Peace and food

Have you ever wondered where Baklava comes from!? If you want to know, try to throw your question during a dinner bringing together a Tunisian, a Middle Eastern, a Turkish, a Greek and an Armenian…

Each of them will keep on going on the origins of baklava and how the best baklava undeniably comes from his/her mother land. Needless to say that any other baklava you may try is just a mere replica… The same goes with Chawarma, aka Gyros aka Doner kebab… different names for the same yummy greasy meat sandwich… funny!!!!!

It is wonderful how the food we eat everyday carries so much history. If Baklava is so spread around the Mediterranean it is because of the Ottoman Empire that ruled the region for centuries. The cultures within the empire got mixed and go look now for the origins of Baklava, good luck.

We are not that different after all and our food is here to confirm it, actually it proves that we are very similar and have so much to share… and as my friend John would say: “Even tho many countries make their own baklava, they are practically all the same – just like human beings. No matter where we are from – we have mostly the same basic needs/desires. WE ARE ALL ONE BAKLAVA”

That reminds me of when I went to Turkey and figured out that the words I was used to hear in the Egyptian movies were actually Turkish, words like Gazma, chanta, abla, abi… the Egyptian language and pronunciation completely changed after the 5 centuries ruling of The Mamalik. And on the other hand the Turkish language carries lots of Arabic words as well as Hungarian influences, eastern Europeans, Balkans…

*In Tunisia, the food reveals the mix of cultures that lived in Tunisia through the ages: Berbers Mediterraneans, Arabs, Andalusians, Séfarade Jewish… Ah I really miss the food de mi tierra,, mloukhiya, madfouna bil hargma, chminka, roasted lamb head, brik, slata mechouia, and the delicious Mediterranean fish.

Don’t go say this to my mom though, she would feel sad for me, and for no reason cause I am enjoying my food here… One of the things I love so much about Toronto is the diversity of food you can have, AMAZING. You pretty much can find whatever food you may have in any other part of the planet, all but Tunisian (for that you gotta go to Montreal), there is only one Tunisian restaurant here but (to my deep regret) not that good and they have a limited menu.

But there is no reason to whine, when you can have a tasty tiger shrimp Pad Thai, an “all you can eat sushi”, a Caribbean curried goat or jerk chicken, Chinese food (so tasty), Indian food etc etc. and I am still discovering, soon I’ll try Persian food, east African, Vietnamese… Any suggestions?

I should stop, it is lunch time and I think it is my hunger talking not me…

Bon appétit
A.

*Slata Mechouia courtesy of Haroun Inc.