02x09 - Halal from Dearborn - Dearborn, MI

[bunniefuu]

M'kay. It's a really big bite.

Mm.

- I'm thinking cool thoughts.
- Yes.

It's really good.
I have honey everywhere.

It's fantastic!

It's delicious.

I don't mind licking my finger.

- I love it.
- I know.

It's so tender, so juicy.
Ooh, look at all the layers of it.

I'm in an Arab food paradise.

This is the best eggplant I've ever had.

Damn, that's good.

I love cheese.

She's so pretty.

Come to Mama.

But I'm also in the country's heartland.

And it doesn't get
more American than this.

I came to America when I was four.

I'm an immigrant, and I'm not alone.

I've spent my life writing about food
and tasting the world.

Now, I wanna explore who we are
through the food we eat.

My game is strong.

What exactly is American food,

and what makes us American?

I'm Padma Lakshmi.

Come with me as we Taste the Nation.

There are some who would have you believe

that anything with an Arab
or Muslim slant can't be American.

But that's just not the case.

Just a few short miles west of Detroit
is an Arab American oasis.

And right now, it's Ramadan.

For those Arabs who are Muslim,

it's one of the holiest
months of the year.

During the day,
the focus is on prayer

and one's sacred relationship to God.

To set aside all earthly pleasures,

a time of fasting.

During the day, that is.

But once the sun goes down...

it's basically an orgy of food.

Tell me about this festival.

It's a time where the community
comes together, enjoying themselves.

Suhoor can be eaten at night
'cause we're fasting throughout the day.

Dear born Heights
city councilman Mo Baydoun

has brought me to a Suhoor festival,

where local Muslims come together

for the last feast before sunrise.

What can I eat here
that I can't eat anywhere else?

Everything.

I'm gonna be extremely biased.

- Okay.
- My favorite is saj.

My mother, who makes
saj right from her hand.

Goat cheese, oregano,
zaatar, is traditionally,

and it's cooked on the spot.

Saj is a thin bread

cooked over a thick metal dome
with the same name.

Woo!

It varies with region,
but you'll find it in many Arab countries

like Dubai, Turkey, and Lebanon.

So, this, traditionally,
they used to do this in Lebanon.

- Is that your mom?
- This is my mother. Correct.

- Hi, Mom.
- Hi. How are you?

Good. How are you?

- Ma, thank you.
- We'll be back.

Thank you.

- Very hot.
- Ooh-hoo!

Wow, that's good.

Arab cuisine is incredibly rich and varied

because the Arab world spans 22 countries

with dishes ranging
from musakhan to falafel to mujadara.

And here, in Dear born,
these countries and foods

come together in less
than 25 square miles.

And at this Suhoor festival,

you'll also find American carnival fare.

But here, they're halal,
so that Muslims can enjoy them, too,

as well as some Arab greatest hits.

Guys, the shawarma sandwich

is going to be given
to the most famous foodie in America.

Is here live
in Dear born Heights, Michigan.

- Let's give a round of applause.
- Shh. No, no, no, no, no. Stop talking.

TamTam is known
for their shawarma sandwiches.

Everything is coming homemade
that they learned back home in Lebanon.

Thank you so much.

This looks good.

- Okay. Which side? White or...
- Want you to take one big bite

right down the middle.

- Really? Okay. Go 'head.
- You ready?

It's fantastic!

Over the last century,
Arab Americans have built up

a thriving cultural hub in Dear born.

There are close to 50,000
Arab Americans living here

with the majority hailing
from Lebanon, Palestine,

Syria, Iraq, and Yemen,

making it the largest and most diverse
Arab community in the U.S.

But it's not just an Arab utopia.

It's a place for the younger generation
in the heart of the Midwest

to successfully merge
their Arab traditions with American ones.

- How do you say it? Wallah?
- Wallah.

- Yeah, wallah.
- Wallah.

- Wallah bros.
- Wallah bros.

