Spotlight
Dish Cult Dines: Seasonality
06 Dec 2024
06 Dec 2024
Glasgow's food scene is thriving
It is perhaps no surprise that Glasgow has seen a considerable growth in the number of restaurants serving up food inspired by countries of the Levant. Alongside the Palestinian and Lebanese communities that have continued to thrive here for the better half of three decades, in 2016 the city welcomed more Syrian refugees than anyone else in the UK. Happily, such multiculturalism has been reflected in the city’s food scene, which is home to Kurdish street food, warming Syrian delicacies, freshly-fried Lebanese falafel, Egyptian sweet treats – and much more!
Excitingly, a number of these eateries have sought to fuse the traditional tastes of the Levant with a certain sense of ‘Scottishness’. Take, for example, Toom’s Basbousa Cupcakes, usually prepared in Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon as small baklava-sized bites, but served here as cupcakes, designed to tantalise that well-documented Scottish love for all things sweet. Owners Noor, who is half Lebanese and half Saudi, and Alaa, who is half Palestinian and half Sudanese, have explained that their restaurant works to introduce new cultures, integrate cultures, and feed residents from overseas who are missing the taste of home.
For many of the Syrian-owned eateries in Glasgow, opening a restaurant has been the gateway to a new life. Southside’s beloved Lazord (who hasn’t tried their spiced chicken shawarma?) is owned by Abdul, who fled his home in 2013 following the uprisings. His restaurant was a booming success before the conflict started, but as his city became cut off, ingredients became sparse, and the area in which his restaurant resided became dangerous. Alongside serving up some seriously delicious Syrian food — Abdul also puts together food parcels for Asylum Seeker families.
In many ways, the proliferation of Middle Eastern and Levantine-inspired eateries leaves Glasgow’s diners spoiled for choice. A sumptuous Turkish kebab or a zingy Lebanese tabbouleh salad? How about a rich Moroccan tagine, or perhaps a sticky, rose-infused cake? For a gateway to all things Levantine, the centrally located ‘Babs, makes for an excellent choice. A modern gourmet restaurant, offering a mixture of different Levantine dishes (shawarma, shish, baba ghanoush, homemade flatbread), we promise that it’s a great place to start. Glasgow is extremely privileged to be home to a diverse array of cuisines, and we are excited to embrace this city’s ever-shifting, ever growing, food landscape.
