According to a recent survey of hotels and restaurants around the region carried out by Caterer Middle East, the tomato – which in scientific circles is defined as a fruit and in culinary circles as a vegetable – is by far the most used vegetable item.
“Without hesitation I would say that the tomato is the most popular. Most of the modern cuisines, such as Arabic, Indian, Asian and European, use tomatoes heavily,” said executive chef at the Crowne Plaza Dubai, Sebastien Castellot.
“The biggest-selling vegetable is the tomato,” confirmed executive sous chef Luc Bonnaz at the JW Marriott Dubai, which purchases around 24,250kg of fruit and 28,295kg of vegetables each month.
“The high consumption rate is because of the fact that the tomato appears in various Middle Eastern recipes, and is a very healthy vegetable,” he explained.
However, at the Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers, however, which purchases 8000kg of fruit and vegetables each month, depending on the season and the hotel and restaurant occupancy, the biggest-selling vegetable is the potato, according to executive chef Fabien Martinez.
“This vegetable is known to be a primary vegetable. In fact, it’s hard to find a person who never tried a potato before, or who doesn’t like potatoes,” he stated. “The potato is the world’s most widely-grown vegetable. They come in many different varieties and have the flexibility to be prepared and cooked in different ways – fried, boiled, stewed, grilled, and so on.”
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