You've heard of bro culture,
but this is wallah bro culture.

Basically, it's Arab bro culture
and American car culture

all rolled into one perfect donut.

Woo-hoo!

So, wallah, is, basically,
just the meaning of God.

Whenever we try to convince
each other of something,

or telling a story...

- Like, really? Really?
- This happened. Like, I swear.

You know, wallah.

So that manifests itself.
It's like bro culture.

- Exactly, exactly, exactly.
- It's very bro-ey, right?

- I'm not mistaken about that.
- Absolutely.

Wallah bros
can be found all over the world,

but Dear born may as well
be their headquarters.

And it's not just about swagger.
It's also about style.

So, this the thobe or dishdasha.

This is the shemagh,
um, and this is the igal.

Each country has,
actually, their colorway.

You could, actually, recognize
someone where they're from

by the way they wear this,
or how thick this ring is.

So, this is the traditional
Iraqi one 'cause I'm from Iraq.

And how does car culture

- fit into all of that?
- So, car culture.

Bein' Arab, I would say we strive
to have, like, a great status symbol.

All the shakes.

The most important accessory
to their outfit is the car.

So, growin' up in Michigan,
which is the car scene,

double the amount of love
that you have for cars.

Detroit, or the Motor City,

has always been the home
of the American car industry.

But did you know that many of the hands
that built this industry were Arab?

In the early 1900s,
Henry Ford made a push to hire Arabs.

This attracted the first wave
of Arab immigrants to Michigan.

In fact, he specifically recruited Arabs

over African Americans
and other immigrants.

Yeah, that's right.

Henry Ford's racism shaped
the population of Michigan.

But today, Ford Motor Company
has recognized and distanced itself

from its founder's dark legacy.

In 1920, Ford opened
another sprawling plant in Dear born,

drawing even more Arabs.

The enclave grew
throughout the 20th century.

Many came fleeing from conflict.

Dear born became what
is now called an Arab utopia.

When we did move out to Florida,
when I was in middle school,

being in Florida and during...
It was the second Iraq w*r,

it really opened my eyes
to being that minority in America.

Even from teachers, you know,
as a kid, um, the first thing they would,

uh, you know, say to you
if you're misbehaving is,

"I don't know where you're from,
but we don't do that here."

And I never understood that as a kid.
I'm like, "I'm from America."

Gabriel and his family
returned to Dear born

when he was in high school,

and that's when he found
his inner wallah bro.

We're in
the Arab capital of the world here.

It's somethin' to be proud of
'cause it's very unique, you know?

It's here that Gabriel
can embrace both his Arab identity

and his American one...
without forsaking either.

Today, we're meeting
his fellow wallah bro, Danny,

at a beloved Iraqi restaurant,

Malek Al-Kabob.

So, what are we about to eat?

Traditionally, dates are
what you break your fast on

because, usually,
when you're fasting all day,

blood sugar is all the way down.

- I bet.
- So this a good way to boost it up right away.

Without further ado,
I wanna break my fast.

Of course, you must be so hungry.

And you always break
your fast every day with dates.

It's encouraged
even if you don't like dates.

Prophet Muhammad, he broke his fast
on dates, like, 1,500 years ago.

We try to follow in our,
you know, leaders' footsteps.

Speaking of spiritual leaders.

Oh, my God.

You know who walked
in behind me, right?

Yeah, the Imam of Dear born pretty much.

Hello.

I feel like the principal has walked in.
I'm not gonna lie.

The spiritual leader
from the Islamic Center of America,

the largest mosque in the country,
is breaking his fast here, too.

And once fast is broke...

Thank you.

...we feast.

I'm gonna taste it all.

Mm.

You have the fish here.
Masgouf, it's called.

I would say it's the most popular
dish in the south part of Iraq.

This one is fantastic.

It's so tender, so juicy.

That's the eggplant... SERVER:
You don't taste this, you didn't eat.

- The eggplant.
- With the rice.

