Lebanese Cuisine,(Arabic , المأكولات اللبنانية ) Lebanese and Levant cuisine in general is regarded as one of the world's healthiest cuisinesweasel words. It consists of a variety of fresh vegetarian recipes, salads and stews all seasoned with a combination of herbs and spices.
The similarities between most Middle Eastern cuisines cannot be denied. With the language of the countries surrounding the eastern and southern Mediterranean being predominantly Arabic, many of the dishes carry the same names from region to region, though they may be prepared or seasoned somewhat differently. Because of this, the cuisines of the Middle East are often sadly lumped into one homogeneous category, when in truth they can vary greatly.
Lebanese food combines the sophistication and subtleties of European cuisines with the exotic ingredients of the Middle and Far East, it includes an abundance of starches, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood; animal fats are consumed sparingly. Poultry is eaten more often than red meat, and when red meat is eaten it is usually lamb. It also includes copious amounts of garlic and olive oil, often seasoned by lemon juice rarely a meal goes by in Lebanon that does not include these ingredients. Most often foods are either grilled, baked or sauted in olive oil; butter or cream is rarely used other than in a few desserts. Vegetables are often eaten raw or pickled as well as cooked. While the cuisine of Lebanon doesn't boast an entire repertoire of sauces, it focuses on herbs, spices and the freshness of ingredients; the assortment of dishes and combinations are almost limitless. The meals are full of robust, earthy flavors and, like most Mediterranean countries, much of what the Lebanese eat is dictated by the seasons.
In Lebanon, very rarely are drinks served without being accompanied by food. One of the more healthy and entertaining aspects of Lebanese cuisine is the manner or custom in which their food is often served, it's referred to as mezze. Similar to the tapas of Spain and antipasto of Italy, mezze is an array of small dishes placed before the guests creating an awe-inspiring array of colors, flavors, textures and aromas. This style of serving food is less a part of family life than it is of entertaining and cafes. Mezze may be as simple as pickled vegetables, hummus and bread, or it may become an entire meal consisting of grilled marinated seafood, skewered meats, a variety of cooked and raw salads and an arrangement of desserts.
Although simple fresh fruits are often served towards the end of a Lebanese meal, there is also dessert and coffee. Baklava, which is usually associated with Greek cuisine, is also a popular Lebanese dessert. The main difference between the Lebanese variety and its Greek cousin, is Lebanese baklava often contains pistachio nuts and is drizzled with a rose-water syrup, the Greek variety usually contains walnuts and honey.
History
A unique cultural history has helped to make Lebanese food the most popular of all Middle Eastern cuisines. For most of its past, Lebanon has been ruled by foreign powers that have influenced the types of food the Lebanese ate. From 1516 to 1918, the Ottoman Turks controlled Lebanon and introduced a variety of foods that have become staples in the Lebanese diet, including olive oil, fresh bread, baklava (a sweet pastry dessert), laban (homemade yogurt), stuffed vegetables, and a variety of nuts. The Ottomans also increased the popularity of lamb.
After the Ottomans were defeated in World War I (1914–1918), France took control of Lebanon until 1946, when the country won its independence. During this time, the French introduced some of their most widely eaten foods, particularly treats such as flan, a caramel custard dessert dating back to the 1500s, and buttery croissants.
The Lebanese themselves have also helped to bring foods of other cultures into their diet. Ancient tribes journeyed throughout the Middle East, carrying with them food that would not spoil easily, such as rice and dates. These foods slowly became part of the Lebanese diet. As the tribes wandered, they discovered new seasonings, fruits, and vegetables that they could add to their everyday meals. Exotic ingredients from the Far East (east and southeast Asia) and other areas of the world were often discovered by these early tribes.
Introduction to Lebanese Food & Cuisine
The Lebanese gastronomy is a rich mixture of various products and ingredients coming from the different Lebanese regions. Olive oil, herbs, spices, fresh fruits and vegetables are commonly used, as well as dairy products, cereals, fishes and meat. The Lebanese cuisine is extremely rich in flavors and colors and yet often offers recipes easy to prepare and suitable for a healthy diet. Its diversity evokes the abundant generosity and hospitality of Lebanese people.
The Mezze, an elaborate variety of thirty hot and cold dishes, had made the Lebanese cuisine renowned worldwide. A typical Mezze may consist, of salads such as the Tabboule and Fattouch, together with the caviars: Hommos and Moutabal, and some patties such as the Sambousseks and finally the stuffed grape leaves.
The family cuisine offers also a range of dishes, such as the stews or Yakhnehs, which can be cooked in many forms depending on the ingredients used and are usually served with meat and rice vermicelli.
The Lebanese flat pita bread is essential to every Lebanese meal; and can be used to replace the usage of the fork.
The Arak, an anise-flavored liqueur, is the Lebanese national alcoholic drink and is usually served with the traditional convivial Lebanese meals. Another Lebanese drink, which is worth savoring, is the Lebanese wine, which is now enjoying a worldwide reputation.
As for the great variety of Lebanese sweets, we cannot help but recommend the famous pastries, such as the Baklawas and the delicious Lebanese ice cream with its oriental flavors.
Social events play a significant role in the Lebanese gastronomy, as some dishes are particularly prepared on special occasions: the Meghli desert, for instance is served to celebrate a newborn baby in the family.
Common Food & Recipes
This is a selection of appetizers that can be eaten alone as in breakfast, as well as important ingredients of Lebanese dishes
- Ackawi - white cheese originating from the Palestinian town of Akka now called Acre or Akko
- Baba ghanouj - char-grilled eggplant, tahina, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic puree -- served as a dip.
