A Taste of Middle East in London

Middle Eastern cuisine is becoming more and more popular all over the world. In Britain, the Royal Geographical Society published a paper stating that Middle Eastern restaurants in the UK serve some of the best curry dishes in the world, and even suggested that these places may soon become the nation’s favourite places to eat out. These restaurants serve flavourful, authentic, and cheap dishes that have transcended cultures.

As aforementioned there are plenty of Middle Eastern restaurants in the UK thanks to the high demand for such wonderful dishes. If you live in London, the chances are you’re already accustomed to its melting pot of cultures and cuisines.

Having such a diverse culture, London has a variation of wonderful trading sites where foodies can sample dishes from across the globe and source fresh ingredients. For one, there’s Borough Market, which is a gourmet’s paradise in the heart of London. There’s also Camden Lock, which is home to hundreds of food stalls, cafes and bars. But if you really want to find the best Middle Eastern food, you can start looking at places like Edgware Road, which is known for its delicious Turkish cuisine.

Turkey

There are a lot of tasty Middle Eastern dishes thanks to the immigrants who settled in London hundreds of years ago from Turkey. One such place is on the aforementioned Edgware Road.

On Edgware Road, there are tons of places that sell Shawarma. The road is central, easy to get to, and is a meeting point for foodies, attracting hoards of yuppies upon finishing work. There’s also high number of tourists who flock to the area to enjoy Middle Eastern-infused dishes. Shawarma’s garlic and tahini sauce, layers of juicy chicken, and pickles all make this delicacy wrapped in pita or wheat bread scrumptious with every bite, which has meant that it is in high demand on Edgware Road.

Egypt

In the last 30 years, Egyptian settlers have founded “Little Egypt,” which is just around the Edgware Road and Baker Street area. Little Egypt has a lot of long-standing independent restaurants, including Ali Baba, which is the most popular.

Today, there are a lot of next-gen Egyptian restaurateurs that are ready to take on the mantle as head chefs in their own respective restaurants. Apart from Ali Baba, Koshari Street is a well respected restaurant that serves delicious tamarind juice, corchorus leaves, pickled vegetables, hibiscus, fava beans and a lot more food with Egyptian-style flair.

Egypt has long been admired for its culinary innovation. For people unfamiliar with Ancient Egypt, they were the first to bake with closed ovens and learned how to fish using hooks as well as teaching the world how to preserve food. It is because of these culinary techniques that the Egyptian culture is still celebrated today in more ways than one. Apart from its cooking techniques and famous movies documenting the Ancient Egyptian era, there are several recreational games focusing on Ancient Egyptian culture. One of which is Civilization V, which depicts Ramses II as an iconic Egyptian leader, and the casual game Cleopatra, which celebrates the Queen of the Nile’s timeless beauty and grace. While these don’t necessarily focus on food, they show how relevant and celebrated Egypt is throughout the world. And not only through their wonderful dishes, most of which can be tried at the likes of Ali Baba, but through modern pop culture.

Israel

If you’ve been to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, you’ll quickly notice that London has a similar food scene in the form of The Palomar. Israeli food is very popular in London, and The Palomar is paving the way for Londoners to experience what it’s like to eat the country’s very best dishes.

The Palomar is located on Rupert Street, and while the restaurant doesn’t necessarily serve street food (an average meal here costs £40 and that does not include drinks), it offers some of the best salmon, beef tartare, and oyster dishes that are native to Israel.

The Palomar is owned by an Israeli group of restaurants that run the famous Machneyuda Restaurant in Jerusalem. Machneyuda serves contemporary dishes, which have garnered high praise in Jerusalem.