On the question of international cuisine, the panellists argued on the point of whether food should be authentic and true to its cultural roots, or adapted for local tastes.
Fieschi argued: “People look for authentic food. Fusion cuisine will always be overtaken by something authentic — and that’s what leads to long-term success. Fusion food just causes confusion in the restaurant market.”
But Doaa Jabir, the blogger behind Hungry Birds Doha, disagreed. “This food need to appeal to the market. It has to be Middle Easternised. Food has to be hearty in the Middle East. They live life king-sized in this region.”
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She asserted that doing so still left plenty of room for chefs to innovate. Jabir said: “I recently tried falafel soup — it was like drinking a falafel!”
A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR...
Rizwan Mustafa, group marketing director — Middle East & ASEAN, SIAL Middle East says: “Innovation is the DNA of SIAL events worldwide and the Middle East is no exception. This is why SIAL Middle East partnered with Caterer Middle East to discuss food innovation in the region with a series of roundtables in Doha, Riyadh and Jeddah.
“Participants in each city offered their unique perspectives on innovation, including the challenges that hamper it. One of the common themes emerging from these discussions was the problem of sourcing the right ingredients to achieve authenticity. The limited availability of suppliers willing to import specific ingredients is a major hindrance and multiple channels of import are hence necessary to ensure that horeca and foodservice have a consistent supply of required ingredients.
“SIAL Middle East promotes innovation in the food, beverage and hospitality industry. It provides an ideal platform for culinary professionals to act as influencers and push distributors and suppliers within their respective regions to import their required products.
“In order to showcase the most innovative products in the region, SIAL Middle East features a dedicated zone within the event called SIAL Innovation, and an associated awards programme. Last year, out of the original 142 food and beverage products entered, 42 were shortlisted, out of which 10 finalists were selected. Eventually Camelait Premium Camel Ice Cream by Al Ain Dairy was named the Gold Award Winner.
“Winners from all SIAL events in the past year will be present in person at SIAL Middle East, so visitors will be able to taste and try food products that have won the prestigious Gold Award in Paris, China, Canada, Manila and Jakarta.”
SIAL Middle East 2015 takes place on December 7-9, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. For more information, visit sialme.com
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