Saudi Music Commission Launches 3rd Edition of ‘Trouq Tours’

Saudi dancers perform during the launch of a new tourist visa
regime at a dinner at historic Diriyah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
September 27, 2019. REUTERS/Stephen Kalin/File Photo
Saudi dancers perform during the launch of a new tourist visa regime at a dinner at historic Diriyah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia September 27, 2019. REUTERS/Stephen Kalin/File Photo
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Saudi Music Commission Launches 3rd Edition of ‘Trouq Tours’

Saudi dancers perform during the launch of a new tourist visa
regime at a dinner at historic Diriyah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
September 27, 2019. REUTERS/Stephen Kalin/File Photo
Saudi dancers perform during the launch of a new tourist visa regime at a dinner at historic Diriyah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia September 27, 2019. REUTERS/Stephen Kalin/File Photo

The “Saudi Trouq” program has launched the 3rd field tour of its methodical program aimed at preserving the kingdom’s musical and performative folklore, protecting its artistic heritage, and documenting them.

These efforts are aimed at motivating researchers and artists to study this heritage, and profit from its cultural and humanitarian value.

“Saudi Trouq” is the largest methodical documentation program targeting musical and performative heritage. It was launched by the Saudi Music Commission and the Theater and Performing Arts Commission in mid-2021, and its set to run until 2027.

The Saudi Music Commission and the Theater and Performing Arts Commission started their field tours to map the folkloric musical and performative genres through the “Trouq” program in Makkah before moving to southern Saudi Arabia, in Asir, where a team of 10 researchers mapped the folkloric genres in several interior provinces.

The commissions have recently launched the third phase from Al-Bahah Province, a new tour in which the local community will contribute to preserving its artistic folklore as a witness on values and authenticity.

The “Saudi Trouq” team has urged the local community and those interested in the heritage of Saudi Arabia to take part in the documentation efforts in all regions.

Khalil Arab, owner of a popular museum who’s interested in culture, said the vast geographical area of Saudi Arabia, and its long-neglected rich and diverse artistic heritage, require concentrated and doubled efforts to track and revive this folklore and its hidden parts, and to reactivate the artistic, heritage, and folkloric genres that the country knew throughout its prestigious social history.

The program has used the culture ministry’s UNESCO-inspired “cultural archive” approach, according to which the research team meet the local communities, individuals interested in heritage, folklore practitioners, music instruments makers, historians and experts, to map the folklore genres before the next phase, which will run for over almost 10 months.

In the upcoming phase, the folkloric genres will be documented with high-end production techniques in the form of videos, audios, podcasts, and performance recordings, in addition to producing documentaries that highlight the prestigious heritage, and specialized visual and audio materials that can be used by researchers in their studies, or by artists in their musical, theatrical, and performative works.



Matcha: The Japanese Tea Taking over the World

A staff member at Tokyo's Milia Matcha prepares a matcha drink for a customer. Philip FONG / AFP
A staff member at Tokyo's Milia Matcha prepares a matcha drink for a customer. Philip FONG / AFP
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Matcha: The Japanese Tea Taking over the World

A staff member at Tokyo's Milia Matcha prepares a matcha drink for a customer. Philip FONG / AFP
A staff member at Tokyo's Milia Matcha prepares a matcha drink for a customer. Philip FONG / AFP

Matcha is the new drink of choice at hip cafes worldwide, but Japanese producers are struggling to keep up with soaring demand for the powdered green tea.

Here's what you need to know about the drink beloved of weekend treat-seekers and "wellness" influencers:

What is matcha?

The word matcha means "ground tea" in Japanese and comes in the form of a vivid green powder that is whisked with hot water and can be added to milk to make a matcha latte.

Green tea was introduced to Japan from China in the early ninth century, and was first used for medicinal purposes.

Matcha came much later, in 16th century Kyoto -- part of the tea ceremony tradition developed by tea master Sen no Rikyu.

Today, there are different grades of matcha quality, from "ceremonial" to "culinary" types used in baking.

How is it produced?

Matcha is made from leaves called "tencha", which are grown in the shade in the final weeks before their harvest to concentrate the flavor, color and nutrients.

This "requires the construction of a complex structure with poles and a roof to filter the light", explained Masahiro Okutomi, a tea producer in Sayama, northwest of Tokyo.

Tencha leaves, rich in chlorophyll and L-theanine, a compound known for its relaxing effects, are hand-picked and deveined, then steamed, dried and ground between two stone mills to produce an ultra-fine powder.

It can take up to an hour to produce just 40 grams (1.4 ounces) of matcha -- making the powder on average twice as expensive to produce as standard green tea leaves.

What are its benefits?

Many drink matcha for its rich grass-like taste, but others are drawn to the drink's nutritional properties.

It is rich in antioxidants, and can aid concentration because of its caffeine content: one cup contains on average 48 milligrams, slightly less than a drip coffee but nearly twice as much as a standardly brewed green tea.

"Matcha is often seen as being good for your health," said Shigehito Nishikida, manager of Tokyo tea shop Jugetsudo.

"But people are also attracted to the Japanese culture around tea: the ritual, the time taken, the aesthetics," he said.

Why is it so popular?

Japan produced 4,176 tons of matcha in 2023 -- a huge increase from the 1,430 tons in 2012.

More than half of the powder is exported, according to the agriculture ministry, mostly to the United States, Southeast Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East.

Millions of videos on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube demonstrate how to make photogenic matcha drinks or choose a traditional "chasen" bamboo whisk.

"I feel like Gen Z really drove this enthusiasm for matcha, and they heavily relied on social media to do so," Stevie Youssef, a 31-year-old marketing professional, told AFP at a matcha bar in Los Angeles.

Matcha can also be used in cooking, extending its appeal to others aside from tea lovers.

"Some customers simply enjoy drinking it, others like preparing it themselves. And of course, many buy it as a gift -- Japanese matcha is always appreciated," said Jugetsudo's Nishikida.