Here are five delicious dips from Arabic/ Levant Cuisine 1. Hummus The standard bearer, and vanilla essence of Arabian dips. It is made from boiled chickpeas, pureed and flavoured with tahini- sesame seed paste, olive oil, lemon juice. Variations range from chunky to smooth, made with freshly boiled or tinned chickpeas, served simply or elaborately with olive oil and...
A few nights ago, Lara took me to Barracuda – a popular fish restaurant in Jumeirah 3, Dubai. It is owned by an Egyptian and is established on the concept of ‘selecting’ your own seafood. It reminds me very much of selecting catfish in some Nigerian restaurants, popularly known as Point & Kill. Except in this...
Embrace the heart of the Levant with Fattoush, of the genus Fattat – a family of stale bread salads with toasted or fried pieces of khubz ‘arabi ( pita bread) as the base, combined with seasonal vegetables. Like croutons, the crisp pita shards bring bready substance to the fragrant, herbed salad alongside heirloom tomatoes, cucumber...
What’s in a name? To me, as an African,….a Nigerian, I could say it was everything.
Let me count the ways? On pita, in tabbouleh….just to lick….and will soon try it on pizza! Forgive me, but ancient civilisation wasn’t blessed with crockery, so if the foundation is right, then the fruits can’t be that far off….therefore, finger-eating is not a curse!