Green olives
I have a passion for olives; ever since my arrival in Beirut, I have been eating so many every day that I decided to limit my intake to twenty a day. Um Elias, a seasoned farmer from the Chouf mountains, told me I could pick them early and pickle...
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Whole fig preserve
One feature of life in Lebanon that is a big positive is the abundance of fruit trees that seem to grow everywhere; figs and olives being a prime example. We had a large bucket of figs; they were not the best figs of the season but they were still...
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Potato pie with halloumi cheese and zaatar
The longer I stay in Beirut, the more impressed I am with women here and how impeccably groomed they are. In the US, getting one’s hair or nails done was not at the top of the list. Here, beauty is serious business. Take the beauty parlor, for instance: I...
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Eggplant in a walnut and pomegranate sauce
Beirut tonight is in effervescence: it is the week-end for Eid Al-Fitr, the celebration that seals the end of Ramadan. The streets in some neighborhoods are lit up with twinkling lights and everyone is rushing about ordering massive amounts of pastries at the well-known shops in town. I had...
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Fish fillets in a citrus and honey sauce
One of my favorite places in Beirut is called Café Rawda; it is right on the Mediterranean shore, next to a decrepit luna park and a row of no less decrepit beaches. So nostalgia is part of the appeal, as it is located in the area where Beirut owed...
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Pomegranate drink with pine nuts and rose water
How would you get around a city if the streets had no signs? If nobody paid any attention to turn signals or traffic lights? I am getting used to rolling down my window and stretching my left arm when I want to turn left. The one advice I keep hearing...
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Pistachio shortbread rings (Ghraybeh w-fustok)
If there is one common denominator to all Lebanese it is their propensity to discuss politics. The taxi driver, the baker, the pharmacist, the grocer and everyone else has definite opinions and feels knowledgeable about the topic. Yesterday, I was at the grocer’s shop down the street; his shop...
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Armenian bulgur salad (Itch)
Up until a couple of years ago, my knowledge of Armenian cuisine was limited. Even though I had grown up with Armenian friends in school, I had no idea what Armenians ate besides sujuk and basterma. Then I heard about an Armenian restaurant called Mayrig and I wanted to try...
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Rice cream and rosewater jelly with nuts (Moubattaneh)
Kamal Mouzawak was describing a dessert his grandmother used to make, a sort of pudding made of rice and covered with walnuts and syrup. He was getting so lyrical about it, I was fascinated. I was picturing a grandma, wearing a bun and an apron, stirring and stirring rice...
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