Cultural contributions
A camel rider from Jacksonville chain The Sheik
Perhaps the Arab community’s most conspicuous contribution has been the city’s ubiquitous Middle Eastern restaurants, delis, sandwich shops, and bars. Many immigrants and their descendants have gravitated to the food service business as a way of keeping the homeland’s traditional cooking traditions alive. Local chains like the Sheik, neighborhood delis like Avondale’s Pinegrove Market, and hookah lounges like the Casbah are found in almost every neighborhood.
These restaurants have given Jacksonville its most distinctive food product, the camel rider. Also called the desert rider or simply rider, it was created here in the 1960s. A quick, flavorful lunchtime dish for working people, a traditional rider consists of ham, salami, bologna and sandwich fixings stuffed into a pita, and comes with a side of tabbouleh and a cherry limeade. Various eateries sell rider variations like the steak in a sack, veggie rider and the shrimp rider. Today over 50 local restaurants serve riders, and they’ve spread to other cities. The rider has earned write-ups as a characteristic Jacksonville food in various magazines, blogs, and The New York Times.
Syrians and other Arab Americans have contributed much to Jacksonville, and the city has benefited immensely by creating a welcoming environment for them. This is a tradition worth preserving: a Jacksonville without riders would be no Jacksonville at all.
Article by Bill Delaney. Article originally published on MetroJacksonville.com on December 5, 2015. Contact Bill at wdelaney@moderncities.com