Leaven and the Levant : How did bread mold the Middle East ?
Recipes and Rituals: The essence of the oriental bread
From one country to another, bread takes on different meanings according to events and seasons. For Jews, unleavened bread, or “matzah”, is eaten with bitterness at Pesach, while for Muslims, pide bread is savored with joy at dusk during the month of Ramadan.
In Armenia and Iran, making lavash - thin, crusty bread, often accompanied by meat - is almost a ceremony. In an atmosphere imbued with music, the women at the stove share stories as they wait for the dough to rise. In addition to its function as a social vehicle, lavash also takes on a sacred dimension at weddings. When delicately placed on the shoulders of the newly weds, it symbolizes the vows offertility and prosperity that accompany this crucial passage.
Beyond its nutritional value, bread embodies life and spiritual connection. In Judaism,the braiding of the Challah is a ritual charged with meaning, where a piece of dough is reserved and offered to the priests of the ancient temple, the cohanim, in a gesture known as “lehafrish” in Hebrew. Similarly, in Christianity, the bread materializes the body of Jesus during communion, establishing a tangible relationship with God.
Breaking Breads: In Tel Aviv, Uri Scheft breaks codes and loaves
From heaven to earth, bread, once distributed to the Hebrews as divine manna during the desert crossing, has now been tamed by their descendants. On the road thatbridges Beirut, Bethlehem, and Tel Aviv, Mediterranean gourmets display their boundless creativity in reinventing their traditional breads. Israeli chef Uri Scheft, a master in the art of mixing flavors and cultures, skilfully blends influences from the four corners of the region into his dough : Morocco, Yemen, Georgia, Denmark... A whirlwind of flavors, a palette of gastronomic customs. Of Scandinavian origin, Uri Scheft confides that bread has always been a source of inspiration and nostalgia in his nomadic life. When his parents left Copenhagen for Israel, they took with them the desire to preserve their Danish way of life. Her mother, already an avid baker,continued to concoct breads and typical Scandinavian dishes.
Nowadays, Uri Scheft is at the head of the famous Lehamim Bakery in Tel Aviv to carry on his heritage, while enriching it with local specialities. The result ? The Lehamim Bakery counter overflows with bread recipes as surprising as delicious: babka with Nutella, rugelach, the Israeli croissant filled with chocolate, focacci with shakshuka, as well as Yemeni breads such as Kubaneh and Jachnun. Committed to bringing his customers along on his culinary journey, Uri Scheft shares the secrets behind his creations in his book “Breaking Breads”.
Fadi Kattan : The Palestinian Chef who went from the house of bread to the palace of gastronomy
Another baker who breaks codes and breads, Fadi Kattan, is also keen to share his thousand and one ways of using flour in his recipe book: “Bethlehem: A Celebration of Palestinian Food”. Originally from Bethlehem, the Palestinian chef grew up in the capital of bread. Literally. The etymology of Bethlehem (Beit Lachma) means “house of bread” in Aramaic. Fashioned by his peregrinations in India, Japan and Sudan, Fadi Kattan continues to convey his cuisine by adding the local specificities of each land. Recently, his book came into being with the opening of Akubin Notting Hill.
Batrouni Bakery: a family kneading where all flavours are shared
What could be more pleasant than breaking bread as a family ? In Beirut's Broummana Street, the Batrouni family has created the authentic Batrouni Bakery, where traditional recipes based on za'hatar, cheese dumplings and other Lebanese delicacies adorn the stalls. Aware that they are not the only ones in the region to embark on this gustatory venture, the Batrouni family has succeeded in standing out from the crowd by inventing brand-new pastries.
“No more bread...shall they have some Brioche ?” What about the shortage of cereals in the MENA region ?
These three bibles of world baking also unveil an undeniable facet of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region : the importance of bread in daily life and its increasing scarcity. Behind every loaf of bread that is eaten lies a pressing reality in the ongoing struggle against poverty and food insecurity. This societal challenge is underpinned by food subsidies. In Egypt, for example, these subsidies account for 1.3% of the overall government expenditure and benefit eighty-two million people, thus ensuring they have access to basic products such as Baladi bread.
Demand for wheat in the Middle East is closely linked to demographic trends which, according to Demeter Club estimates, should reach 390 million by 2040 and 448 million by 2100. This imminent growth is inevitably coupled with an increase in demand for staple products, starting with bread. Yet despite significant domestic production, many countries in the Mediterranean region remain heavily dependent on wheat imports to meet their food demand, and import dependency remains significant. Morocco purchases twenty-six million tonnes of wheat a year. Turkey accounts for thirty-five million and Algeria for forty-sixmillion. This reliance underscores the strategic importance of this resource in the regional context.
There’s a lot on our plate, indeed.
Sources :
https://www.cairn.info/revue-la-pensee-de-midi-2007-3-page-70.htm
https://www.thesultan.com/fr/blog/exploration-du-pain-moyen-oriental/
https://rosenhebrewschool.com/fr/blog/challah-and-our-ascension-through-hebrew/
https://www.cairn.info/le-demeter--0011662117-page-319.htm
https://www.cairn.info/revue-communio-2017-2-page-19.htm
https://www.jewishfoodsociety.org/stories/an-israeli-baker-finds-his-danish-roots
https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1347189/la-boulangerie-batrouni-une-histoire-de-famille.html
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