Christmas goodies in Beirut
December 23, 2009 • Category: Main Dish
You can safely say that when it comes to food and confections everything in Beirut is over-the-top. My preference however is for the simpler, homemade, delicacies that are available year-round and bear the signature of charitable associations that help needy families. The photo above is a sample of their creations. Sesame brittle, date-stuffed shortbread rolls, marzipan domes enclosing pistachio paste and candied orange rinds. I could eat those by the dozens. Sitting at a sidewalk cafe sipping tea or Turkish coffee and gazing at people walking by.
Amardeen is a confection that is made with Syrian-grown apricots, it is an apricot paste; a favorite snack with kids, also melted and used in drinks and puddings; the pistachio nougat is softer than the French one and quite yummy if you like nougat.
Here are some photos of Beirut by night, in the downtown shopping district.
Comments
18 Comments • Comments Feed
fimère says:
de très belles magnifiques photos, bravo
bonne soirée
On December 23, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Mona says:
Very nice pictures … Merry Christmas dear Jumana.
On December 23, 2009 at 4:20 pm
spice says:
nice clicks…specially like those shortbread rolls with date filling
On December 23, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Rosa says:
Nice cookies!
Merry Christmas!
Cheers,
Rosa
On December 23, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Nadjibella says:
Toujours un plaisir de passer te voir.
Il va falloir aller visiter Beyrout.
Joyeuses fêtes et à bientôt.
On December 23, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Ann says:
Seasons Greetings to you, Joumana! I have a little blog gift for you at my website, please stop by to pick it up =)
On December 24, 2009 at 12:31 am
Maninas says:
I love the photo of the mosque at the bottom, with the moon in the background.
Happy Christmas, my dear!
On December 24, 2009 at 7:19 am
Sophie says:
Those foodie goodies look sublime!! Now, I want to taste it all,..each 1 for 1,…
I wish you & your Family a lovely & great Christmas & a happy, fun & apart 2010!!!
On December 24, 2009 at 7:21 am
Joanne says:
Like you, I am a fan of the simpler things during the holidays. These treats certainly look perfect to me!
Merry Christmas!
On December 24, 2009 at 9:04 am
northshorewoman says:
I’m glad I stumbled upon your blog. The recipes you post are great, and so too the photos. I can imagine that each post takes you some time. Thanks for sharing. Finnish Christmas’s traditionally have been very simple. Very quiet. Very few gifts. Very little company. Simple baking and cooking. However, Finnish Canadians have joined the Anglo consumer madness over the years. Madness.
On December 24, 2009 at 11:36 am
Julie says:
Je te souhaite un joyeux Noël Joumana, passe de belles fêtes,
Bises
On December 24, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Marysol says:
TOB, if that tray of cookies and confections were all I got this Christmas, I’d be decking the halls, and singing Christmas carols until I dropped from a sugar-induced coma.
Merry Christmas to you!
On December 24, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Bria says:
Amardeen and nougat– known in Iran as ghaz. Two of my favorite confections ever. Maybe not the most friendly to my dental work, but I still love them!
On December 24, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Murasaki Shikibu says:
I just discovered an ‘Arab Sweet Store’ in my city! Gotta go and check it out. 🙂
On December 24, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Ivy says:
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your family with good health above all.
On December 25, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Arlette says:
You know my first job in the Airline Industry was with TWA and our office was in Riad El Solh, many times i couldnt find a taxi to take me to work, I used to walk from Mouseitbeh to Riad El solh, hiding from the sniper, It was a very tuff time, I worked three years in the Downtown, and look at it now… gorgeous and beautiful .
I willl not be able to recognize the area when I go back for a visit.
On February 24, 2010 at 10:39 pm
Joumana says:
No kidding! You would not believe how posh the place looks! I remember taking the service from the museum area where my school was going through Mazraa with sniper fire that was the beginning of the war in the late seventies.
On February 24, 2010 at 10:42 pm
Afaf says:
Oh my God all the sweets make me want to go to Lebanon, do you also call the date short bread ( makrota) , could you give me the recipie please, and the orange rinds and the nogat, any of them that you have will do thank you for sharing these pictures with us Jumana, and bless your heart for this wounderful blog ,ever since i found it two weeks ago i’ve been reading all your recipies, learned alot and altered alot.:)
On April 3, 2010 at 1:49 am