Food influencer shares her culinary journey!
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com
Report by Zahra Ayaz
Bahrain being a small island, locals love to go out and try new food restaurants, eager to discover the best dishes on the menu. In this landscape, food influencers have become indispensable guides.
Zainab Akhtar, a well-known food blogger ‘thefoodmenu.bh’, recently spoke to The Daily Tribune and shared her journey into the world of culinary influence.
“I had a special passion for food from the first days,” she reminisces. “My mum and dad worked all day, so we had to order food most of the time. And when my mum was home, she cooked delicious food. Also, my mum’s friend was Lebanese, so she cooked traditional Lebanese food better than restaurants.”
Zainab’s love for food only grew over time. “In the past, I used to collect restaurant menus. I had a drawer filled with menus from all around Bahrain. I enjoyed eating so much that one day I thought to myself, I need to document all this and I also need people to know my opinion because I had a lot of people asking me for my opinion all the time.”
When asked about her time management, Zainab acknowledged the challenges. “Yes, I am a full-time food blogger, but I also work in a bank. To be honest, it is a bit tiring to give my energy to both. But because I love food so much, I don’t mind doing it even if I’m tired. We all need to eat even when we don’t feel like doing anything. Food gives us the energy and the mood to move on with our day.”
Zainab provided insights into the rich culinary traditions of Bahrain. “Bahraini cuisine is full of flavors, rich and aromatic. It’s influenced by other countries, of course, due to business between both sides. But at the end, Bahraini cuisine has its own taste, its uniqueness.
“We use a lot of rice and flour, but meat and fish are the main ingredients too. Bahrain is an island, so we tend to eat a lot of fish. Machboos is one of the most famous dishes, in addition to stews and fried or grilled fish.”
She emphasised the importance of knowledge in the food blogging profession. “A food blogger needs to have knowledge of the basics of food and cooking. They should also know how to differentiate between different flavors. You can’t analyze or criticize a dish without knowing how it’s made and what ingredients are used.”
Zainab concluded by sharing her thoughts on the challenges facing the food blogging industry. “Being a food blogger is very enjoyable. Trying new flavors tantalize your taste buds and give you a beautiful pleasure. But we should always be careful not to let it somehow affect our health. We can't just randomly eat nonstop. Balance is important.”
She added, “However, being a food blogger is challenging nowadays because many new bloggers have entered the market. A lot of them don’t have much experience, and a lot are just influencers that market for anything and everything.”
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