By: Trinidad Guardian

Sunday October 31,

Today, Arabic food has become so popular that with little effort we have always been able to sell tickets to our various events. “We have decided to mark the occasion (60th anniversary) by sharing our members’ collective talents with other kitchen lovers. It is not intended for “super chefs” but for anyone who loves our food and is interested in making it in their own kitchens.” A note in its introduction added: “Arab people love good food and they especially love sharing food. We use food to say hello, goodbye, congratulations and even I’m sorry. Food is used to express generosity and love.”

Kudos from Hassanali
In its foreword, Zalayhar Hassanali, wife of former president of T&T Noor Hassanali, lauded the initiative of these “good Samaritans.”
“These dedicated women have contributed greatly to the landscape and have always been willing to share their culture with us. As first lady (1987 to 1997), I was privileged to be invited to its many functions.” As a young bride, she and her late husband often visited with Assad Sabga and his wife at Vistabella, San Fernando. During those social visits, she got a glimpse into Arabic food and culture.
Among those who spearheaded it were Sandra Salloum, Norma Hadad, Linda Hadeed, Antoinette George, Marie-France Aqui, Ami Aqui, Rosemarie Hadeed, Theresa Hadad-Maraj, Caron Moses, Gabriella Azar and Emily Hadeed.

A culinary journey
Few could resist the temptation to embark upon this culinary journey. Red and blue prayer beads placed gently on a rug proclaim Sahtian—Enjoy in good health. Among the chapters on the Arabic smorgasbord are fish and chicken, stuffed vegetables, yogurt, and, as expected, coffee. Turkish coffee, prepared from Arabica or Robusta beans, sometimes flavoured with cardamom, is brewed in a rakweh.
Exquisite photographs captured by ace photographer Abigail Hadeed complement the briefs. For example, in Bread and Pies, enticing photos of pita, herb, olive, open meat pies, sesame and Arabic breads are stacked haphazardly. The note read: “No Arab meal is complete without bread. It is more than a side dish. It’s a utensil used to scoop up hoummos, to slide kabobs off a stick and even to mop up the sauce off your plate.” For the health-conscious, salads “which complete the typical Arab meal and is characterised by a unique variety of ingredients including parsley, mint and wheat,” are available.

An Arabic lagniappe
Food is the cynosure. Arabic cuisine connoisseur gets a treat—a glimpse into Arab culture, values and vocabulary like bur’ghul (cracked wheat) and zaitoons (olive). Specialty ingredients and tools give brief descriptions of utensils including the wooden moulding spoon and mahleb powder—found in speciality shops. The latter “is a spice made from the seeds of a variety of sour cherry. It tastes somewhat like cherries and slightly like almonds.” There are kernels of wisdom from the prophet Khalil Gibran. Bread symbolises prosperity. “When a baby enters an Arab home, bread is broken over the baby’s head and everyone shares a piece of the broken bread.” In Arabic tradition, however, the best part of the meal is the mezza—a communal cultural experience devoted to food and family. “The beauty of the mezza is the conviviality attached to it. It can constitute any between 20 to 50 small bowls of appetisers, ranging from cheeses, dips and an assortment of meats. Mezza is traditionally served at weddings, large functions and family gatherings.”

 

2 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
finely chopped
2 large onions,
8 pimento peppers
1/4 hot pepper
4 cups patchoi
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sumac (powder from the sumac plant)
1 tsp mint
4 tbsp lime juice

METHOD
• Place the oil in the saucepan, add the garlic, onions, pimento peppers and hot pepper and stir. Cook on medium heat until onions are translucent.
• Stir in the lentils, patchoi, salt, black pepper, sumac and mint, and cook until lentils tender and the patchoi is reduced completely
• Add lime juice to the mixture, taste and adjust the seasonings
• Cool to room temperature, then place in a strainer to drain.

Where to get ah’len
ah’len, which costs $350, is available at major bookshops including Nigel Khan or by calling 680-6978.

Lentil kibbi

Kibbis. Pita bread. Beef kabobs. Hummus. Trinis are familiar with Arabic dishes which incorporate ingredients like garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and walnuts. Women from the Syrian Lebanese Association, who engage in humanitarian and charitable works, have gone a step further and catered to the Trini palate for Trinidad Arab cooking. The result is a grand cookbook ah’len (welcome). Clutching a rakweh, a hand is poised to pour coffee into a Turkish coffee cup. The collector’s item also coincides with its 60th anniversary. Its creators view the motley collection of recipes and photographs as a gift to the younger Syrian Lebanese Trinidadians and the wider population of T&T. An excerpt on its preface said, “We have been asked to give cooking classes or even write a cookbook.