You mix it with the rice, yeah.

Damn, that's good.

- It just melts in your mouth.
- Yep.

The heart of Iraqi food, it's a stew.

The stews usually are
with eggplant and tomato based.

This is the best eggplant I've ever had.

- Is this the lamb?
- Yeah, they call it quozi.

It's very, very tender.
It falls off the bone.

I'm so full, but I can't stop eating.

As a Chaldean Christian,
Danny wasn't fasting.

Some people assume
that Arab equals Muslim,

but over 60%
of Arab Americans are Christian,

and you'll find many
of them here in Dear born.

But since it's Ramadan,

on this trip, I'm focusing
on the Muslim Arab experience.

How did you guys meet?

Figured out we're both Iraqis.

I didn't care about him
being Muslim or Christian.

It was just the fact that,
"Oh, he's Iraqi as well,"

and that's how we clicked.

Lot of fun. Woo!

We come together out to eat a lot.

Like, no matter what the differences are,

- I feel comfortable here.
- Yeah.

It's a great atmosphere.
It's a safe place, I call it, you know?

That's where I call
my happy place, you know?

This is my happy place. This is so good.

But is it a utopia for everyone?

That's a medium roast,
so you can tell it's a lot darker.

This is podcast host Zahra Huber.

They have, like,
a, a chai that's like desi chai.

Like, with cardamom and milk.

We're at Qahwah House.

Zahra's not fasting,
and frankly, I've never fasted.

So, we're enjoying some
aromatic Yemeni coffee,

and pairing it with sabaya,

a layered, sticky pastry
baked with butter,

topped with sesame seeds,
and drizzled with honey.

Ooh, look at all the layers of it.

All right. Here I go.

I love how crunchy it is.

- I know.
- I wasn't expecting it.

So good.

I think we need more honey.

Agreed.

- Honey, more honey, please.
- Can we get more honey?

Aww.

Zahra grew up in New York,

but left for Dear born in 2002.

For her, moving here
was a startling experience,

arriving into what many
call an "Arab bubble."

So, Dear born is just very Arab.

There wasn't one white person.

There wasn't one Indian or Pakistani.

There wasn't any
Black people at all on my block.

It was all Arab.

I remember the first thing
I saw coming to Dear born

was a pharmacy on CVS
was written in Arabic.

For me, it was a culture shock.

I mean, after growing up in New York
and being so used to diversity,

how do you, like, just put
yourself in a bubble after that?

For Zahra,
though coming here was at first jarring,

it also gave her something important.

The thing is, though, I felt safer here,
especially, 'cause I was in New York.

After 9/11, you get called a t*rror1st,
or "Go back to your country."

I couldn't take the train because I heard
my friends were getting beat,

and their hijabs were getting yanked off.

But here you feel safe
because you're amongst all your people.

After 9/11,
in New York City and across the country,

anti-Arab sentiment and Islamophobia grew.

Muslims might blow us up
and the Christians are not going to.

A biblically based culture
is superior to a Qur'anic culture.

But these biases go back
even further than that fateful event.

Movies and television
have long-depicted Arabs

as villains or t*rrorists.

As a result, Arabs flocked to Dear born,

where the safety in numbers allowed them
to live free of fear and discrimination.

Although Zahra did
feel safer when she arrived,

she didn't actually feel
the connection she expected.

My dad brought us to Dear born,
and my dad's Iraqi,

and he felt like we weren't immersed
in the Arab culture enough.

And then, being here
for this long, like, you do pick up

all the, like...
like the Arab hierarchies.

Tell me about the hierarchy.

I'm Iraqi and I'm just gonna speak
for, like, what I've experienced.

A lot of Iraqis that come
to Dear born can be refugees.

You know, they're working, like,
the lower jobs and things like that.

So, when another Arab asks me,
like, "Oh, where're you from?"

And I tell 'em, "Oh, I'm Iraqi,"
they're like, "Ooh, you're Iraqi?"

