post 124/365
As winter nights get colder, a white coffee-less latte that smells like a fragrant dessert full of aromas and texture gets prepared in Lebanese homes. It’s a gorgeous drink that is sweet, warm, spicy, creamy, crunchy, chewy and fragrant all at once.
post 121/365
Some places exude elegance and a certain refinement just by there mere esthetic; such is the case of this beautiful Lebanese restaurant in the heart of Achrafieh. Liza restaurant occupies the second floor of former Abdallah Bustros’ 19th-century palace. Devised by designer Maria Ousseimi, LIZA’s historically charged, romance infused interior is a reflection of a very tangible reverie of old glamour infused with modern interior that flows from one room to the next.
post 117/365
In Lebanon, we practically have a different kind of dessert for every occasion. Meghleh to celebrate the birth of a child, Snayniyeh for teething, Maamoul for Easter, Awwamat for Ghtas, killaj for Ramadan, a’mhiye for Barbara, and. Every dessert’s name hides a little story behind it. Snayniyeh is derived from “snan”, which means teeth and this scrumptious dessert is usually prepared to celebrate the appearance of a child’s first tooth.
post 112/365
What if you were to indulge, just completely let go, and sink into a fresh bowl of Labneh? Become drenched in that sour creamy texture encapsulating everything that is great about our food. Taste it. Savor it. So rich, your tongue becomes thick with it. Frothy and smooth with a hint of saltiness, it’s a dish saturated with pure bliss, overflowing at the brim with zesty green olive oil.
post 105/365
One of the most pleasurable cups of coffee I sip isn’t actually made from coffee beans at all; it’s a Lebanese ahwe bayda, a soothing tisane like hot beverage made from sweet-scented orange flower water.
post 102/365
The relationship between humans and wheat, bread’s key ingredient, goes back thousands of years to hunter-gatherer times. Wheat is known to have grown on several continents in ancient times, though it thrived mostly in an area known as the Fertile Crescent, a region that includes parts of modern day Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine.
post 101/365
The fresh flowers blooming in the spring sway with the grass to the rhythm of the wind. All of this happens so fast, so quickly, no one notices. Here in the valley, lost in their labors, people work this fertile land, alike so open and welcoming, they are. The many vineyards of this valley are like a necklace that adorns her. The sun sits above her at daytime as the stars open up at nighttime. The motionless hills that surround her are like hips altered with age.
post 93/365
The many charms of Lebanese food is its varied desserts, rich, sweet, and full of flavors. Sometimes a name can elevate and carry a certain resonance to something so simple. This amazingly aromatic dessert that is quite refreshing with a rich complex taste stemming from subtle hints of Mastic (Arabic Gum), orange blossom water and rose water carries a poetic name that speaks volumes about our culture.
post 87/365
Days before a woman is about to give birth, the whiff of cinnamon and caraway start filling the house with their comforting aromas full of warm spicy notes. No Lebanese baby can be welcomed into this world, without the proper and best Meghlé. This dessert is a rice pudding made from rice flour, sugar and cinnamon with ornaments of desiccated coconut flakes, pistachios, walnuts, almonds and pine nuts making it one fancy dessert reserved for such delightful occasions. It is infused with the warming flavors of cinnamon, caraway and anise. This exotic dessert is a taste of our culture, and insight into our spice-filled way of life.
post 77/365
Another slow food foundation for the protection of food biodiversity is our very own keshek el foukara (poor man’s cheese). Majdel Zoun is located around ten kilometers from the ancient city of Tyre, a small village of Muslim farmers situated in a dry stony landscape. Their Keshek el fouqara in fact uses no milk, whereas keshek is commonly made with goat’s milk yoghurt.
365 Days of Lebanon 