Desserts

Mediterranean desserts are often very sticky and frequently sweet beyond sweetness, as are the soft drinks which sometimes accompany them. Very sweet drinks feature heavily in those countries where alcohol is little consumed or - as is the case in Saudi Arabia — not consumed at all, unless you are so desperate you will risk a bloody flogging for the sake of a snort.

People in Islamic countries drink sweet tea, sweet coffee and syrup seemingly at any time of the day or night, so the occasional glass of cold salt yogurt or a mineral water comes as a welcome relief to the visitor not steeped in disaccharides from birth. Desserts most frequently feature honey, nuts and syrup, with a sticky filo pastry, baklava winning the prize for most common sweetmeat in a sweep round from Morocco to Turkey. Our selection of puddings therefore draws inspiration from some of the most popular Mediterranean dessert forms, but seriously tones down the sugar content or cuts it with astringent citrus. These are desserts where East meets West in happy combinations and each has a slightly new angle to explore.