Emirates remembers its roots during Ramadan

 

Emirates may be global airline brand but it still holds on to its Emirati traditions.

During the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan, Emirates will share thousands of iftar boxes for fasting customers both onboard and at boarding gates.

It will also offer complimentary Emirates prayer mats, screen a range of religious content and popular TV shows on ice, and present traditional Ramadan dishes in its lounges.

For the comfort of all fasting customers, complimentary iftar boxes to help break the fast containing water, laban (yoghurt-based drink), a banana, and dates are distributed at select Emirates boarding gates during iftar time.

For the month of Ramadan, customers breaking their fast across all cabin classes to select destinations will be offered nutritionally balanced Ramadan meal boxes.

Iftar meals are served in bespoke boxes designed by Emirates to represent the geometric design of traditional Islamic art.

The meal boxes include traditional dates, light bites of hummus, moutabel or muhammara with Arabic bread, a chicken mossakan sandwich or herbed chicken sandwich, sweet treats of chocolate almonds, baklawa pistachio mamoul or baklawa pine seed cashew, and laban.

Emirates’ Ramadan boxes are served in addition to the regular hot meal service.

To ensure the highest levels of accuracy for fasting Muslim passengers, Emirates uses a tool to calculate the correct timings for imsak (the time to commence fasting) and iftar while inflight, based on the times of the sunrise and sunset of the location the flight is passing by using the aircraft’s longitude, latitude, and altitude.

When the sun sets, passengers will be officially informed of the iftar time by the captain.

Emirates also has special keepsake prayer mats on all flights, which are available by request to cabin crew.

Across the seven Emirates lounges in Dubai International Airport (DXB), an array of Arabic sweets, dates and coffee will be offered during Ramadan.

UNESCO recognition for Italian cuisine

The food of Italy has been granted a cultural heritage listing by UNESCO.

Although dishes like pizza were already listed, UNESCO has now recognised the wider traditions of Italian cooking and the way they are practised and passed down.

The United Nations agency specialising in education, sciences, and culture described Italian cuisine as a “means of connecting with family and the community, whether at home, in schools, or through festivals, ceremonies and social gatherings”.

“For us Italians, cuisine is not just food or a collection of recipes. It is so much more: it is culture, tradition, work, wealth,” said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who had championed the bid. 

The decision also saw Egypt’s koshary (a combination of macaroni, rice and beans flavoured with tomatoes, onions and garlic) added to the list, alongside other food-related traditions already recognised globally, including washoku (culinary balance) in Japan, Malaysia’s breakfast culture and the French gastronomic meal.

So everyone gets a prize, basically.

Leading chef Michelangelo Mammoliti told La Repubblica newspaper that the news gave him “a great sense of pride”, both as an Italian and as a chef.

Mammoliti heads La Rei Natura in Piedmont, the only new three-star restaurant in the 2026 Michelin Guide for Italy. He added: “Italy is one of the nations where regional cuisine has a very big impact on culture and traditions.”

Italy’s food and wine sector hopes the recognition will further strengthen tourism, which already brings 80 million international visitors to the country each year.

Other new additions to the list included Iceland’s natural swimming pool culture, the practice of Cuban Son music and dance, and Albania’s art of playing, singing and making the lahuta, a musical instrument.

Image: Ivan Naunov, Scop.io 

Nagano offers a different slice of Japan

While popular Japanese destinations like Kyoto and Tokyo are trying to cut down on tourism numbers, others are lifting their promotional efforts to draw more visitors.

The lovely Nagano region is campaigning to draw more Australians off the beaten track to explore its traditional villages while taking in the mountain views.

A popular northern winter escape for Aussie skiers and snowboarders, Nagano is also showcasing other attractions that are a feature of the area all year round, including trekking and cycling .

The alpine region - about 250km north-west of Tokyo - wants to appeal to visitors interested in its traditions, culture and cuisine.

Visitors are being encouraged to look beyond the high-profile attractions which include Zenko-ji Temple, Matsumoto Castle and the Jigokudani Monkey Park, where snow monkeys bathe in the springs.

“Unlike the bustling cities of Tokyo and Kyoto, we are looking at attracting travellers to experience a more authentic, less touristy side of Japan,” said Helen Wong, Australian representative of the Nagano Tourism Organization.

“We aim to unearth a side of Nagano that will appeal and surprise Australians looking for an escape from the typical tourist crowds and in search of a special experience.

“In doing so, we are focusing on the alpine area’s traditional villages and the spectacular rural settings that surround them.”

One such example is the Nakasendo, a 534km ancient trail that connects Kyoto with Tokyo. Built during the Edo Period (1603-1868), it was one of the longest but safest routes to travel along between the old and new capitals.

It was one of five major roads established at the time, but unlike others that have succumbed to modern development, much of the Nakasendo in the Nagano Prefecture has remained untouched.

Parts of the road that people travelled along hundreds of years ago, as well as the towns in which they stayed during the long journeys, can still be seen today.

“Magome, Tsumago and Narai are the most well-preserved and popular towns to visit,” said Wong.

“Visitors can walk among these ancient settlements and along the old roads that connected them, and you will experience a slice of Japan’s history that many of today’s guests miss."

Recent figures released by the Nagano Tourism Organisation show the Australian market at number two behind Japan’s neighbours Taiwan for time spent in Nagano.

For more details see https://www.go-nagano.net/en/