São Paulo – For those who wish to venture into the flavours of Middle Eastern cuisine but don’t know where or how to begin, a good option is taking a trip to the region guided by the famous Lebanese chef Anissa Helou.
Born in Beirut, Anissa, a former art collector, has been working with Middle Eastern cuisine since 1992 and has already published six books on the subject. In 2004, she started organizing group trips to show foreigners the flavours and spices of cuisine from that region.
Now, she takes two trips to Syria and one to Turkey each year. She is also planning a trip to Morocco, in the second half this year, and another to Iran, in 2012.
In an interview to ANBA, Anissa explains that she was born into Syrian and Lebanese cuisine and loves both. She also claims to enjoy Moroccan cuisine very much because it is "sophisticated and subtle," and adds: "Out of all Arab cuisine, I tend to prefer the Lebanese kind, because it is very fresh and varied, with a special trend towards the use of raw vegetables and salads, as well as several delicious vegetarian dishes."
The variety of ingredients, spices and ways of cooking in the 22 Arab countries does not allow for one single "Arab cuisine" to be defined. Anissa, however, outlines what she considers the most typical features of cuisine from her region. "[The ingredients] change a lot depending on where you are in the Arab world. However, if we speak of Lebanon alone, I would say that the use of cinnamon and allspice in salty dishes is very interesting. As for Syria, I love the fact that they use pomegranate syrup in salads and other dishes. I also love the use of orange flower water and rosewater in desserts."
On her trips, Anissa takes groups of 11 visitors, usually comprising both professionals and "food enthusiasts." "There are also people who like to travel and get to know other countries from a different perspective," she says.
"We usually go to the markets and restaurants (the best ones, of course), where I look at the menu very carefully so as to present as many different dishes to the group as I can, and so that meals are varied and exciting. I also take them backstage, into the kitchens of pastry chefs and other cooks. I include many historical sites too, so that they may know the country’s culture as well as the treasures of its cuisine," says Anissa of her travel routes.
In her many trips around the world, she has been to Brazil too. Two years ago, the chef was invited to attend a cuisine event promoted by a major São Paulo newspaper. "I don’t think Brazilian food has any similarity with Arab food, but it is interesting how Lebanese dishes such as the kibbeh and the safiha have been incorporated into the national repertoire, due to the huge number of Arab immigrants living in the country,"says Anissa of her experience in Brazil.
If you don’t want to miss out on this gastronomic tour, the next trips to Syria will take place from May 9th to 18th and from October 12th to 21st. To participate, interested parties must pay US$ 4,500 to stay in a single room. Air tickets and travel insurance are not included.
For further information, Anissa has a website and a blog, on which she posts details of her trips across the Middle East. The URLs are www.anissas.com and www.anissas.com/blog1/. Before packing up, it is worth checking out the books she has written on Arab cuisine, such as Lebanese Cuisine and Café Morocco.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
