Chefs use Jordanian products to cook traditional French cuisine

AMMAN — The Jordan Valley’s tomatoes and Ajloun’s olive oil were among local ingredients incorporated into French dishes served as part of an international activity celebrating French gastronomy.

An initiative of French chef Alain Ducasse, Goût de France (Taste of France), was celebrated on March 19 across the globe, featuring over 1,000 chefs who served dinners made with local products.

The activity aims to promote French cuisine’s capacity for innovation and spread the joy of sharing food, according to the initiative’s website.

Five restaurants in Jordan took part in the event — Top Restaurant at the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA), the Atrium at the Intercontinental Hotel, the Grill at Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea, the Codes at Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea and Trader Vic’s at the Regency Hotel. 

Commenting on his participation, Chef Jacques Rossel said the event is about sharing moments and flavours of sustainable Jordanian products served in a French style of cooking and presentation, which boosts cultural understanding. 

“The understanding of each other in terms of food definitely helps nations be together, and I think if people were sharing a little bit more of a meal maybe we would be living in a better world,” he told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.

Rossel said there is pleasure in cooking and sharing food, citing mansaf, Jordan’s traditional dish of rice, lamb, pine nuts and “jameed”— a yoghurt-based sauce, as a “beautiful” means of sharing as it is served on a single platter.

“I find this fantastic,” he said, noting that the French cheese fondue is a traditional dish also served in a communal pot.

Rossel, who has worked in the hotel industry for 36 years, including 25 years in the Middle East, said Ducasse has set the basic guidelines of what had to be offered in meals marking Goût de France.

“It had to be a set French-style six-course menu; it must have a certain level of proteins — a fish dish, a poultry dish, cheese and a chocolate-based dessert,” he said. The menu in Jordan included quail, red snapper from the Gulf of Aqaba, olive oil, local lamb and mastic.

The RACA culinary instructor noted that around 20 students took part in preparing the food and serving it under the supervision of instructors, as part of their learning experience.

Expressing his “joy” in participating in the activity, Chef Maher Daoud said French food is one of “the oldest and most authentic” cuisines in the world, from which cuisines of several other countries have developed.

Daoud noted that the gastronomy activity sought to promote French cuisine in the Kingdom, especially since it is different from typical Jordanian food.

“A French-style dinner includes a longer menu that reaches up to seven courses. It has a variety of items and includes light, yet valuable, food items,” he told The Jordan Times last Thursday, adding that his Goût de France menu seeks to “assimilate the two cultures” by featuring local ingredients like avocado, figs and lamb in French dishes.

Daoud noted that the event brings back the value of healthy meals, as the community is largely depending on fast food, which lacks nutritional value.     

Five per cent of the activity’s revenues are going to a local charity.