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Kibbeh, not kabab now...
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Not quite Lebanon but close. That is how one would sum up the offerings at the recently concluded Lebanese Food Festival at Radisson Hotel in New Delhi. <145,4>SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY has a bite... .
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FILLING THE PLATE: Lebanese Ambassador Jean. G. Daniel at Radisson Hotel in Delhi.
WELL-KNOWN ENGLISH food writer George Lassalle once described the making of Kibbeh, the national dish of Lebanon, as "frightening". He found the incessant pounding of lamb meat with mortar and pestle and subsequent kneading in of spices and soaked burgul wheat a dreary sight. Thanks to the advent of modern gadgets like food processors, this centuries-old method has almost vanished from Lebanese homes now, minus the loss of its authentic taste of course. Crossing many a mile, Kibbeh this past week featured in the three-day Lebanese food festival in Delhi's Radisson Hotel.
Prepared by the hotel's Chef Capri with help of the official cook of Lebanese Embassy here, the foremost among those to take a bite of this emulsified wheat and lamb paste in the hotel's NYC Café was none other than the ambassador of that country himself. In tow with ambassador Jean G Daniel were the ambassador of Oman Khalifa Bin Ali Al-Harthy, Syrian ambassador Dr Mohsen Al-Khayer with his wife among others to taste Lebanese dish-outs like Falafel, Shawarma, Keema Rice, an array of salads and breads besides desserts like Baklava and Babuosa.
As often, food in Lebanon is either grilled, baked or sautéed in olive oil with a focus on herbs and spices, the assortment of dishes, though very few compared to Lebanese Mezze, the traditional custom of offering about 50-60 colourful dishes to guests, point to it. Falafel are small deep-fried patties made of spiced ground chickpeas; Shawarma is thinly sliced mutton marinated in vinegar and garlic, cooked with Shawarma spice salt and black pepper, with tartar sauce, onion and parsley added later. Babuosa is prepared by baking a mix of semolina, almonds, yoghurt and whipped cream with vanilla for flavour. Baklava, usually associated with Greek cuisine, is a popular Lebanese dessert made of pistachio nuts and drizzled in rose water syrup. The prime difference between the Greek and the Lebanese versions is, the former contains walnuts and honey.
The Chef says though most of the ingredients are local, tahina, the sesame oil used in Lebanese cuisine, has been imported from Dubai.
Adds Daniel, "They've tried hard to make the food authentic. But, however much you try to do things with local ingredients, somewhere you feel the difference. Take for example, lemon, which is used in some dishes. Here, we get only lime." Also, he missed a few of his favourite dishes like Tabbule salad, Johamish etc, perhaps with a dash of Arak, the country's national drink. An ardent lover of Indian naan, he is happy that the cuisine of his homeland is finding favour among people here. "Food does not end in just eating. It also helps one to know about the civilisation, to unite cultures", he says. You nod and wait for an opportunity to get invited to a Mezze to be in the midst of an array of colours, flavours, textures and aromas.
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