Fatima Muhammad

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — The largest charity festival for women, Busat Al-Reeh, kicked off in Jeddah on Sunday, attracting over 3,000 visitors by offering both traditional and modern styles in clothing, accessories and food.



It featured over 160 companies from around the Kingdom, the Middle East as well as participants from India.



In a tour around the booths Saudi Gazette spoke to Umm Saleh, who cooks marasie, a meal traditionally made from a special brown flour produced in the Qassim area, water and other flavors.



Marasie is then cooked on a special pan to look like a brown pancake that is then topped with fat and honey.



Marasie is not a popular meal in Hijaz, yet it attracted visitors last night at Busat Al-Reeh, especially as Umm Saleh managed to offer a new twist on the dish.



Umm Saleh said marasie is traditionally baked as one large pancake but to make the dish appealing to youngsters, she decided to make mini pieces, place them on top of each other on a plate and top them with honey and fat.



Being creative with traditional food is what attracts more people to the stalls, according to cooks such as Umm Abdulrahman.



She cooks tanour, a special kind of bread made from various flavored types of flour and is traditionally topped with fat and honey.



However, she decided to make her own modern version of the bread by filling it with cheese, cream, chocolate and oregano.



Abayas, dresses and accessories were displayed in every corner just like any women’s bazaar and welcomed by many.



However, Nabta Environment Society surprised many visitors by displaying for sale environmentally friendly bags.



Nada Hariri, who designs environmental curriculums at Nabta, said the bags were manufactured in Lebanon and are of high quality yet still environmentally friendly.



The bags are sold for SR800 each to be able to generate money to help Nabta print schoolbooks on the environment for local schools.



According to Hariri, the society contacted the Ministry of Education, which approved their proposed environmental curriculum.



She added they have already started training teachers from both public and private schools on this curriculum.



Busat Al-Reeh (the magic carpet) is an annual event that is now in its 14th year and organized by the National Home Health Care Foundation.



Princess Hessa Al-Shalan, wife of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, inaugurated the event.



Princess Adela bint Abdullah, president of the NHHCF, said the event hopes to enhance the services provided to patients at home by the foundation.



The NHHCF serves patients not only in the western region, said the princess, but also in Madinah and Tabuk.