Saudi Arabia celebrates “Al-Faqa” festival to support it in marketing and export

The Culinary Arts Authority of the Saudi Ministry of Culture revived a festival of the locally famous truffle plant, in order to enhance its historical value associated with Saudi cuisine and promote it globally, enhance diversity in the annual crop and improve its quality, and support local farmers and sellers to raise their economic return.

The plant comes from a fungal family called “erfeziaceae” in Latin, and is characterized by its many health benefits. But in Sudan, it is known only as “Ablaj” or “Ibn Thunder”, but the common name on which everyone agreed is “the truffle”.

The truffle is usually found in desert areas at a depth of between 5 cm and 15 cm in the Mediterranean region, the Middle East and North Africa, where it grows abundantly in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, North Africa, France, Italy and Iran. It usually grows around it.

Al-Zubaidi and Al-Khalisi are the most famous types of fakka in Saudi Arabia (Photo by Saleh Al-Ghannam).

The “faqa” grows symbiotic with the raqrouq plant and is connected to its roots, and being a type of mushroom, it is a parasitic plant that does not contain chlorophyll and does not perform photosynthesis, but depends for its food on the vital remains found in the soil from plants and animal remains, where lightning breaks the links The hydrogen peroxide of this residue, which helps it grow.

The festival, which started on Wednesday and will continue until next Saturday, hosted a number of local vendors to display their crop of fakka, in addition to a food area that includes Saudi and international cooking shows, and a cultural exhibition that tells of its nutritional and historical value.

In addition to an area for tasting various innovative products from the papaya, the festival also includes sandy areas where competitions are held to search for papaya to create an educational and entertaining experience for children.

The weight of truffles ranges between 40 and 1500 grams, and their types vary, but the most famous and most expensive is a large white color called “Zubaidi”, which is the most popular in Saudi Arabia, and there are other types that appear in gray and brown, in addition to another type called “Al-Khilasi” tends to turn red and is smaller than Al-Zubaidi, and a type known as “Al-Jabi” is black in color and small in size.

“Al-Zubaidi” and “Al-Khilasi” are the most famous and most expensive in Saudi Arabia, as the former is sold at a price ranging from 375 to 1125 Saudi riyals (100 to 300 dollars) per kilogram and 225 to 560 Saudi riyals (60 to 150 dollars) for the latter, and prices vary according to its availability. Its quality and size.

The event aims to cover the culinary arts heritage in Saudi Arabia, and add educational and educational experiences through the establishment of a festival and a comprehensive experience, with activities in the culinary arts sector for various segments of the target audience: professionals, in addition to local visitors and tourists. The event provides family and entertainment experiences in designated areas, new job opportunities for industry workers, tastings for those interested, and a larger platform for producers, restaurants and local chefs.