for the brave hearted. Extra-long potatoes are boiled with their skin intact, then sliced halfway and filled with boiled/roasted vegetables, meat, and spices. Leaves you feeling full for the next two hours, so enjoy it on your way out.

3. Turkish ice cream

It's delightful for some, annoying for the others. Order a Turkish ice cream at a stall in Global Village (or anywhere else) and you will know what we are talking about. The servers have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. They scoop out the ice cream using long ladles, slap it on the cone, and serve it to you. Or they don't.

Also read: Must-watch attractions at Global Village

4. Fresh fruits from the Philippines

This one is for the health conscious. Scattered all along the venue are small kiosks selling fresh, sweet fruits from the Philippines. Sliced watermelons, pineapples, grapefruits, melons, etc. can be enjoyed between pavilion visits.

5. Spiral potatoes

Spiral potatoes are the candy floss of Global Village. A potato is skewered with a stick and inserted into a spiral slicing machine. It is then deep fried for a couple of minutes and seasoned with salt, pepper and chilli powder.

6. Pomegranate juice

You will probably find Dubai's freshest pomegranate juice in Global Village. Stalls spread around the venue peel fresh, chilled pomegranates, squeeze the juice and serve plain or with spices.

7. Turkish borak

These cheese and potato filled dough pastries are a foodie's dream come true. Garnished with herbs, baked at just the right temperature for that reddish crust, the borak is a dish you settle down and savour bite after bite.

8. Turkish kunafah

If you have a sweet tooth, don't leave Global Village without trying this out. The kunafah is a cheese pastry soaked in sweet, sugar-based syrup and has a dough base.

9. Turkish coffee

Men dressed in traditional Turkish attire carrying a Turkish coffee flask, cups fastened to their cummerbund, can been seen walking around with steaming hot coffee all over the venue. Take a sip.

10. Karak chai

No visit to Global Village is complete without a sip of strong karak, masala chai. There are stalls at every gathering point, and queues only get longer as winter approaches.

Bonus: Don't forget to taste the honey at Yemen pavilion, and the dates at UAE and Saudi stalls.

• Dubai