BL-24 - Flipbook - Page 92
FOOD & DRINK
Sweets
Sweets are a big deal; even at
breakfast, when knafeh, a 昀氀an made
with spun pastry dough, layered with
cheese and served with a sweet syrup,
often sneaks onto the table. At other
times of day, you might 昀椀nd baklava,
which originated in what is today
Syria; halawet il jibn, rolls made with
semolina and cheese dough, 昀椀lled with
ashta (clotted cream); and osmalieh,
made with layers of shredded pastry
with a creamy 昀椀lling. These are
Lebanese cuisine’s front-line troops in
the war against a trim waistline.
It is impossible to cover such a
vast culinary tradition, one that
has been in昀氀uenced by the ancient
Phoenicians, the Persians, Romans,
Arabs, Ottomans, and Armenians as
well as the much-travelled Lebanese
themselves. There is much more to
seek out. Happy hunting!
As the Lebanese say at any meal to
those who have provided the food:
Daymi inshallah. “May [times like
these] always be like this.”
Michael Karam is the author of “Arak
and Mezze: The Taste of Lebanon”
Moutabal, a smoky aubergine dip essential
to the mezze table
And to
drink?
Lebanon is one of the world’s oldest
winemaking regions and today can
take a seat at the top table of the wine
world. While wine will never dislodge
arak at the traditional Lebanese dining
table, it is a popular alternative,
especially for those who don’t like
aniseed. The Lebanese drink a lot of
white and rosé during the summer,
while their more muscular red wines
are reserved for the cooler months.
Boisdale – in collaboration with
Chateau Ksara, Lebanon’s leading
producer, founded in 1857 by Jesuits
in the Bekaa Valley – lists its own
red and white Bekaa Valley Grande
Cuvée: both are wonderful examples
of French-in昀氀uenced winemaking
(France ran Lebanon from 1918 to
1946) allied to a profound and ancient
terroir.
Boisdale Bekka Valley Grande Cuvée and Grand Cuvée Blanc
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BOISDALELIFE.COM
ISSUE 24
