France Savors Competitive Cooking Win as Restoring Lost Prestigehttps://english.aawsat.com/culture/5106120-france-savors-competitive-cooking-win-restoring-lost-prestige
France Savors Competitive Cooking Win as Restoring Lost Prestige
French chef Paul Marcon prepares dishes as he competes in the 2025 Bocuse d'Or cooking competition in Chassieu, near Lyon, central-eastern France, on January 27, 2025. (AFP)
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France Savors Competitive Cooking Win as Restoring Lost Prestige
French chef Paul Marcon prepares dishes as he competes in the 2025 Bocuse d'Or cooking competition in Chassieu, near Lyon, central-eastern France, on January 27, 2025. (AFP)
After major investments in a bid to restore its lost national culinary prestige, France savored victory Tuesday at the world's most prestigious international cooking competition, the Bocuse d'Or.
Paul Marcon, son of the former winner Regis Marcon, clinched the title late on Monday in France's gastronomic capital Lyon, 30 years after his much-garlanded father.
The biennial event, which takes places in front of a boisterous live audience, was founded in 1987 by late French cooking legend Paul Bocuse.
Having seen Scandinavian countries dominate over the last decade, France's team has professionalized and attracted funding from public authorities and private donors in a sign of the importance of the title for national identity.
"It's a childhood dream. It's a source of pride to take France to the top again," a visibly emotional Marcon, 29, told reporters on Monday evening after being hoisted onto the shoulders of his colleagues in his chef's whites.
"Today I hope that we light up the eyes of all the cooks and cooks-to-come in France," he added.
In total, 24 countries competed in the 2025 edition, with the Danish team, winners of the last edition, taking silver and Sweden the bronze medal.
Marcon and his team wowed the judging panel with a pie filled with deer, foie gras and wild mushrooms, accompanied by celery.
The quality of cooking on display at the Bocuse d'Or is seen by observers as increasing every year as countries invest in their delegations for national marketing purposes or to raise the profile of their gastronomic traditions.
France has won just one medal in the last decade -- Davy Tissot having clinched gold in 2021 -- with Scandinavian nations maintaining a grip on the top positions with their precise, minimalist and environmentally-conscious cooking.
Until Monday's victory by Marcon, the United States -- whose food the French have long looked down on -- had won more medals than France over the last 10 years.
"France was navel-gazing," Tissot told AFP recently, "while people around us were moving forward."
Olivia Gregoire, then France's trade and tourism minister, admitted last year that France had been "outstripped by the performance and influence of other countries."
Realizing that the country had fallen behind, Team France head Romuald Fassenet began searching for new funds and resources when he took over in 2019 and he found an ally in President Emmanuel Macron, who became the first French leader to visit the Bocuse d'Or.
Around 600,000 euros ($630,000) were raised for this year's French team led by Marcon from private donors and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region surrounding Lyon, which is headed by ambitious conservative politician Laurent Wauquiez.
A national center for gastronomic excellence, called the Paul Bocuse Institute, was formally launched in January in Lyon to train chefs for international cooking competitions.
Macron has also created an "ambassador for French gastronomy", naming former presidential chef Guillaume Gomez to the role last year.
Saudi Heritage Commission Enforces Strict Penalties Against Antiquities Violatorshttps://english.aawsat.com/culture/5269419-saudi-heritage-commission-enforces-strict-penalties-against-antiquities-violators
Saudi Heritage Commission Enforces Strict Penalties Against Antiquities Violators
The fines varied according to the nature and circumstances of each violation
The Saudi Heritage Commission announced financial fines against 11 violators for dealing in portable antiquities without obtaining the required regulatory licenses, as part of its ongoing efforts to protect cultural heritage in the Kingdom and enhance compliance with regulations governing the sector.
The commission clarified that the violations involved displaying and selling antiquities on online platforms without registering or documenting them with the Heritage Commission or obtaining the necessary licenses, in explicit violation of the provisions of the Law of Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage.
