Lunch by the Litani river
August 10, 2010 • Category: Travel
Interested in courage? generosity? resilience in front of adversity?
Then you have to meet Abu Kassem and his family.
In a region known for decades as a war zone, now housing thousands of UN troops, lives Abu Kassem and his family. The Litani river, mentioned in the news every time there is talk of Lebanon, packs breathtaking beauty: deep gorges, mountains, steep valleys, waterfalls, olive groves and rows of fig trees at every corner. On Sundays, the river is enjoyed by scores of children, swimming in it as happily as if they were on a beach somewhere at a fancy resort.
Several of us drove down from Beirut to visit Abu Kassem and his zaatar fields in Zawtar; one of the producers from Souk elTayeb, he was the first in Lebanon to successfully farm wild zaatar (a variety of oregano or thyme that grows all over the Eastern Mediterranean basin). Up until then, people would simply forage the mountains for the wild herb, dry it and grind it to make the Lebanese zaatar mix with sesame seeds and sumac. Today, you could safely say Abu Kassem is the foremost authority on zaatar in Lebanon. He talks about this herb using the jargon of a scientist, pointing out grams of zaatar oil (and their market value), medicinal uses for zaatar (used in more than 40 medicinal drugs and known to improve circulation and immunity), different varieties of zaatar, the protein content and chemical composition of this herb, yields of the crop and its (few) diseases; when I exclaimed to him that he had so much knowledge, he smiled broadly and said “I have a fourth-grade education.”
We were supposed to bring a picnic and eat it by the banks of the Litani nearby; instead, Abu Kassem, his wife and four children invited us to share a magnificent meal that they prepared in front of us:
Tabbouleh, meat kebabs, french-fried potatoes and a spicy tomato relish to dip the meat into. They brought a huge vat of parsley and green onions and tomatoes and lemons and every member of the family got busy: the two oldest sons chopping the parsley and onion, the daughters chopping the tomatoes, Abu Kassem getting the coals ready and Um Kassem peeling and slicing the potatoes; we offered to help but mainly sat there, mesmerized by the scenery and their speed and dexterity; a couple of bottles of their family’s olive oil were placed on the table, lemons were squeezed, parsley was washed and chopped. The tabbouleh was ready, the kebabs and the potatoes were sizzling. We sat at a long picnic table by the river and ate to our fill the freshest and most delicious food.
Such hospitality and generosity and warmth, lavished profusely on us, perfect strangers, from folks who had suffered so much: their home had been hit and destroyed by a bomb while they were in it; in 2006, their fields carpeted with cluster bombs, some uncleared to this day (3 million bombs have been dropped in South Lebanon in 2006 over a three day period); yet, they were all smiles, filled with warmth, gratitude and contentment.
We felt so fortunate to have met these folks. They gave us a great lesson in courage and how to live life with wisdom and joy.
Here is a very simple and delicious spiced tomato sauce that I learned about while there:
Mash one or more small red chili peppers with the seeds, add one or two grilled onions and mash; add several grilled tomatoes (remove the charred skin) and mash. Serve with the meat kebabs.
Photos credit http://akezhaya.deviantart.com/gallery
Comments
30 Comments • Comments Feed
Rosa says:
A great place to have lunch!
Cheers,
Rosa
On August 10, 2010 at 9:52 am
Katerina says:
Mediterranean people have a long history with wars, poverty, hunger and total turnaround of their lives. I am very familiar with stories like this, since I come from a country that has endured 2 world wars, 1 civil war, 1 million Greek fugitives from Asia Minor and a military dictatorship which lasted for 7 years having as a result the loss of half of Cyprus. But people always find the strength to overcome all these and go on with their lives, which is very promising. I am sure you had a great time there.
On August 10, 2010 at 10:31 am
Pamela says:
Education and knowledge are definitely not the same, these are the people that make the world a better place and life worth living, thanks for the message in this post, I really needed something like that today, my eldest daughter, only 33, is hospitalized with a deep vein thrombosis, I know she will be fine (so doctors say), but still I ‘m scared, when I read about Abu Kassem I saw everything clear! thanks again
On August 10, 2010 at 10:33 am
Adelina says:
What a beautiful sight. I love the photos. I wish I can try his zaatar.
On August 10, 2010 at 10:35 am
Suman Singh says:
A beautiful place to spend the afternoon and have lunch…love those pics..
