In Egyptian mythology, the goddess of the sky was named Nut. It was believed that the heavenly bodies — such as the sun and moon—made their way across her body every day. Although my allegiance to modern observational astronomy persists, that's not to say I don't think that the sun rises and sets on the nut - because actually, I do.
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True nuts - in the botanical sense - include hazelnuts, chestnuts and acorns (which are edible, but foraged by few). In the culinary sense, the extended network consists mostly of outsider nuts: almonds, peanuts, cashews, brazil nuts, macadamias, pistachios, pine nuts, pecans and walnuts. You can't beat pancakes bejewelled with pine nuts for breakfast, balls of chevre rolled in crushed pistachios for a snack. I also hope that, one day, mixed nuts will eventually replace pretzels on planes.
Raw walnuts have a bracing astringency that cuts well through rich savoury preparations, such as makdous, an oil-cured aubergine dish that graces baby aubergines with a juicy, garlic-scented stuffing bound with raw, crushed walnuts. Toasting tempers the brashness of raw walnuts into suave and buttery repose. The walnut is often referred to as "brain food", not just because it's a great source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, which the body needs but cannot produce on its own, but also because in ancient east Asian medical traditions it was documented as resembling brains, with dual hemispheres and ridged surfaces, subliminally willing us to eat theirs in order to benefit ours.
I've harvested black walnuts and infused batches of ice cream and fudge with their distinctive aroma; the author Samuel Thayer likens the flavour to paint, but it's hard for me to reference paint and walnuts without thinking of rancid walnuts, which bear a pungent, terrible odour reminiscent of paint thinner. Most of the oils in nuts are the healthy, unsaturated kind, which also happen to be more likely to turn rancid than saturated fats, and do so at a rate directly proportional to their fatty acid content. At an upscale chain pizzeria, in one of few instances where I've sent food back, my sister and I once ordered a devastatingly beautiful pear, gorgonzola and walnut pizza that quickened our pulses as it was carried toward us - and then brought tears to our eyes; not of joy, but from the awful, abrasive fumes of rancid walnuts wafting from it.
Perhaps even more beguiling and irresistible than the walnut is the pecan. They aren't easy to find in the UAE, but they are priced reasonably when you locate some, so don't pass them by. Pecan season in the US has just begun, so I'll be stuffing my newly acquired bounty into dates, baking them into pies, and nibbling on them with triple-crème cheese.
For snacking, I favour pistachios in the shell because cracking open the shells, aside from slowing my formidable rate of consumption, gives my fingers a miniature workout that I feel combats the caloric damage done by obliterating piles upon piles of nuts. Interestingly, mangoes, pistachios and gum mastic are all from the sumac family, and the flavours of mango, pistachio and mastic pair wonderfully together. Ditto almonds and peaches, which are from the rose family, and share a delicate, honeyed bouquet.
I like roasted almonds just fine - especially if they've been doused with soy sauce or tamari - but, as with pistachios, it's the heady, marzipan-like finish to the raw nut that holds the greatest charm. If you've ever morbidly wondered why cyanide is said to carry a candy-sweet almond aroma (and, presumably, flavour), it's because it's contained in the bitter almond, a deadly cousin to the sweet almond that is lethal in its raw state but successfully processed to make almond extract (apricot kernels are often used commercially as a cheaper but similarly toxic substitute).
Fleshy green almonds, not yet ripe, are a popular snack in the Arab world, and are usually dipped in salt to balance their salient, mouth-puckering tang. Jordan (or sugared) almonds, enrobed in a bland, brittle candy crust, are my least favourite way for an almond to dress. Though their name originally had me wondering if they had roots in the Levant, I was way off the mark; the term "jordan almonds" came from the French word jardin, (garden), to imply that the almonds, reminiscent of the colours in Monet's water garden, were cultivated. Personal reservations about their pastel hues are trumped by their impressively long history, though, as a tradition of presenting wedding favours of five elegantly packaged jordan almonds representing fertility, wealth, health, longevity and happiness has persevered since the 13th century, with the contrast of bitter almond and sweet candy coating meant to represent the bittersweetness of marriage.
Ultimately, though, no nut can approach the pedestal on which sits the humble peanut. A lifelong fondness morphed into an obsession 10 years ago as I sat, transfixed, before a towering, resplendent and half-eaten banana cake layered with dark chocolate ganache and peanut butter frosting. Natural peanut butter, I learnt, was grainily intense, nothing like the commercial stuff I'd been reared on.
The fact that peanut butter is also the most effective disguise for pills to give your dog, as well as the best bait to set in a mouse trap, only solidifies my conviction that if opposable thumbs are what set us apart from our animal brethren, then peanut butter is our greatest common denominator. I'm embarrassed to admit the number of times I've stood in the kitchen with a spoonful of peanut butter, wondering what else to eat, until I'm too full to care. On second thoughts, I'm not embarrassed; I've just lost count.
The%20specs
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
RESULTS
Bantamweight
Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)
(Split decision)
Featherweight
Hussein Salim (IRQ) beat Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)
(Round 1 submission, armbar)
Catchweight 80kg
Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Otabek Kadirov (UZB)
(Round-1 submission, rear naked choke)
Lightweight
Ho Taek-oh (KOR) beat Ronald Girones (CUB)
(Round 3 submission, triangle choke)
Lightweight
Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) beat Damien Lapilus (FRA)
(Unanimous points)
Bantamweight
Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)
(Round 1 TKO)
Featherweight
Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)
(Round 1 rear naked choke)
Flyweight
Shannon Ross (TUR) beat Donovon Freelow (USA)
(Unanimous decision)
Lightweight
Dan Collins (GBR) beat Mohammad Yahya (UAE)
(Round 2 submission D’arce choke)
Catchweight 73kg
Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM) beat Islam Mamedov (RUS)
(Round 3 submission, kneebar)
Bantamweight world title
Xavier Alaoui (MAR) beat Jaures Dea (CAM)
(Unanimous points 48-46, 49-45, 49-45)
Flyweight world title
Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)
(Round 1 RSC)
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
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