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Dubbed 'Queen of Arab Cuisine,' Manal Al Alem, who has hosted a cooking show on Abu Dhabi TV for over a decade and authored two books, recounts her culinary journey, her experiences in refugee camps, and her best recipes for conflict, space, and challenging times. Al Alem first stood behind a stove at the age of nine, when she prepared a cake that so impressed her mother’s visitors, it set her on a lifelong path as a culinary artist. “They had taught us to make a cake in school, and I decided to try it at home. Initially, my mother was apprehensive about me using the stove. But her friends happened to visit that day, and their compliments were overwhelming; my mother couldn’t believe I had made such a perfect cake,” recalled the Jordanian mother of two, now in her sixties. “This was the beginning of my love affair with cooking, and to this day, my favorite thing to make in the kitchen is cake.”

Growing up in Saudi Arabia, she assisted her mother in preparing various meals. Al Alem’s culinary journey took a significant turn after she married at 23 and moved to Kuwait. “We were seven sisters, and my mother taught us all sorts of dishes.” However, without her mother’s guidance after moving away, she felt lost in the kitchen. “I began taking lessons, buying books… every time my husband asked what to get me for my birthday, I would say a cooking book, a cake pan, or a measuring cup.” As she grew more confident, her friends and neighbors started seeking her advice and recipes. “I told them I couldn’t just teach them orally; I would host live cooking sessions, and it was a success.”

Al Alem aimed to expand her circle of ‘happy cooking’ and involve more women. “I wanted to help housewives enjoy cooking without feeling it was a chore. I never imagined it would become a career.” She began renting kitchen spaces in hotels to accommodate more participants in her live cooking sessions. When she started appearing on TV, she ensured her appearances were cheerful: “I always wore chic, colorful outfits and used nice-looking tools to uplift viewers.” Her show, Sufra Da’ima (Always a Fest), which began on Abu Dhabi TV in 2000, ran for nine years, making Al Alem a household name across the Arab world.

In addition to her TV work and publications, Al Alem’s culinary highlights include her experiences in Jordanian refugee camps. “Visiting these camps was more than teaching people to cook; the women there, also housewives, had limited supplies. We innovated recipes using whatever was available, like bulgur. I explained that we were not just feeding the children but creating healthy, tasty meals to make them happy.” These workshops helped participants secure jobs cooking for schools.

Al Alem highly values bulgur and olive oil, believing they are the most nutritious ingredients. “If stranded on a deserted island, I would choose them. One can create many nutritious meals from them.” If she were to cook in Gaza during the current turmoil, she would use bulgur. “It would not only satisfy hunger but also create a sense of comfort; a meal should have psychological value beyond just filling the stomach,” she explained emotionally. “Chewing warm bulgur satisfies the soul as well as the stomach, bringing a feeling of security and warmth.” For Emirati astronauts, she would send a date cake.

Though Al Alem spent most of her life in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE, she dreams of cooking a sophisticated dish in the desert. Now in her sixties, she is active on social media and at community events. She recently filmed a show featuring 90 types of desserts for the cooking channel Fatafeat, along with a Ramadan show. “In one month, I came up with 120 different ways to make dessert,” she said. She emphasized that creating content doesn’t require new ‘out-of-this-world dishes.’ “One of our signature items is the luqaimat cake; after preparing the traditional dough balls, we use them to create a cake,” she added. With hundreds of innovative recipes, Al Alem says her most comforting food is cake. “When I’m upset, I like to eat plain sponge cake, which brings back happy memories and elevates my mood.”

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