May Al Badi
loves challah bread. Who can blame her? The sweet bread eaten by thousands of
families each Shabbat provides a special essence, a way to share a bond from
house-to-house.
The Abu
Dhabi native is currently penning a book called Kosherati with Elli Kriel, the creator of Elli’s Kosher Kitchen, a popular
kosher restaurant in Dubai. Al Badi immersed herself in Jewish culture thanks
to the creation of the Abraham Accords in late 2020, so much so that she added
Hebrew to her Twitter
name.
Al Badi is living life to its fullest potential, making as many
connections with Israelis as she can. She even met Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzhak Yosef last year when he visited the United
Arab Emirates, and she wants to spread love between Israel and its Arab
neighbors for years to come.
But even before the Abraham Accords were finalized in October to
normalize relations between Israel and multiple Arab states, Al Badi was interested
in Jewish and Israeli culture.
“The way I met Elli was through her kosher catering business,” Al Badi,
a mother to two children, said in a conversation with Jewish National Fund-USA (JNF-USA) IsraelCast host Steven Shalowitz. “I was on Instagram and found her page. I saw she had
challah bread and rugelach. I like challah bread, and I usually have it when I
travel. I was surprised we have challah bread in Dubai.”
Kriel delivered the challah and rugelach on a Friday afternoon and the
rest, as they say, is history.
Al Badi
explains to Shalowitz exactly how Kosherati came to be, as well as how
food can be the center of creating peace between Jews and Muslims.
“She made an
effort in bringing my challah bread right before Shabbat,” Al Badi said of her
co-author. “I thought of giving her something from my home, which was a basket
of dates that my grandmother sent me. It was a very symbolic cultural
exchange.”
Soon, Al
Badi found herself at the Kriel dinner table on Shabbat. She realized the
similarities between the Jewish food she started eating and that of Emirati
cuisine. The two foodies began brainstorming, and lo and behold Kosherati was
created.
“We thought
of doing a book on Emirati food for the kosher home,” Al Badi said. “Whenever I
travel, I always look for Israeli restaurants or Jewish bakeries.
“I noticed that
Israeli food is a combination of inspired food from different countries. Then,
they made their own cuisine.”
What really
stood out to Al Badi, though, was the different delicacies she saw for each of
the Jewish holidays. No holiday has the same food, she observed, and it is
still inspiring her to this day as a self-described “foodie.”
The dynamic
duo is currently testing recipes out for their new book. Thanks to the Abraham
Accords, the book is expected to sell throughout the region.
Kriel’s
business is booming, specifically with hotels in the United Arab Emirates
ordering kosher food more than ever before. The book will teach readers about
the different foods eaten on the multitude of Jewish holidays, the Jewish
community of the United Arab Emirates, and how the kosher process is similar
but also different to halal.
“This book
will uncover a lot of important things that have to do with the Jewish
community living here in the Emirates,” Al Badi said. “It’ll show Emirati
traditions, local produce and spices.”
As peace
continues to flow throughout the gulf like milk and honey in Israel, more
kosher food is being offered than ever before. Food is building bridges, and Al
Badi loves to see it.
“A lot of
the coffee shops in Dubai now have babka and some started getting challah
bread,” she said. “It’s slowly getting into our restaurants and cafes.”
Now, Al Badi
wants to share her passion for Jewish cuisine with the world.
“I believe
in culinary diplomacy,” she said. “I believe this is a soft power that brings
people together.”
JNF-USA’s
IsraelCast comes out every other Wednesday at jnf.org/israelcast and is
available wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.