Dig into the diversity!

Food in London isn’t just fish and chips or roasts at the pub; there’s doner kebab, halal butchers and more...

by ZIADUL KABIR

This week I would like to talk about all the different types of food in London. Before coming here for university I was trying to imagine what food I would find here, fish and chips, pies and all that kind of traditional English food, but once I landed in London I was seriously surprised.

London is not just for the English! It caters to people from all corners of the globe; I knew this city was for internationals but I just couldn’t imagine to what extent. If you can name a country, you will find a specialist food shop catering to that need. From Polish foods to Sri Lankan, Indian to Caribbean foods, Arabian to Japanese food, you can find shops that are channeled to all your culinary needs.

First of all, yes there is fish and chips, but more popular here are doner kebabs. For those of you who don’t know what it is, it’s basically a shwarma (like the ones you get in any one of the million Kosturi shops in Dhaka), but served open. It’s either lamb or chicken that is packed and put on a rotisserie and cooked on a naked flame; once the meat is cooked, shavings of the meat are then cut and placed in a pita bread and served with garlic or chilli sauce, and as always, salad. This is an Arab dish that has taken London by storm; and now you can find doner kebab shops on every street corner and is the popular choice for late night after party food.

The Arab influence just doesn’t stop at fast foods; now you can find halal butchers in every area. This is really a treat, but it’s not just a religious thing. Living here and experimenting with all types of food, I found that the meat from the halal butchers was actually the best and cleanest cut.

Not only are there halal butchers, but also due to the size of the Muslim community in London, several of the large fast food chains have started opening many Halal branches; this includes Subway sandwiches, Mc Donald’s, Nando’s and several others. Alongside the halal butchers, you can find Polish food markets selling all Polish foods and kosher butchers to cater to the Jewish community.

This doesn’t mean that London has lost any of its old traditions; you can still get the best English food in pubs and if you go along the Thames you will still find the open markets selling all of the traditional English foods, and the stalls and the people serving you still look the way you would imagine them off the pages of old classic novels. So seriously, it is really a sight to see and something you must experience if you ever get a chance.