New Trends

After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the early part of this century, the identity of the Arabic-speaking world crystallized as an Arab world and at the same time the influence of Europe became very important. People came to settle from all over the world. It was the Middle East of Lawrence Durrell, the Alexandria where Greek and Italian were spoken on the corniche, the Lebanon where most people spoke French. Italy was in Libya, the British were everywhere, the Maghreb was French. In this cosmopolitan and Europeanized climate, Western food, especially French cuisine, was considered more desirable. Restaurants and caterers offered European menus. Food in general tended to become lighter and cooking fats more digestible. Dishes appeared in which the tastes of East and West had fused. A handful of cookery books in Arabic featured dishes such as roly-poly bel costarda (a type of swiss roll) and macaroni al Italiani. The Grand Hotel of Khartoum offered a menu devised in the time of Gordon which was very reminiscent of British Rail fare, although clients could be served local food on request.