When U.S. President Donald Trump pushed his travel ban against people from several Muslim countries, my first reaction was to find some people of Middle Eastern descent. I would tell them that I respect their cultural backgrounds and am glad they are here. No one should feel shame or feel unwelcome for who they are. Those who live in America are as American as I am.
Realizing that I know very few Islamic people in my circle of acquaintances, that quest led me first to an Afghan restaurant (which is not Middle Eastern, but the people are great and the food is darned good) and then to various Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants.
In doing this, I learned several things. First, a number of “Greek” and “Mediterranean” restaurants in the U.S. are run by people from Lebanon, Syria, or some predominantly Islamic country on the eastern side of the Mediterranean. Second, a number of these restaurant owners and operators are from Christian families, rather than those who follow the Islamic faith. From a region that is the cradle for many of the world’s great religions, this should not be a surprise.
Third, the people are very nice and the food is excellent. One local Middle Eastern restaurant has become one of my regular spots because I love the lentil soup and the pillows on the floor, not to mention the lady who owns it is a sweetheart. She’s also twice my size.
Apparently, I am not the only hipster who had this idea of expanding his cultural horizons and reaching out to a new set of cultures through food. One look at Yelp’s Top rated-restaurants in the most populous U.S. states shows that Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurants are smoking hot right now.
In fact, on my state’s top restaurants list, I even spotted a couple of places I’ve already tried. Both were Middle Eastern. And ironically, I didn’t think either one of the top-rated restaurants I visited was that good: not nearly as good as the hole-in-the-wall places that I now frequent. Millennials are good at waiting hours in line for the next best thing and taking pictures of each dish so they can share it with their friends. However, I disagree with their choices on Yelp because these owe more to the herd mentality than to the quality of the food.
Photo by Rusty Clark from Flickr.com under CC license.
But I’m gratified that many people are getting on board with Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food. An article in the Orlando Sentinel quoted Scott Brewster of Paramount Fine Foods as explaining that the food is “healthy and a little exotic.” Furthermore, the article added the following:
Restaurant owners say Middle Eastern cuisine is poised to be the next mainstream breakout star in the food world. Its emphasis on meat and vegetables aligns it with low carbohydrate diet.
From Turkey and Egypt to Iran and Lebanon, Middle Eastern food focuses on grilled meats, hummus, fresh vegetables, flat breads and falafel, a deep fried ball made of chickpeas.
And apparently, I was not imagining things when I noticed its meteoric growth.
The Middle Eastern-born population in the Orlando metro area grew about 24 percent between 2010 and 2015, but still only accounts for about 3,800 people in the area, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Owners say it's mostly Americans filling their restaurants.
Good for them. An article on Foodfanatics.com also mentioned “Crossover dishes from Mediterranean cuisine are a sell for the health-conscious crowd, and the communal, small plate concept of meze is a palatable introduction to many Middle Eastern dishes.”
Though the data is slightly old, the (U.S.) National Restaurant Association reported the following numbers for growth in various cuisines: “The strongest increases in trial of various cuisines are in Mediterranean (+38 percentage points), Spanish (+28), Caribbean (+27), Middle Eastern (+24), French (+22) and Thai (+21).” Note that Middle Eastern and Mediterranean are both represented on there separately and both show large increases, despite having similar menus and, for the most part, only slight differences in seasonings.
More recently, the same group ranked “Middle Eastern flavors” as one of food’s hottest trends. “African flavors” ranked also and some of that popularity may be attributable to the North African region (including Egyptian and Moroccan food) that essentially is one of the unique but related regions of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food.
While I would love to keep writing, it’s time for my falafel. Or will it by a gyro today? Getting hungry.
Photo by Conticium from Flickr.com under CC license.
References List:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/consumer/os-middle-eastern-restaurants-20161223-story.html
https://www.foodfanatics.com/food/middle-east-to-middle-west
http://www.restaurant.org/News-Research/News/More-consumers-try-Mediterranean-cuisine
http://www.restaurant.org/Downloads/PDFs/News-Research/WhatsHot/What-s-Hot-2017-FINAL
http://www.fesmag.com/departments/segment-spotlight/15052-middle-eastern-cuisine-takes-hold