Cheese is an ingredient you’ll find in virtually every kitchen across the region, regardless of the style of cuisine — but what types do chefs find their guests prefer and how easy is it for them to get what they need?
“Cheese is one of the most common ingredients in the Middle East and it’s also a favourite ingredient for many chefs all over the world,” says Eataly regional executive chef Hadi El Awar, when asked about its popularity. According to him, the most popular cheese is parmigiano reggiano.
“It is used a lot in the Middle East for everything from salads to deserts, pastas and pizzas. It’s even perfectly edible on its own,” he states.
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Per Te Ristorante e Café executive chef Andrea Russo says that his customers favour “parmesan, burrata and mozzarella” and the Italian native tells Caterer he sources his parmesan from Italy, while he gets his burrata locally, from a firm called Italian Dairy Products. He reports facing no challenges in finding what he needs.
El Awar concurs: “It’s not that much of a challenge. An efficient, effective supply chain is becoming increasingly key to success within the dairy industry. Time, temperature, humidity, cost, distance, demand, forecasting, and packaging are all important considerations in developing a strong dairy supply chain.”
El Sur head chef Juan Carlos comments: “There has definitely been a rise in the popularity of cheese in the region and we are starting to see more and more products from around the world entering the market. The products still to gain traction with the local clientele are cured and blue cheeses, which can be explained by their strong flavours and, hence, are not as popular. At El Sur, we offer manchego cheese and a goat’s cheese with a very delicate aroma and interesting crumbly texture, which is is very popular with our guests.”
Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah head chef Jens Muenchenbach says that cheese is particularly popular in the region among expats, reporting that the preferred types “depend largely on the heritage of the consumer and what they are used to”.
He remarks that there are no real challenges in sourcing, sharing: “The limitations to get even the freshest produce are quite non-existent. You can get more or less everything here; the options are endless.”
El Sur’s Carlos agrees: “Suppliers are pushing the boundaries each year with the varieties and products that they import into the region. We can even buy a range of high-quality artisan cheeses like ‘Garrotxa’, a traditional goat’s milk cheese produced in the Garrotxa area of Spain and one which we serve on the El Sur menu.”
There are some obstacles, however, he concedes: “One of the challenges we face here in the region are specific restrictions from the suppliers. They require their cheeses to be bought in large quantities, which can create conflict with the restaurant’s operations as we simply cannot store large amounts of the product at the appropriate conditions.
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