Nevine El-Aref samples Mediterranean cuisine at last week's international food fair in Alexandria Anyone seeking a quiet corner for contemplation in Alexandria's usually serene Antoniadis Gardens last weekend would have been hard pressed to find one. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina's Alexandria and Mediterranean Research Centre (Alex-Med) was holding an open-air food fair entitled "Gastronomy in Alexandria: A Cosmopolitan Flavour in the Mediterranean". It was all part of the programme the centre runs in cooperation with the Anna Lindh Foundation. The event celebrated the rich array of gastronomic influences for which Alexandria was once renowned, and which incorporated elements from, among others, French, Italian, Levantine and Greek cuisine in addition to its own unique Alexandrian flavour. These flavours are now mostly lost as a result of changes in the character of Alexandria over the last few decades. For the occasion, the many species of trees, the tropical greenhouse and lofty, classical-style statues were not the only scenery in the Antoniadis Gardens. Large posters and panels picturing eye-catching meals and dishes were spread everywhere. Foam models of tomatoes, peppers, white and green beans, onions, garlic, peaches, watermelons, bananas and grapes were scattered on the grass, while two rows of food booths displaying dozens of plates from well known hotels and restaurants in Alexandria formed a mouth- watering spectacle. There were chefs with their spoons, pots and pans cooking French crêpes, Italian pasta, beef stroganoff, cream soup, ostrich meat, crab, salmon and shrimp cocktail. Various presentations of recipes were held throughout the day, allowing members of the public to see for themselves how traditional Euro-Mediterranean dishes are prepared. Among the recipes were kebabs, tabouleh, Spanish tortilla and stuffed pumpkin. Traditional dance troupes and bands from Egypt, Armenia and Palestine demonstrated their countries' musical folklore. Wrought iron tables and chairs had been placed in the gardens under colourful sun shades so the hundreds of visitors could sit in comfort to taste the delicious tidbits. At the north end of the garden, a food court was laid out in a large marquee decorated with photographs featuring street scenes and food displayed within their regional communities, where food stalls were set up enabling visitors and cooks to wander, sampling the many dishes categorised according to nationality. In the marquee every faction of the Alexandrian community, from all ages and backgrounds, presented their cuisine and shared and exchanged meals, ingredients and recipes with fellow Alexandrians and restaurateurs. Dishes from Palestine, Morocco, Libya, Spain, Sweden, Greece, Armenia, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt were presented. The largest pavilion was dedicated to Egypt, the host country. Nicola Bellomo, counsellor of the European Commission (EC) delegation to Egypt and one of the judges, described the food fair as a means of identifying new ways to promote cultural exchange and dialogue. He called it the highlight of a month of cultural activities carried out by the EU delegation, as well as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Mediterranean Research Centre and the Anna Lindh Foundation. This year is the Euro-Mediterranean Year of Dialogue between Cultures. "It mixes 12 different nationalities from all over the Med to promote their culture through food dialogue," Bellomo told Al-Ahram Weekly. He said that by using food as the vehicle for introducing the diverse and vibrant cultures of the Mediterranean, this project encouraged Alexandrian and Mediterranean communities to initiate cordial dialogue. "Gastronomy in Alexandria" was mostly funded by a grant from the EC delegation to Egypt under the local cultural activities programme. It was also one of the Anna Lindh Foundation's "1001 Actions for Dialogue", designed to celebrate Dialogue between Cultures Year. The campaign aimed to promote the role of intercultural dialogue to fight racism and xenophobia, challenge extremism, and rediscover common roots and heritage. Klaus Ebermann, ambassador of the delegation of the EC to Egypt, said he was "very happy" to help realise the event. He told the Weekly that Alexandria no longer reflected the cosmopolitan city it once was, and nor did its cuisine. Although there remained a cosmopolitan spirit, various political and economic factors had caused the city to look within instead of embracing the diversity the Mediterranean region represented. Alexandria's once rich gastronomy was thus less visible. Many of the foreign communities that once defined cosmopolitanism had emigrated, leaving very little in which to gauge the achievements of multi-culturalism. The project had encouraged Alexandrians and other Mediterranean communities to see and read about each other's culinary history, as well as giving them the opportunity directly to contribute to the project, he said. Ebermann continued that with the EC grant -- offered by the EC delegation to Egypt under the Alex-Med local cultural activities programme -- covering 80 per cent of the cost of the project, "Gastronomy in Alexandria" was one of several cultural events implemented by EC in Egypt. Last year saw the Euro-Egyptian Street Theatre Festival, and this year there are the food fair, the Music for Children Festival, the International Youth Film Festival and