The fines varied according to the nature and circumstances of each violation, reaching up to SAR15,000 in some cases.
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to monitoring violations related to heritage sites and collections across the Kingdom and taking the necessary legal and regulatory actions against all those proven to have contravened the regulations.
The Heritage Commission called on all citizens and residents to report any violations or non-compliant practices related to heritage sites or collections through its social media channels, by visiting its branches across the Kingdom, through the Archaeological Site Reporting platform, or by contacting the unified security operations center at 911.
Holy Quran Museum Showcases Rare 18th-Century Brass-Engraved Copy of the Quranhttps://english.aawsat.com/culture/5269098-holy-quran-museum-showcases-rare-18th-century-brass-engraved-copy-quran
Holy Quran Museum Showcases Rare 18th-Century Brass-Engraved Copy of the Quran
Among the museum’s distinctive exhibits is a copy of the Quran engraved on brass plates dating back to the 12th century AH - SPA
The Holy Quran Museum in the Hira Cultural District in Makkah offers a rich cultural and knowledge experience, enabling visitors to explore the history of the Holy Quran and its sciences, and view rare manuscripts and artifacts documenting the journey of its transcription through the ages, reflecting the care Muslims have given to the Holy Quran since the dawn of Islam to the present day, SPA reported.
Among the museum’s distinctive exhibits is a copy of the Quran engraved on brass plates dating back to the 12th century AH (18th century CE), showcasing the precision and mastery achieved in Islamic arts and the special attention given to Quranic transcription, combining beauty and scholarly accuracy.
This artwork embodies a continuation of deep-rooted traditions in Islamic calligraphy and decorative arts, utilizing various materials and techniques from parchment and paper to metals, highlighting Muslims’ profound connection to the Holy Quran and their commitment to preserving it in artistic forms that combine creativity and reverence.
Yemen Introduced the World to Coffee. Now, Its Coffeehouse Culture Is Booming in the UShttps://english.aawsat.com/culture/5268899-yemen-introduced-world-coffee-now-its-coffeehouse-culture-booming-us
Franchisee Ahmad Badr serves a drink and treat sampler at Arwa Yemeni Coffee on April 6, 2026, in Sunnyvale, Calif. (AP)
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Yemen Introduced the World to Coffee. Now, Its Coffeehouse Culture Is Booming in the US
Franchisee Ahmad Badr serves a drink and treat sampler at Arwa Yemeni Coffee on April 6, 2026, in Sunnyvale, Calif. (AP)
Hundreds of years ago, Yemen helped introduce the world to coffee. Lately, the mountainous, war-ravaged country that borders Saudi Arabia and Oman is exporting something else: its coffee culture.
Yemeni coffeehouses are opening at a rapid pace across the US. The number of cafes run by six major chains that serve Yemeni-style drinks grew 50% last year to 136, according to Technomic, a restaurant industry consulting company. The count doesn’t include the many smaller chains and independent cafes serving coffees and teas imported from Yemen.
Yemeni coffeehouses are meeting the moment for several reasons. They stay open late — sometimes past 3 a.m., especially during Ramadan — and provide a place to socialize for the growing number of Americans who don’t drink alcohol. Last year, a Gallup poll found that just 54% US adults reported drinking alcohol, the lowest percentage in 90 years.
“Generally in the Middle East, our nightlife is coffee, right? People hang out at coffee shops, they play cards, they talk. We wanted to bring that here,” said Ahmad Badr, who owns an Arwa Yemeni Coffee franchise in Sunnyvale, California.
Another reason for the cafes’ popularity is the growing number of Americans of Arab descent. Between 2010 and 2024, the Arab American population in the US rose by 43%, compared to around 10% growth for the US population as a whole, according to the Arab American Institute.
While most Yemeni coffee shops are in places with high concentrations of Arab Americans, including Michigan, California and Texas, they’re also opening in locations as diverse as Alpharetta, Georgia; Overland Park, Kansas; and Portland, Maine.
