As consumers from around the world embrace the time-honoured flavours of Arabic cuisine, Middle East chefs are leading the charge in ensuring authentic dishes and traditional values are upheld

Arabic cuisine has influenced chefs for centuries, and today the popular fare is enjoyed around the world.

But here in the Middle East, where it all started, chefs have a particular pride in creating and serving up truly traditional local dishes.

The number of regionally-themed restaurants has grown in line with the region’s status as a tourism hotspot, and today boasts numerous Arabic outlets.

At Crowne Plaza Yas Island, the Barouk restaurant serves authentic Lebanese cuisine. “The food we serve represents real Lebanese culture and is carefully selected by our team of Lebanese chefs,” explains the property’s executive chef Danny Kattar.

Mataam Alsharq, located at the Qasr Al Sharq hotel in Jeddah, serves up Middle Eastern cuisine in an intimate Arabic setting, while Diwan L’auberge restaurant at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi offers traditional Lebanese dishes with live entertainment in an elegant setting.

Meanwhile Min Zaman Restaurant at the Al Ain Rotana features belly-dancer performances every evening.

“We also serve different flavours of shisha, which compliments the experience,” adds chef Jamal Hashem.

Arabic dishes revolve around a few core ingredients, explains Mataam Alsharq sous chef Mohammed Al Haj.

“The dishes are rich in flavour and texture but in general they are simple to prepare; most are based on a combination of herbs, spices and marinated meats,” he says.

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But even though this might sound easy, for a dish to be truly authentic it requires precisely the right simple ingredients, reveals Crowne Plaza’s Kattar.

“It is very important to check that each individual ingredient is suitable for the particular dish.

“For example, loubieh bil zeit (a dish with green beans) needs a certain type of bean called badriyeh, that is available in Lebanon. It is this specific type of bean that gives the real taste to this dish,” he explains.

“Similarly, for a proper tabouleh, it is very important that the parsley is soft and fresh and that the correct olive oil is used in order to get the desired flavour.”

Seasonings and spices also play a big role in the ingredients list at Arabic outlets.

Diwan L’auberge director Zakaria Charaf explains that “seasonings such as paprika, summak, cumin and cardamom are used to enhance the intrinsic flavour of the food and ingredients”, but notes: “These elements are essential, but not the base of the dish.”

Such elements are regularly brought into play in traditional Arabic cooking, to enhance a fairly simple dish.

Min Zaman’s Hashem comments: “Different seasonings and spices can give a completely different flavour to the same base, thus giving you more room to create a variety of dishes using the same meats.”

While Arabic cuisine may not be particularly difficult to prepare in itself, Mataam Alsharq’s Al Haj says that the growing popularity of this food around the world has brought new challenges.

“There is nothing inherently challenging about Arabic cuisine, but nowadays, it is enjoyed by a variety of people across the world with varying tastes and tolerances.

“We have to be creative and adapt the dish to suit different palettes, while also preserving the original flavour and staying true to the original concept,” he explains.

And that’s not the only danger, warns Min Zaman’s Hashem: “With the ever-expanding customer base, most chefs tend to create Arabic cuisine with a western twist — thus diluting the original taste of the traditional cuisine.”