several concerts at the Cairo Opera House. "Food is a pleasure and a means of showing the country's culture and tradition," Ebermann said. He added that it depended on how, what, why, where and with whom one ate. He also looks on different types of restaurants found in any one country as a kind of "efficient diplomacy". Italian, French, Chinese and Lebanese restaurants in Greece, for example, were a kind of embassy for their countries. There will be a cook book published in the second half of 2008 to include interviews with representatives of Alexandrian universities. The book will explore the various communities of Alexandria through their cuisine and document and display the traditional recipes and etiquette from their kitchens and dining rooms including Italian, Spanish, French, Lebanese and Greek. The recipes will be combined with the history of the individual interviewed and his or her and community, therefore creating a publication not concerned only with food but with the social history of the city. Individuals, their gastronomic influences, and relationship with food and their homeland will be incorporated in order to produce a colourful and informative book about Mediterranean gastronomy as well as the peoples living and working side by side. The information gathered will also be displayed on a website with a discussion blog. This will allow the information to reach a wider audience, enabling people outside Egypt to experience and learn about Alexandria's gastronomy and shared culture. Alex-Med Director Mohamed Awad says the project will last for 12 months and has five primary objectives. These are to promote and highlight the diverse gastronomy in Alexandria stemming form its cosmopolitan make up and history and encourage the exchange of experiences, traditional recipes, stories and dishes. Second, to encourage the exchange of a common language: food. Third, the fair has the potential to raise the standard of the Alexandrian restaurant dining and introduce new methods and techniques from other Mediterranean regions. Fourth, it will tell and highlight the stories of certain individuals and their relationship to their country's cuisine, recipe origins, etiquette and techniques. Finally, it will emphasise the benefits of coexistence and encourage inter-cultural dialogue and exchange. To strengthen relations between Alexandria's various communities, it is hoped the food festival could become a fixed date on the city's annual calendar. "It really is a great opportunity to promote our restaurants and menus among Alexandrians," Ramez Mahmoud, assistant general manager of the redesigned Pastroudis restaurant, told the Weekly. He described the event as a hub for tourism and an open window to all Egyptians, not only Alexandrians, to experience and taste the recipes of their Mediterranean neighbours. Not everyone agreed, however. Chef Khaled Abdel-Qader of the Four Seasons San Stefano Hotel, Alexandria said that although the festival was a big event, with the prestigious Cha"ne des Rôtisseurs (International Gastronomic Association) represented, there was a lack of organisation. "People [were] crowding our staff while they were trying to get on with their work," he said. "And the number of visitors was totally underestimated." He pointed out that his hotel had prepared food for 500 people, but the true number of invitees may have exceeded 800 or 900. Businessman Ali Hassanein described it as "a disastrous hub of eating, and that's all." However, the Alexandrian housewives who displayed the national dishes of their various communities had a different view. Maha Hashem, who cooks Egyptian food, described it as a booming event. "It not only got Alexandria's different communities together in one place for one reason, but it was a good opportunity to learn more about the traditions of foreign communities who have long lived here," she said. Wessam Omar from Palestine saw that the fair bridges cultures and civilisations around the Mediterranean in addition to playing an interactive role to better understand neighbours. Their feelings were echoed by Mohamed Hosni, an official from the Ministry of Education, who thought the experience should be repeated all over the Mediterranean as a means of promoting cultural and peaceful dialogue. Participants presented a sample of their dishes in country categories. The best pavilions were the Armenian, Egyptian, Greek, Lebanese, Moroccan, Palestinian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish. When the fair came to a close last Saturday, Morocco won the first prize in the main dish competition, Armenia came second and Greece third. Greece came first in the appetiser competition, with Spain winning the second and third places. Sweden won the first prize in the dessert competition. The dishes were assessed by a judging panel consisting of Bellomo, Eric Deblonde, executive chef of the Four Seasons San Stefano, Alexandria, Nermine Hanno, executive chef and food and beverage manager of Al-Manahil restaurant, Riyadh, and Bahar Zaklama, gastronomy expert of the Cha"ne des Rôtisseurs of Alexandria. Luxurious Alexandrian hotels and restaurants also took part, and international chefs presented famous recipes from their classical cuisines with an emphasis on Italian pasta and French desserts. The bibliotheca presented a memorial pyramid to each of the participating hotels, which were the Four Seasons San Stefano, the Sheraton Montazah and the Renaissance