Customers are seen inside Arwa Yemeni Coffee on April 6, 2026, in Sunnyvale, Calif. (AP)
A taste of home
Faris Almatrahi is the co-founder and owner of Texas-based Arwa Yemeni Coffee, a chain with 11 cafes across the US and 30 more in development. He said an ongoing civil war in Yemen that began in 2014 has prevented Yemeni Americans like himself from visiting their homeland, so he has tried to evoke Yemen in his cafes.
Arwa locations are painted in natural desert tones, with archways that mimic mosques and lampshades shaped like the hats worn by Yemen’s coffee farmers.
“One of the ways to actually visit without traveling there was to bring that experience to the US, and that was a huge passion for us when we opened our first location,” Almatrahi said. “It was extremely emotional for all of us due to the fact that it really transported us to Yemen."
But Almatrahi noted that most of his customers aren’t of Arab descent. In fact, Americans of all backgrounds are seeking out new global flavors and authentic experiences, according to market research company Datassential. Food trends are also spreading quickly through social media.
Menus vary, but Yemeni cafes generally serve specialties like Adeni tea, a spiced tea similar to chai, and qishr, a traditional drink made from the dried husks of coffee cherries. Familiar drinks like lattes might contain special spices or honey; at Arwa, lattes features the outline of a camel stenciled in spices.
Bakery cases might contain khaliat nahal, or Yemeni honeycomb bread, a cheese-filled pastry drizzled with honey, or basboosa, a cake soaked in sugar syrup and often flavored with lemon or rose water. Many Yemeni menus also mix in more typical US coffeeshop fare, like matcha lattes or berry refreshers.
Franchisee Samir Irani pours Adeni tea inside Arwa Yemeni Coffee on April 6, 2026, in Sunnyvale, Calif. (AP)
Choices for coffee lovers
Peter Giuliano, a researcher with the Specialty Coffee Association, a California-based nonprofit, said culturally specific cafes have been a key growth driver in the US coffee industry for the last few years. In addition to Yemeni cafes, he cited the Latin-style chain Tierra Mia in California and Nguyen Coffee Supply, a New York-based company that roasts Vietnamese beans.
A customer who visited Badr's shop in Sunnyvale for the first time said an internet search brought her there on a recent weekday. Cindy Donovan said she’s always on the hunt for good coffee and was excited by Yemeni coffees she tried.
“I think they're much more refined and mellow, and much more full of flavor than a regular cup of dark roast, for instance,” Donovan said. “The cardamom in the drinks is fantastic. Very, very flavorful, rich but not heavy.”
Most Yemeni coffee is sun-dried, which enhances its flavor and brings out undertones of chocolate and fruit, Almatrahi said. Yemeni cafes often mix coffee with special spice mixes – or hawaij – that may contain cardamon, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, coriander or nutmeg.
“Our coffee and teas are not just made through a fully automatic machine,” said Mohamed Nasser, the director of operations for Haraz Coffee House, a Dearborn, Michigan-based chain with 50 US outlets and another 50 in development. “We have to manually blend and mix our coffee and tea, boil it with water and evaporated milk, make sure that it comes out (with the) perfect taste, perfect color.”
Yemen's flavorful history
Coffee has a long history in Yemen. While the plant was likely discovered in Ethiopia, by the 1400s it was being cultivated in Yemen, where monks brewed it to stay awake during prayers, according to the National Coffee Association, a US trade group.
Yemen monopolized the coffee trade for around 200 years until Dutch merchants smuggled coffee seeds to Indonesia and began growing plants there.
Almatrahi said a revitalization of the Yemeni coffee industry over the last two decades, led by coffee companies, foundations and young entrepreneurs, helped make the current US boom possible.
Coffee is one of the most promising sectors for economic development in Yemen, where more than 80% of the population lives in poverty, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
“We are ambassadors for our culture and our people. So when we open these shops, we want to perform the outreach, to show the hospitality, to show what we have to offer,” Almatrahi said.
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