خُبْزُ الْقَالَبِ فِي صَلَالَةَ

هَذَا خُبْزُ الْقَالَبِ. هُوَ خُبْزٌ قَدِيمٌ مِنْ جَنُوبِ عُمَانَ. يَصْنَعُهُ النَّاسُ فِي مَدِينَةِ صَلَالَةَ. وَاسْمُهُ الْآخَرُ كَعْكَةُ صَلَالَةَ. قُرْبَ صَلَالَةَ تَجْلِسُ امْرَأَةٌ أَمَامَ الْعَجِينِ. هِيَ تَصْنَعُ هَذَا الْخُبْزَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ. تَتَعَلَّمُ الْبَنَاتُ هَذَا الْعَمَلَ مِنَ الْأُمَّهَاتِ. الْبِنْتُ تَنْظُرُ إِلَى أُمِّهَا وَتَتَعَلَّمُ. تَخْلِطُ الْمَرْأَةُ الطَّحِينَ وَالسُّكَّرَ وَالْمِلْحَ. وَتَضَعُ قَلِيلًا مِنَ السَّمْنِ. ثُمَّ تَضَعُ الْمَاءَ عَلَى الطَّحِينِ. يَصِيرُ الطَّحِينُ عَجِينًا لَيِّنًا. وَيَرْتَاحُ الْعَجِينُ قَلِيلًا. تَأْخُذُ الْمَرْأَةُ كُرَةً صَغِيرَةً مِنَ الْعَجِينِ. وَتَضْغَطُ الْكُرَةَ بِيَدِهَا. الْقَالَبُ أَدَاةٌ مِنَ الطِّينِ. عَلَى الْقَالَبِ خُطُوطٌ صَغِيرَةٌ. تَضْرِبُ الْمَرْأَةُ الْكُرَةَ بِالْقَالَبِ. فَتَظْهَرُ الْخُطُوطُ عَلَى الْعَجِينِ. وَمِنْ هَذَا الْقَالَبِ اسْمُ الْخُبْزِ. ثُمَّ تَضَعُ الْمَرْأَةُ الْعَجِينَ فِي التَّنُّورِ. التَّنُّورُ حُفْرَةٌ صَغِيرَةٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ. يَصِيرُ لَوْنُ الْخُبْزِ أَحْمَرَ. يَأْكُلُ النَّاسُ هَذَا الْخُبْزَ فِي الْمُنَاسَبَاتِ. وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمَائِدَةِ فِي الْأَعْرَاسِ. فِي مَوْسِمِ الْخَرِيفِ يَأْتِي زُوَّارٌ كَثِيرُونَ. وَيَطْلُبُ الزُّوَّارُ خُبْزَ الْقَالَبِ. فَالْعَمَلُ الْقَدِيمُ يُعْطِي الْمَرْأَةَ مَالًا. وَهِيَ سَعِيدَةٌ بِعَمَلِهَا.

This is qalib bread. It is an old bread from the south of Oman. People make it in the city of Salalah. And its other name is Salalah cake. Near Salalah a woman sits in front of the dough. She makes this bread every day. Girls learn this work from their mothers. The girl watches her mother and learns. The woman mixes the flour, the sugar and the salt. And she adds a little ghee. Then she puts the water on the flour. The flour becomes soft dough. And the dough rests a little. The woman takes a small ball from the dough. And she presses the ball with her hand. The qalib is a tool made of clay. On the qalib there are small lines. The woman taps the ball with the qalib. So the lines appear on the dough. And from this qalib comes the name of the bread. Then the woman puts the dough in the tanoor. The tanoor is a small pit in the ground. The colour of the bread turns red. People eat this bread on special occasions. And it is on the table at weddings. In the khareef season many visitors c