Auntilana

My Mum, whose family originates in Morocco, makes a sweet couscous using baked onions, pumpkin, chickpeas and almonds served with couscous and flavoured with cinnamon and brown sugar. Although delicious, it always comes out a little dry for my liking and I plan to adapt it one day. I will get the precise recipe from her when I next see her and try it out. She serves it as a starter, not a dessert. Aunt Ilana

I often roast a small amount of sesame seeds and add them to the mix. It gives the hummus a toasty flavour. I recently made tahina with loads of chopped parsley (similar to Boaziko's recipe) and it took me back to a restaurant in East Jerusalem called The Dolphin which I have an idea no longer exists. But back in the seventies when I lived there they used to serve the most wonderful tahina dip. I am now living on the other side of the world, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic where there is a significant Middle Eastern community and several restaurants and specialist food shops. There is also an excellent Israeli-run falafel bar called S-bar. Aunt Ilana

I would not say any single cuisine is 'better' or 'worse', just different. The Caribbean is as diverse in its cuisine as it is in its culture and language. I have visited several Caribbean islands: Cuba, San Andres, Honduras Bay Islands, St Vincent and St Lucia and have had excellent food in all of these places. But I live in Santo Domingo and so may be accused of a certain bias. See for yourself: www.dominicancooking.com Aunt Ilana

As this is my first post I thought I'd better introduce myself, Aunt Ilana from www.dominicancooking.com I am based in Santo Domingo and was delighted to be introduced to this site by Suvir Saran who recently visited ours. I have visited many other parts of the world and lived in some of them and so hope to participate in many of the regional forums, especially the Mediterranean, Middle East, Central and South America. It took me a couple of visits to find the Caribbean section, tucked under the US when the more logical place for me would be with C and S America. Best restaurants in SD? Meson de Bari for Dominican cuisine and Cocos for international are my favourites. La Lasagna on Gustavo Mejía Ricart is amazing. The yuca and conch empanadas at M de Bari and their conch stew is heavenly. The atmosphere is second to none. There are many others. Aunt Ilana