By Mai Al-Mannai

Many older Qatari housewives tend to be traditionalists, more comfortable staying at home to take care of the house than at a workplace. Staying at home allows these women to oversee household duties like raising children, cleaning and cooking. But now these women are recognizing the need for the stability and security that a personal income affords. Toward this end, some Qatari women have come up with a creative way to make a decent living and stay at home. They have started catering businesses that sell traditional Qatari dishes straight from the comfort of their own homes. It is a new way to make use of their cooking skills, with recipes passed down to them through the generations. Among the regular customers of this venture are those families that do not have the skills or the time to cook traditional Qatari foods themselves.

Um Eid is one such Qatari cook. She opened her business a few years ago and sells different types of local dishes that include main courses, sweets and finger foods like machboos, harees and sago