Or, "Oh, you don't look Iraqi."

- What does that mean?
- And I'm like, "What's that supposed to mean?"

So, for you,
it has been stifling at times?

- Is that fair to say?
- Yes. Yeah.

The years of feeling ill at home
among her people in Dear born

propelled her to speak out.

She started a podcast,
Breaking Pita With Zee,

where she could freely question
and discuss the nuances

of being an Arab American Muslim woman.

We have an Iraqi, we have a Lebanese,

we have a Yemeni,
like, on this one podcast

letting people know there's a problem.

When I started my podcast,
that was my biggest fear

because I am calling us out, you know?

I am calling us out about mental health.
I am calling us out about colorism.

You know, I am calling us out
racists, you know?

There's nothing
more American than dissent.

Zahra began engaging
in a dialogue about Muslim identity

through a feminist lens,
which I can totally get behind.

In Islam, it's actually a woman's
right to choose to wear the hijab.

- Yes.
- So, you chose to wear it.

- Yes.
- I chose...

- Not to.
- ...to take it off, actually.

- Okay. Really?
- Yeah.

Ah, yes. Personal choice.

The perennial question for all women

that's not only relevant in Dear born
or the rest of the U.S., for that matter,

or even Arab countries...
but around the world.

Women in Iran
set their headscarves on fire.

One Muslim student defying the ban

by arriving for school in her hijab
with a crowd taunting her.

And there's a lot of
confusion about what's religion

- and what's actually culture.
- Mm-hm.

Like, for instance, wearing the hijab.

The scarf is actually
considered the religion, right?

It's not the actual culture.

And so, the culture
is also, in my opinion,

it can be very patriarchal.

But it's a woman's choice.
She cannot be forced to wear the hijab.

That's her choice, um.

But a lot of families will pressure
their daughters to wear it

because they think it's
the religion that's, like, pressuring it,

but really, it's the culture
that's pushing that.

Yeah, religion
is often a tool of the patriarchy.

I was worried calling us out
would get me a lot of backlash,

but surprisingly,
I had the younger generations,

like, message me on Insta...

- Like, social media...
- Mm-hm.

...telling me I'm so glad
that you're calling these things out

because I... Like, I love
my culture and I love my religion,

but these are things
that also drive me crazy.

We need to call those things out
in order to improve ourselves.

- Yes, and move the culture...
- Forward.

For Zahra, finding her own voice

and expressing her dissent,

actually helped her connect
with others who feel similar.

She was able to create
her own community within this one.

Next, I'm meeting with someone
who's using an old Arab family recipe

to cook up his American dream.

Come to Mama.

Knafa is very labor-intensive.

This is Malik Abukaff.

He runs his family
pastry business, Abu K'nafa.

- He's gonna show you how.
- I'm gonna open it, like, slowly.

Woo!

We're getting ready to make
a Palestinian specialty

but one that also feels
reminiscent of an American classic.

Grilled cheese, anyone?

The knafa dough is a two-day process,

so we prep the dough months in advance

just because, during Ramadan, it's
one of the most sought-after desserts.

To make their
deliciously sweet and savory knafa,

batter is blended
and spun into fine strands,

cooked with four different cheeses,

and topped with a spread
of colored ghee and sugary syrup.

And this is Malik's grandpa, Taha Abukaff.

He arrived to Dear born in 1984,

bringing his coveted
knafa recipe with him.

My grandfather always made
knafa throughout his entire life.

He was born in Palestine in 1967.

The Israeli occupation
made him flee Palestine.

From there, he took his craft
of making knafa to the States.

Oh, the mortar and pestle
to grind from hand.

I know what you're talking about.

Yes. My grandmother used to do it
the same way for a batter similar to this.

Beautiful.

Just scrape it off.

There you go. Look at that.

It may be Taha's beloved recipe,

but his grandson Malik
turned it into a thriving family business

just four years ago.

