Egg in chocolate cream
It dawned on me that Easter is coming up when I saw rows of chocolate eggs all over the chocolate stores in Beirut; figured I needed to come up with something quick. My mother subscribes to a French weekly women’s magazine and leafing through it I found what I was...
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Pistachio chicken (Fustukiyyeh)
You are unlikely to find this dish in a contemporary Middle-Eastern cookbook; the recipe goes back to the 10th century. I read about it in La cuisine de Ziryab (Ziryab’s kitchen) by Farouk Mardam-Bey. The book is a collection of essays on traditional Arab ingredients such as figs, dates, olive, bulgur,...
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Grape molasses sticks (Kaak)
Grape molasses is the most fascinating food to come out of Lebanon; I can tell you the exact moment when I became passionately interested in this food: It was when my mom’s old friend, an energetic and sprightly 84-year old gave me some to taste that she had...
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Eggplant, Morroccan-style (Zahlouk)
I know little of the foods of North Africa, so when I saw Chef Zouhair Zairi‘s new book Moorish Fusion Cuisine, I was instantly interested. His book is filled with mouthwatering dishes (around 70) all made with the best and the rarest of ingredients (such as 50-year old Balsamic vinegar...
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Erbil, Kurdistan
I am spending a few days in Erbil (Kurdistan, Iraq) and here are some snapshots of this fascinating city (and region). This is a quick view of the citadel. This impressive structure contains what used to be around 500 homes and is presumed to be at least 6,000...
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Halvah cream
Lebanon is a small country with the distinction of having been occupied by many cultures through the ages; most recently, the Ottomans were in charge for a few centuries and left an imprint on food. In fact, a lot of the foods people eat is an Ottoman legacy (like shawarma...
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Roast with mashed potatoes (Shahbayieh)
I sat down with my 89-year old aunt, Wadad, to get some information on how things were done in Beirut (food-wise and marketing). Aunt Wadad is a diminutive woman (80 pounds, 4 feet 5″) but she addresses you as if she were a sergeant commanding his platoon. She gave...
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Armenian bulgur salad (Itch)
You may be still in the throes of Winter where you are, but here in Lebanon Spring has arrived; the mountains are getting covered in wildflowers and fruit trees have started to show their blossoms. Winter was barely felt this year. This salad is extra flavorful and when...
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Hazelnut chocolate spread
When I was slathering my baguette with Nutella years ago while living in France I never dreamt that this food would become so popular in the US. In Lebanon every corner market carries Nutella. I guess it is the most popular food Italy has exported in the sweets category. I...
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