AustralianGourmetTraveller-June2018

GOURMET TRAVELLER 21

PHOTOGRAPHY MATTHEW ABBOTT (CAROL AND SHARON SALLOUM) & ALAN BENSON (FR0M

HUMMUS & CO

. BY MICHAEL RANTISSI AND KRISTY FRAWLEY, MURDOCH BOOKS, HBK, $49.99)

Soft landing

Skipping the arak? The Middle East

is rich in booze-free options.

Beer provided the fuel

for the workforce in

ancient Egypt, but in

Cairo today, you’re

more likely to enjoy

karkadeh, a sweet, yet

sour tonic of dried

hibiscus. With alcohol

forbidden by Islamic

tradition, it’s no

surprise that a vibrant

non-alcoholic drinking

culture has flourished

in the Middle East.

It’s a place where the

sommelier at The

Ritz-Carlton or at

The St. Regis might

suggest Ceylon to

celebrate rather than

Champagne. (In

2017, incidentally,

Anfal Fekri of

Bahrain’s Silver Tea

Leaf Consultancy,

became the Middle

East’s first master tea

sommelier.) Somer

Sivrioglu, chef of

Sydney Turkish

restaurants Efendy and

Anason, has fond

memories of first dates

over sips of fresh

lemonade in Istanbul.

Then there’s ayran,

a salty yoghurt drink.

It was declared the

national beverage

in 2013. Gazoz,

meanwhile, is a genre

of carbonated fruit

drinks in Turkey that,

at its pre-Coca Cola

heights, numbered

regional varieties in the

hundreds. (If you’d like

to do a Turkish take

on the Pepsi challenge

for yourself, you’ll find

both drinks on offer at

Anason and Efendy.)

Turning back to tea,

trade brought masala

chai to the Persian Gulf

where karak chai, as it’s

known in the region,

become a daily ritual.

After water, tea is the

most consumed drink

in the Middle East.

Michael Rantissi’s

Hummus & Co. 2017

book features 20 pages

of hot and iced drinks,

reflecting what his

team serves at Sydney’s

Kepos Street Kitchen

and Kepos & Co.

“Westerners treat

drinks as a reason

to socialise,” says

the Israeli-born chef,

“but where I come

from, drinks symbolise

hospitality. They’re a

part of the occasion,

but not the occasion

itself.” With top

restaurants around the

world expanding their

non-alcoholic drink

options, teetotalling

might be reason

enough in itself

to celebrate.

MATTHEW HIRSCH

Flower power

This colourful “Raised Tulip” platter

is hand-painted in Turkey in the

south-western town of Denizli.

The striking floral pattern will brighten

any party-sized serve of meze. $70,

thedancingpixie.com.au.

Persian salad and

saffron chicken are on

the Iranian menu at

Four Brave Women –

for now. Refugees run

pop-up eateries at the

Sydney site, with new

operators taking over

every eight weeks.

thetradingcircle.com.au

Take the Act for Peace Ration Challenge

and live on the same rations as a Syrian

refugee living in a camp in Jordan

during refugee week, 17-24 June, to raise

money, raise awareness and help change

minds. actforpeace.rationchallenge.org.au