Ramadan is their busiest month.

And what do you love about knafa?

I love knafa'cause it keeps me rooted.

It's a comfort food.
It keeps everybody involved.

- The process, you mean?
- The, the process.

It keeps all of us tied together.
Everybody gets a little part of it.

My father watched his grandfather do it.

I watched my father do it,
and it's a generational thing.

So, really, you just
started the business as a way

- to keep your family close.
- To keep us... Yeah.

Everybody involved in it. Yeah.

Next, the ground pastry
is tossed over a flame

to dry out any remaining moisture

before being sprinkled
over a vibrant, dyed ghee.

So, now we're just gonna level it off,

but don't push down.

So, you gotta go like this.
Can I show you?

- Mm-hm.
- Then you go.

Oh, see? That looks...

So, go ahead.
You can grab the cheese

and put a lotta cheese in the middle.

Now we gotta spread it out,
and we're good.

Now we just gotta cook it.
Seven minutes and we good to go.

Last but not least,
is the all-important flip.

All right. We'll step back on this one.

We did it!

A generous pour of the syrup called attar,

and then, a much-anticipated cheese pull.

I feel like we're cutting

- the wedding cake.
- That's it, right?

There you go... All the way up.

- Keep goin'. Nice!
- Oh, yes.

Come to Mama.

She's so pretty.

You're an expert.

Cheese pull accomplished.

But the taste is what's most important.

Very good. Mm.

It's like a... sweet grilled cheese.

Yeah, like sweet and savory, in a way.

It's really good.

Next up, a mid western pioneer.

She remembers when it wasn't
so easy for Arabs to feel American.

So, the sun's going down,
which means it's gonna be time

to break the fast.

And everybody... in this household fasts.

So you gotta have
a lotta food on hand.

A lotta food on hand.

I'm with Suzanne Sareini.

In 1989, she became
the first Arab American

to ever be elected
to the Dear born City Council.

She championed the rights
of new immigrants

who face many of the same
challenges her parents did

when they immigrated from Lebanon.

I don't know that the young men
and women that are coming up today,

actually, know or appreciate the many
people that came before them, sacrificed.

Got booed at.

Today, she's teaching me
to make another staple of the Arab table,

one that was a specialty
of her family's restaurant.

This is kibbeh.

It could be veal. It could be beef.
It could be lamb. It's your preference.

- And today we're doing?
- This is beef.

To make kibbeh, ground meat,
cracked bulgur wheat and onions

are combined with a blend
of spices known as kamouneh,

mixed so well that each ingredient
is almost unrecognizable from the rest.

There are many ways to make kibbeh.

Some baked, some fried,
and some raw, like Suzanne's.

We're gonna put some
of the kamouneh in the bowl.

All of those spices were mixed
with the herbs and a lot of onions.

And then you mix it with the wheat,
and just let it dry for a little bit.

- And this is the bulgur wheat?
- The bulgur wheat.

How's that smell?

That'll open up your sinuses for sure.

See how that meat gets in there,
and start kneading.

Nothing comes through the fingers.

Or one of the old ladies comes after ya
and says, "What are you doin'?"

- I don't want the old ladies after me.
- You got it.

- Yeah.
- It's almost done.

- You did a good job, so.
- Oh, we're just gettin' started.

You gotta mix that...

- Okay.
- ...until you can't tell the difference

- between the meat and the bulgur.
- Okay.

So, you were one of the first

- Arab politicians elected to office?
- Yes. Yes. Yes.

Locally and female and Muslim.

I got hate mail, b*mb threats.

- Wow.
- Now, it's so different if you came here.

I don't even think... you know,
the generation now that's here

understands what came before them.

The sacrifices, the people,
what had to happen.

So, I mean, I'm proud of the work I did.

It made a difference.

The point is, once you become involved,
you know, something bites you.

And you know there's
work you can do out there

that's valuable
and people that need it.

See? How's that goin'?