On August 10, 2010 at 11:31 am
Sarah Galvin (All Our Fingers in the Pie) says:
Great pictures and you told their story very well. What a beautiful meal!
On August 10, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Faith says:
Reading your posts I’m really longing to go back to the Middle East for a visit! I won’t show my hubby because then the next thing I know he’ll be booking us tickets, lol! (And we promised we’d wait until after we bought a house!) Abu Kassem (and his family) sounds amazing!
On August 10, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Katie @Cozydelicious says:
What an incredible family! Sharing a meal with such generous people is so inspiring. And such a lovely spot – your river pictures are wonderful. You know… I always thought zaatar was the blend of spices – I didn’t realize it was an herb itself!
On August 10, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Krista says:
Beautiful story and wonderful photos, Joumana!! What amazing and lovely people. 🙂 I’m so glad you got to experience such a gorgeous day.
On August 10, 2010 at 9:59 pm
dana says:
Ahh, Joumana. I felt so homesick by reading this post and seeing Alice’s lovely pics. I am glad that you have been in my neck of the woods and that you liked it. A weekend picnic on the Litani is a summer tradition that all southerners keep. I am so impressed by Abu Kassem’s ability to grow za’ater. Was the taste any different from the wild za’atar? Zawtar and nearby Meyfadoun used to be a fertile place to grow tobacco in the first half of the twentieth century. Most families there made their living by planting tobacco and selling crops to the local Regis. Glad to see that other crops are cultivated there as well.
Cheers,
Dana
On August 10, 2010 at 10:42 pm
Joumana says:
@Dana: actually Abu Kassem does have a tobacco crop next to his zaatar one; that’s what keeps his family afloat. I tasted his zaatar and I could not tell any difference with the wild zaatar that grows in the South, and also in the Chouf area where we are from.
On August 11, 2010 at 6:43 am
Pauline says:
What an inspiring family. I found some zaatar mix – it was delicious on tomates provençales.
On August 10, 2010 at 11:51 pm
Conor @ HoldtheBeef says:
What lovely people, and what an impressive bowl of tabbouleh!
On August 11, 2010 at 8:34 am
Sue Stephens says:
What a moving story! I so enjoy your writing Joumana 🙂
On August 11, 2010 at 9:31 am
Devaki says:
Dear Joumana – I am so moved by this post. Goes to prove that material possessions has absolutely nothing to do with true happiness. Incidently, thanks to you I finally purchased my first bottles of zaatar, pom molasses and aleppo pepper this week….big hugs coming your way. You are teaching me a whole new way to cook 🙂
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
On August 11, 2010 at 10:22 am
Lentil Breakdown says:
What a heartwarming and charming post. I’ve found throughout my travels that it is often the people with the least who are the most generous.
On August 11, 2010 at 11:27 am
skip to malou says:
What a compelling post. I had tears in my eyes reading it. You are fortunate to have met people like Abu Kassem and his family. They are the true heroes… unsung heroes!
Cheers!
Malou
On August 11, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Mimi says:
Fascinating post.
Mimi
On August 11, 2010 at 2:45 pm
tony says:
Thank you, Joumana, for this beautiful diary and photos. Amazing, the stories that food can tell. Also, am grateful for the images as my family was from not far from there. Thanks for your work on this nice site.
On August 11, 2010 at 10:24 pm
sweffling says:
What an inspiring family and an evocative post. You make life come alive with your posts – the smells, textures, tastes, countryside, people, thank you so much. I must visit some time.
On August 12, 2010 at 5:08 am
Kathleen says:
He looks so much like my late grandpa that it made my heart hurt. How wonderful to know his story.
On August 12, 2010 at 10:28 am
Hanaa says:
Such beautiful pictures of beautiful people and beautiful food. I can almost “taste” their hospitality from here :o)
On August 12, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Amanda says:
Thanks so much for sharing such a warm portrait of a strong, loving generous family. There is so much to be admired in these people and their honest way of life and it is good to be reminded of what really counts in this life.
On August 12, 2010 at 8:33 pm
Alépine says:
Très intéressant ! Les photos donnent envie d’y être
On August 24, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Ghada says:
Thanks Joumana for this post. Walked me back down memory lane. I come from South Lebanon and having lunch by the Litani river used to be our favorite pass time during summer.
On October 7, 2010 at 11:09 pm