Food and cooking are so
deeply entrenched in the culture and history of the Middle East that recipes
have survived for centuries. It is an art form. And yet, more recently, food in
the region, like in many parts of the world, has become characterized by
shortages, traceability, costs, composition, and the latest trends.
اضافة اعلان
Once an
institution and mainstay of the family home, is cooking losing its place in our
lives? This question has become particularly pertinent across the region where
cooking was revered in a bygone era, inspiring poetry, and song. Now, the
increasingly cost-effective fast food delivered to the door is pushing people
away from the traditions of home cooking.
The Arab world’s love affair with well-cooked
traditional dishes are embodied by poems, such as those by the ninth century
Abbasid prince Ibrahim ibn Al-Mahdi, the half-brother of the Caliph Harun
Al-Rashid, who was immortalized in the Arabian Nights tales.
“Farhana overwhelms the heart of the famished with
joy, as it emerges in a bowl like a full moon in the darkest of nights,”
recited Mahdi, known as the prince of epicures.
“Farhana,” meaning “the happy one,” because it
brings joy to those who eat it, refers to a medieval casserole-like dish of
meat and vegetables, known as maghmouma. It is one of the 600 dishes featured
in Ibn Sayyar Al-Warraq’s 10th-century cookbook, Kitab Al-Tabikh (Book of
Dishes). This book is one of the world’s oldest and most comprehensive Arabian
cookbooks, in which the Arab scribe collected details of dishes traditionally
served in royal courts in Baghdad.
Warraq’s cookbook includes recipes for the iconic
Ramadan triangular pastry sambosa — then known as “sanbousa” — and considered
the queen of snacks during medieval times. The recipe is composed in the form
of a verse to eloquently describe the preparation of this most delicious of
“al-maakal al-muaajjal” (translated quite literally as fast food). This
traditional dish, among others, has survived the test of time with cross
cultural appeal, and is still served at Arab and Muslim dining tables around
the world.
This book is one of the world’s oldest and most comprehensive Arabian cookbooks, in which the Arab scribe collected details of dishes traditionally served in royal courts in Baghdad.
It is thought that the art of cuisine actually began
in Iraq, or what was then Mesopotamia. The world’s oldest cookbook was etched
around 1,700 BCE in cuneiform, a system of writing on clay tablets used in the
ancient Middle East. The tablets are contained in the Babylonian Collection at
Yale University. While some of the ingredients in the 35 dishes are still unknown,
they included stew, with combinations of meat, vegetables or grain cooked in
water.
Another cookbook to have survived from the region is
the Best of Delectable Foods and Dishes from Al-Andalus and Al-Maghrib. The
text by the 13th-century Andalusi Scholar Ibn Razin Al-Tujibi was meticulously
translated and published last year. It showcases 475 exquisite recipes from the
unique cuisine of Moorish Spain.
With such a rich culinary legacy, one would have
hoped that traditional Arabian dishes remained a staple at homes across the
Middle East. However, some western dishes have become far more prevalent.
Variations of the burger and pizza have been elevated to dominate dining tables
in recent years. Traditional Arabian cuisine has been relegated and consigned as
a “token” side dish. It is reserved for special occasions such as Eid and iftar
celebrations during Ramadan, and the occasional visit from relatives and
in-laws — where there may be a perceived need to display a more cultured
culinary understanding.
There is an abundance of cookbooks in circulation
focusing on both Arabian and cuisines from other nations. They aim to not only
assist in the preservation of specific dishes, but also serve to benchmark
expectations for traditional dining in the 21st century. However, the objective
of the traditional cookbook has evolved. For the homemaker they serve as polite
visual reminders of a bygone era, with the potential to shame rather than
satisfy. For the consumer, culinary choice has become yet another image-based social
media-centric display of gastronomic opulence.
Backed by modern convenience, this approach means
new homes are built to omit the traditional dining room, in favor of open plan
living-dining spaces. Traditional family-centric mealtimes more frequently
compete unsuccessfully with an overbearing TV or family members glued to mobile
phones.
This existence has been perpetuated and exploited by
an ever expanding array of food delivery apps, which challenge the ideals of a
home-cooked meal.
For the consumer, culinary choice has become yet another image-based social media-centric display of gastronomic opulence.
According to data compiled by Statista, the growth
in the online food delivery market is expected to exceed 5.3 million users in
the UAE and 18.8 million users in Saudi Arabia by 2027. At the same time, a
section of society has become increasingly health conscious and the demand for
healthier food choices has also risen sharply.
The sharp rise in food prices, particularly in parts
of the Middle East where the bulk of grain supplies came from Ukraine or
Russia, means junk food has increasingly become a cheaper alternative to
home-cooking.
However as much as global market shocks may be harmful
to traditional cooking, they can also change consumer habits and preferences
for the better. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a huge rise in
people cooking at home — some with mixed results.
It remains to be seen if such challenges reaffirm
the significance of the traditional cookbook in the modern home as a precursor
for the home-cooked meal, or if convenience, lack of discipline and
questionable eating habits have removed this mainstay permanently as a family
institution.
Perhaps it may take creativity and poetry found in
ancient traditional dishes like those in Warraq’s cookbook to inspire the art
of food, and re-emergence of the home cooked meal.
Rym Tina Ghazal is the editor in chief of an arts and culture
magazine, and a former war zone correspondent.
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