Residents of Qatar and Indonesia will get a taste of both countries’ cultures and traditions during the Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture programme, an annual international exchange designed to deepen understanding between nations and their people. 

To mark the Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture, the cultural exchange programme will celebrate Indonesian cuisine through collaborations with the Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF), Jiwan by Alain Ducasse restaurant at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), and the Sultan’s Tent Ramadan experience at the W Doha.

All three culinary collaborations are in partnership with Javara, an Indonesia-based company dedicated to sustaining forgotten food biodiversity heritage. Through partnerships with farmers, foragers, fishers, and food artisans, Javara offers a wide range of natural, organic and artisanal food products originating from various regions of Indonesia.

Different culinary activations

Ongoing until 21 March at the Lusail Boulevard, QIFF is a Qatar Tourism initiative to celebrate the country’s diverse food, beverage and hospitality offerings. This year, Indonesia will be the designated Guest of Honor and Javara will host live culinary cultural performances at the VIP tent.

The presence of Indonesian flavours continues at QIFF, where an Indonesian Corner and two Indonesian restaurants Mama Rozie and Tofu & Cake, are setting up booths to introduce authentic Indonesian dishes to the local community.

Parallel to the local culinary activations, a five-course dinner menu merging flavours from Qatar and Indonesia will be added to the Jiwan Restaurant dinner service this Thursday, 16 March. The local community is welcome to enjoy the Qatari Indonesian fusion with a reservation at Jiwan restaurant.

Last but not least, the Years of Culture initiative will collaborate with W Doha to include an Indonesian menu during the last two weeks of Ramadan at The Sultan Tent. The Javara and W Doha chefs are working together to bring the Indonesian Ramadan experience to Qatar. W Doha will also display artworks and crafts made by artisans in Indonesia.

The Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture is full of cultural celebrations that highlight the similarities between the two countries, embracing the differences in cuisines and flavours, bringing a merged experience for the public to enjoy and appreciate.

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