- Baklava - a dessert of layered pastry filled with nuts and steeped in honey-lemon syrup, usually cut in a triangular or diamond shape.
- Balila
- Batata harra
- Fattoush - salad of toasted croutons, cucumbers, tomatoes and mint.
- Falafel - small deep-fried patties made of highly-spiced ground chick-peas.
- Fried cauliflower
- Fried eggplant
- Fuul (Vicia faba) slow cooked mask of brown beans and red lentils dressed with lemon olive oil and cumin.
- Halva - sesame paste sweet, usually made in a slab and studded with fruit and nuts.
- Hummus - dip or spread made of blended chickpeas, sesame tahini, lemon juice, and garlic, and typically eaten with pita bread
- Kebab
- Kunafi - shoelace pastry dessert stuffed with sweet white cheese, nuts and syrup.
- Kibbeh - the national dish, mainly stuffed, can be made in different form like (fried,uncooked,cooked with yogurt)
- Kibbeh naye - raw kibbeh eaten like steak tartar.
- Kofta or Kafta - fingers, *** or a flat cake of minced meat and spices that can be baked or charcoal-grilled on skewers.
- Kousa Mahshi
- Kubideh - served with pivaz (a mix of minced parsley, onions, ground cumin and sumac).
- Labneh
- Ladies' fingers - filo pastry cigars with various fillings
- Lahm bil ajĩn
- Ma'amoul - date cookies shaped in a wooden mould called a tabi made specially for Easter Holiday or Ramadan.
- Manaeesh - collection of oriental pastries
- Mujaddara (Imjaddarra) - cooked lentils together with wheat or rice, garnished with onions that have been sauteed in vegetable oil.
- Mutabbel - made from eggplant
- Pastirma or Bastirma
- Samkeh harra
- Shanklish
- Shawarma
- Shish taouk
- Siyyadiyeh - delicately spiced fish served on a bed of rice.
- Stuffed Grape Leaves
- Tabbouleh - diced parsley salad with burghul, tomato and mint.
- Tahini
- Za'atar (Thyme)
Regional Specialties
Most of these recipes can be found in "Food from the Arab World" by Marie Karam Khayat and Margaret Clark Keatinge.
- Douma: Laban Immo (cooked yoghurt and lamb with rice)
- Hammana: Fasoulya Hammanieh (kidney bean stew)
- Beit Shabab: Riz bi-Djaj (chicken with rice)
- Kfar meshki: Kebbe bil-Kishk (meat mixed with wheat and yoghurt)
- Baskinta: Makhlouta (meat, rice, and nuts)
- Tripoli: Mjadrah and Fattoush (crushed lentils and salad)
- Broummana: Deleh Mehshi (stuffed rib cage of lamb)
- Baino: Kebbe and Lahme bil-khal (meat mixed with crushed wheat and meat soaked in vinegar)
- Dhour Choueir: Shish Barak (meat-filled pastry balls)
- Firzel: Freikeh (cooked wheat with meat)
- Ehden: Kebbe Zghartweih (meat and crushed wheat blend )
- Beit Mery: Kebbe Lakteen (pumpkin-flavoured meat)
- Beirut: Samkeh Harra and Akhtabout (spicy fish and octopus)
- Zahle: Kebbe Zahleweieh (meat and crushed wheat blend)
- Rashaya Al-Wadi: Kebbe Heeleh (meatballs)
- Ras al-Metn: Fatet (yoghurt, fried bread and nuts)
- Ain-Zibdeh: Hareeseh (wheat and chicken)
- Rashana: Mjadrat Fasoulya (lentils and kidney beans)
- Beiteddine: Kafta Bithine (spiced meat with sesame concentrate)
- Ihmej: Ghameh (stuffed cow intestines)
- Sidon: Riz bil-Foul (Rice and fava beans)
- Bsharri: Koussa bil-Laban (zucchini with cooked yoghurt)
- Deir al-Kamar: Fatet Batinjan (yoghurt, fried bread and aubergine)
- Saghbeen: Zankal bil-Laban (meat filled pastry and yoghurt)
- Tyre: Saiyadit al-Samak (rice and fish)
- Koura: Abu Shoushe (sweet potato stew)
- Baalbek: Safiha Baalbakieh (meat-stuffed puff pastry)
- Jbeil: Koussa and Wark Inab bil-Kastaletah (stuffed zucchini, grape vines and steak)
Common Beverages
Coffee
Coffee drinking in Lebanon is so much a part of the culture that it is joked that a Lebanese who didn’t drink coffee could lose his nationality!
Coffee is a big deal in Lebanon. It is served throughout the day, at home and in the public cafes. Lebanese coffee is strong, thick and often flavored with cardamom. It is also usually heavily sweetened. When guests arrive at one's home, they are invariably persuaded to stay for a coffee, no matter how short their visit.
The Lebanese have a long tradition of hospitality and they like entertaining at home. But this tradition also extends to business so that whether you’re visiting a friend or a carpet maker, you’ll always be served a traditional Arab coffee as a sign of welcome, served in a demitasse. The coffee is thick, strong and sometimes lightly flavored. It is poured out in front of the guest from a long-handled coffee pot, and generally served with a glass of water. Lebanese coffee is made with a rakweh (special coffee pot).
The Lebanese host usually asks the guests how they take their coffee; with or without sugar, since sugar is added during preparation, not afterward. When you drink Lebanese coffee, stop before you reach the grounds (tefl) left in the bottom of the cup.
External links
Recipes
Shops
Video
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