 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 July 2000 Issue No. 489 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 July 2000 Issue No. 489
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region Focus International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters
A banquet for believers
By Injy El-KashefRecently held at the CFCC (Centre Français de Culture et de Coopération) was a debate centring on one of the most vital, personal and universal aspects of human existence: food. Organised as part of the Scientific Café series, the debate sought to explore the relationship between food and socio-cultural trends, as seen through the perspectives of sociologist Ali Fahmi, Mona Amer, presenter of the successful television programme Sihhi wa Mufid (healthy and nutritious), Nicha Sursock, owner of several upscale restaurants in Cairo, Hashai Ashmawi, who identifies himself as a "food lover" but also holds a PhD in Egyptian regional cuisine, and this Al-Ahram Weekly restaurant reviewer.
The debate was inaugurated with an enlightening account by Fahmi, who traced the development of Egyptian cuisine beginning with ancient civilisation, throughout the country's exposure to foreign occupation and up to the establishment of Mohamed Ali's modern Egypt. He also explained the famous saying Illi bana Masr kan fil-asl halawani (the man who built Egypt was originally a confectioner), referring to the fact that the Fatimids first introduced the popular desserts of kunafa and qatayef, now ubiquitous on any Ramadan menu and popular all year round.
Another rich and succulent dish, sharkassiya (literally Circassian), was introduced by immigrants from southern Russia. Similarly, the Ottomans brought with them kufta, kebab and dolma (stuffed vegetables).
Fahmi's speech soon began to raise eyebrows: does this mean Egyptians do not have their own food, since every traditionally Egyptian dish is said to have originated somewhere else? Well, he says, until relatively recently in history, Cairenes did not even enjoy the luxury of a kitchen at home and had to resort to public tabbakhin (the ancestor of the now fashionable caterers) the same way they had to contend with public baths. And yes, he added: apart from fuul and bissara, there is not much by way of food Egypt can call its own.
Sursock's intervention attempted to appease a growing resentment of Fahmi's statements: "All around the world, food, like every other social manifestation, is a give and take process. There is no one purely authentic national cuisine." The point now, he asserts, is to safeguard what we have against culinary globalisation. The question of identity, gastronomic or otherwise, was raised on several occasions -- with diversions unfortunately driving the subject away once more. Or is it that we fear to confront our most radical problem?
The ancient Egyptians used linseed oil for cooking, said Mona Amer, not olive oil. "Very sorry indeed, I possess documents asserting they used olive oil extensively," replied Ashmawi. Although perhaps frustrating for the above-mentioned parties, these recurrent contradictions revealed to the assembled listeners many interesting facts: ancient Egyptians drank beer in the morning with dried meat, and wine at night; they invented the predecessor of modern-day chocolate, had a large selection of cheeses, ate rabbit significantly more than they ate poultry, and had ovens in every home for baking their 40 different types of bread.
Amidst perhaps half-baked, but not overly heated, debate, however, it became apparent that there is possibly a scarcity of documents to unify accounts of our forefathers' eating habits. One thing is clear, nevertheless, asserted Ashmawi: in every society gastronomic traditions develop based on two factors -- availability and acceptability. Nubians, for instance, indulge in what is termed "green cooking," using vegetables like molokhiya and okra, which they spice in order to counter the negative influence of heat on the appetite. Ancient Egyptian priests did not eat fuul because it had a sedative effect and their jobs stipulated long hours of nightly adoration.
Fuul, of course, being one of the few genuinely Egyptian dishes, has always been the subject of mockery among the very masses that consume it -- "he is behaving stupidly because he just ate fuul" being one of the more popular jokes. Fahmi commented that the largest segment of Egyptian society has always had to be satisfied with the minimum while it watched the ruling class indulge in gluttony. During King Farouk's reign, he said, the masses believed that a whole sheep was cooked for the king daily and left to boil until it became a one-cup soup concentrate.
What can we expect? he asked: hunger begets ignorant fantasies. And as long as much of the average Egyptian's budget is still allocated to food, the general taste will necessarily remain mediocre, with any gastronomic refinement virtually absent. Many objections were raised. "The Egyptians were the first to set a table," the Egyptians this, the Egyptians that. National pride had drawn up a chair. Immediately, the glory of the ancients was served up to redeem any possible present failures.
