BL-24 - Flipbook - Page 91
FOOD & DRINK
The Lebanese table
Lebanese cooking falls into two
categories: tabkha, or home cooking,
and the more pimped-up mezze, the
ornate spreads found in restaurants
that precede either a meat or seafood
main, followed by lavish sweets, fruit,
and thick, cardamom-infused coffee.
Sunday lunch is sacred,
an excuse for the extended
family to gather...loud, long
tables will often host three
generations of family and
friends.
Arak, the essential companion to Lebanese
mezze
Tabkha is what Lebanese people eat
most of the time. Traditional family
recipes, generously served, especially
vine and cabbage leaves, courgettes
and aubergines, often stuffed with
rice and meat. Bulghur (for kibbeh)
and lentils (for mujadara) are
Gemmayzeh district of Beirut called
Le Chef. Unfairly sniffed at by the
Lebanese bourgeoisie, but adored
by the late Anthony Bourdain, it is
a temple to tabkha. There is a set
menu. On Thursday, it is molokhia
a dish of rice on which is served a
stew of jute mallow and chicken,
garnished with crushed, fried pita
bread and an onion and vinegar
sauce. Friday is 昀椀sh day: sayadieh,
made with seasoned halibut or sea
bass, and browned, oily rice, is the
most popular dish.
Sunday lunch is sacred, an excuse
for the extended family to gather
either at home, or at a restaurant in
which loud, long tables will often
host three generations of family and
friends. The typical mezze spread
will typically include hummus (with
or without lamb chunks); mtabal
batenjen (that’s baba ghanoush
The Most Important Meal
of the Day
The Lebanese breakfast is spearheaded
by either Arabic coffee or black tea.
Manoushe, a folded mini pizza, is
topped with either za’atar, a blend of
thyme, oregano, sesame and spices
that is the basis of many Lebanese
dishes; cheese; kishek, a paste made
from fermented bulgur wheat and
yoghurt or milk; or spiced mince.
Equally popular is foul medames, fava
beans mixed with olive oil, cumin,
chopped parsley, garlic, onion, and
lemon juice. But beware: this is “carbcoma” territory, and the day can be
over before it’s begun.
Not far away will be labneh, thick
white yogurt drizzled with olive
oil, as well as white cheeses such
as balladeh or akkaoui, presented
with mint, cucumber, olives and
tomatoes. In winter, kishek is made
in soup form with garlic and meat,
but those seeking the “full Lebanese”
should opt for bayd qawarma, minced
meat preserved in fat, served with
scrambled eggs and washed down
with a shot of arak.
Kibbeh, deep-fried pounded bulgur wheat, pine nuts, lamb and spices
hugely important ingredients, as are
garlic, sumac, oregano, mint and
za’atar. Salads, such as omnipresent
tabbouleh and its bumpkin cousin
fattoush, are a staple, as is loubieh
bi zeit, green beans and tomatoes
cooked in oil. Pastries too, 昀椀lled with
cheese, spinach or chard.
There is a restaurant in the
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ISSUE 24
to you); tabbouleh or fattoush;
shanklish (goats cheese mixed with
tomatoes, onions and olive oil);
maqanaq (small sausages cooked
with pomegranates); and kibbeh
nayeh, which, when drenched in oil,
piled high with onion and mint, and
washed down with arak, must surely
be the “money shot” of Lebanese
dining.
