Spicing things up… part 1

Here at Warda, Southgate’s favourite Lebanese restaurant, we pride ourselves on using the best and freshest ingredients available to give our customers an authentic experience of Lebanese cuisine. This can make our menu look a bit daunting to people not familiar with some of the ingredients we use, so we thought it would be useful to introduce you to some of the more exotic ingredients we use in our recipes.

Allspice: Allspice is made from the dried berries of a tree which was originally a native of Central America and the West Indies, but is now found all over the world and particularly in warm climates. Allspice takes its name from its flavour, which is thought to resemble several other common spices (such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves) mixed together.

Ashta: Ashta is a milky ingredient similar to clotted cream, but flavoured with rose water and orange blossom water. It can be eaten on its own or used as an ingredient or dessert topping.

Bulgur wheat: Bulgur wheat is wholegrain wheat which has been parboiled and then dried. It is often used as an ingredient in salads and adds a pleasant crunch and subtle nutty flavour to dishes.

Coriander: Coriander is used all over the world and comes in two forms. The leaves can be used in salads or added to sauces immediately before serving and add a lemony and slightly bitter flavour, while the seeds can be ground to make a subtle, citrusy spice.

Check back in a couple of weeks for the second part of our introduction to the ingredients we use in our dishes

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allspice

http://www.mamaslebanesekitchen.com/vegetarian/ashta-recipe-clotted-cream-rose-water/#sthash.AIwINNrg.dpbs

Dabke

Lebanese dancing

 

In the last Warda blog we talked about belly dancing and the incredible performances of our resident dancer Dinah, but belly dancing is traditionally a woman’s dancing style. The kind of traditional Lebanese dancing performed by men is very different, but just as impressive!

Traditionally men and women would not have danced together, though mixed dancing is now viewed in a far more relaxed way. The most common dancing style – dabke – is performed by several men in a line or a circle and is cooperative in that everyone performs the same steps, like British country dancing or American line-dancing.

The dance is led by a lawweeh, who will set the pace and demonstrate the moves. In some dances he will also perform a more complicated solo dance. The lawweeh may be a professional dancer or someone who simply dances well, and the other dancers will take their lead from him.

Common steps in the dabke involve synchronised jumping and stamping the feet. In many dances the performers will link hands, which means there are very few arm movements. Dabke is all about footwork, and this creates a strong and primal rhythm, complementing the music.

The main instrument the dancers perform to is the drum – dabke is a very percussive dancing style. Tambourines are often used as well, while the melody is typically created with an oud (a stringed instrument like a guitar but with a deeper and richer tone), a mijwiz (similar to a clarinet) and a singer.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dabke