- Is that lookin' good?
- That looks beautiful.

It does, so now we're gonna...

- Smooth it?
- ...dress it up a little bit.

Suzanne's nourished this community

in more ways than one.

She helped pave the way
for the strong Arab presence

that exists today,

including Suzanne's niece, Lena Sareini,

a three-time
James Beard-nominated pastry chef.

So, is it báklava or bakláva?

I think it depends
on what region you're from.

I've always been used
to calling it baklava.

Raised in the suburb of Dear born,

she joined the Detroit food scene.

And today, she's back home, teaching me
how to make one of her signature dishes.

So it's a mashup of an American classic...

- Yes.
- ...with an Arab classic.

Baklava ice cream sandwiches.

Okay.

For her ice cream sandwich,

Lena swaps American cookies
for classic baklava filo,

and to give an Arab touch
to the ice cream,

she's added ashta, a clotted cream.

She's made the ice cream ahead,

so our first step
is measuring filo with expert precision.

Do you remember
the first time you made baklava?

I started experimenting more
with Lebanese pastries,

like, after culinary school.

When I first started becoming
a pastry chef in the city,

I, like, strayed away
from doing anything Middle Eastern,

and now I, like, kick myself for that

because I just wanted...
I didn't wanna be predictable.

Like, "Oh, the Lebanese girl's
making Lebanese desserts.

Like, of course, she is."

But then I was like,
"Wait, like, if anyone's gonna do it,

it might as well be me
because I actually know what I'm doing."

A lot of my desserts
had Lebanese flairs on them,

and one was called muhallebi,
which is like a rice pudding

without the rice is how I would

- describe it. It's like a milk pudding.
- Okay.

And I topped it
with these preserved nectarines

that I got from Lebanon
when I visited two years ago.

And everyone thought
that was really special,

and it was really cool to use
that ingredient from back home.

Mm-hm.

While the layers of filo bake,
Lena cooks up her spice syrup.

It smells so good.

Look at that.

- Perfect pillows of crunchiness.
- Right?

They look exactly like pillows.

I'm gonna grab the syrup.

Just going to...
kind of drizzle it on top.

See? You could hear it
bubbling a little bit.

That's my favorite part.

Now, we wait for it to cool,
and then we can then make

a fancy, plated dessert at home.

It's gorgeous. It's the fanciest...

- Right?
- ...baklava I've ever seen.

- But that's what chefs do.
- Right?

Fancy everything AF.
There you go.

Should we taste it? Even...

- Oh, you can't taste it.
- Yes.

- You're fasting.
- Yeah, you can go ahead and taste it.

- I've... I know what it tastes like.
- Is that okay

- if I taste it? Do you mind?
- Yeah, go ahead.

Okay, it's a really big bite.

Luckily, I have
a really big mouth.

Mm.

Brain freeze?

Oh, that's so funny.

You got this.

Think warm thoughts.

- Mm-mm. I'm thinking cool thoughts.
- Yes.

- Delicious, crunchy...
- Mm-hm.

- ...syrupy, delicate.
- Yes.

So floral.
That orange blossom is opening up.

- Are you telling the truth?
- I am telling the truth.

- Can't lie during Ramadan.
- I can't. I don't, I don't lie.

- At least not about food.
- Right?

Lena's pastries
are a perfect metaphor,

showing how seamless blending
Arab and American culture can be.

- Thank you. It was great.
- Lovely. You're welcome. Thank you.

That's something many
Americans outside of this community

may not have considered.

Thank you so much
for including me in your iftar.

We're honored to have you here.

Oh, my gosh.
I don't even feel like I deserve it

'cause I did not... I'm gonna
tell you the truth, I did not fast.

But you worked really hard
on the kibbeh, so that counts.

What Dear born
shows us is that there's space

in American culture to be who you are,

love where you come from,
and still be all-American.

You're putting your differences aside
and focusing on the fact that...

And I'm here for every last bite of it.

Delicious.