I have been in Ireland long enough to have experienced the huge ethnic culinary revolution which swept the country in recent decades. Quite apart from the obvious growth in posh restaurants during the ‘Celtic Tiger’ era, and their current demise, there has been an exponential growth in ‘ethnic’ restaurants.
This began with the invasion of so-called ‘Italian food’ which, deprived of its regional specialities, assumed national characteristics as people discovered pasta, and particularly lasagne – which in the 1970s, together with quiche, became an Irish favourite.
This of course is perfectly wonderful. When I came to Ireland in 1969, you couldn’t even buy green peppers – can you believe it? My mother used to send me food parcels, and every time I travelled home I rushed to savour my favourite foods, which of course were not Jewish Israeli foods, but Arab foods. Funny, that.
Together with the colonisation of Palestine, Israeli Jews have colonised Palestinian foods such as hummus, falafel, tahina, kebabs and so forth, so much so that they became our national foods – even though, like other prosperous societies, Israeli foodie culture has expanded first in French and Italian, and later in Thai and Japanese directions.
The hummus or tahina which I made for my dinner parties during the 1970s were exotic foods which some of my Irish guests found hard to stomach. Today, of course, hummus and falafel have become the new lasagne, as all sorts of culinary delights are available everywhere, from specialty Middle Eastern grocery stores and restaurants to supermarkets and sandwich bars.
The good news is that not only can falafel be bought in most supermarkets, but that you can now savour really excellent Palestinian and Lebanese food in several Dublin restaurants. My most recent discovery is Little Jerusalem, a delightful little restaurant on Wynnefield Road, just off the main strip in Rathmines. Tastes here are truly reminiscent of home, with very reasonable prices.
The mezze (starters) here include not only hummus, but also foul moudammas (simmered fava beans), musabaha (hummus mixed with chili), falafel, baba ghanoush (aubergine puree), a variety of batata (potato) dishes, fatayer (lamb-stuffed parcels) and shawarma, all served with a freshly baked naan or pitta bread. Main courses include chicken, lamb and fish delicacies as well as several vegetarian dishes, all subtly spiced and flavoured. And with your beautiful coffee or mint tea, you can have amazingly sweet little Middle Eastern pastries.
Palestinians rightly say we Israelis colonised their lovely foods, but I am addicted. Memories of downtown Haifa or Acco restaurants, or more recent culinary experiences in East Jerusalem, are some of my most cherished. Eating in Little Jerusalem, sitting under the framed, beautifully embroidered Bedouin dresses, returns me to the flavours and smells of the home I aspire to share one day with my Palestinian brothers and sisters.
Little Jerusalem, 3 Wynnefield Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6 (Tel: 01 412 6912)
Dr Ronit Lentin is head of the MPhil in Ethnic and Racial Studies at the Department of Sociology at Trinity College Dublin. Her column appears fortnightly in Metro Éireann
