Wild herbs in Lebanon
May 3, 2012 • Category: Main Dish
The list of wild herbs is long in Lebanon and this post is just a start. Here Asma, a wonderful Kurdish/Lebanese lady is holding a bunch of wild sage picked up in a forest clearing in a mountain 40 minutes from Beirut.
Sage (wild or cultivated) is a great remedy for digestive troubles; try it in the morning by making it into a tea with some honey on an empty stomach.
The only thing I was able to gather is that this edible herb is called chinook in Kurdish, that it was used to make soap and that it comes from a tree with sap. (More research required!)
This one is a type of wild peas, the pod contains tiny peas that are crunchy and sweet.
Comments
24 Comments • Comments Feed
Lyndsey@TheTinySkill says:
So cool to see wild herbs and seasoning that they use in other countries.
On May 3, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Rosa says:
Lovely and so interesting! The last one is quite intriguing.
Cheers,
Rosa
On May 3, 2012 at 12:48 pm
Belinda @zomppa says:
How awesome – nature does provide! Only…I’m not sure I’d recognize it all!
On May 3, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Alaiyo Kiasi says:
Hi Joumana,
My education continues via your wonderful blog. That wild sage looks like it’s bursting with flavor. I would be so excited to find wild peas–they are also beautiful.
On May 3, 2012 at 4:20 pm
deana says:
I love learning about all the wild herbs they are out there… wild sage sounds so awfully good and I’ve never seen wild peas before… they are adorable!
On May 3, 2012 at 5:09 pm
Joan Nova says:
Wonderful photos!
On May 3, 2012 at 6:30 pm
Susan says:
Wonderful, beautiful photos!
On May 3, 2012 at 8:50 pm
Mark Wisecarver says:
Bliss 😉
Any Sage leftover can just be hung to dry, forever, it’s beautiful and savory even if just watching over you.
On May 4, 2012 at 5:25 am
Christine @ Fresh says:
So interesting! Herbs and spices make dishes so lively, I wish we had more herbs at the local markets. I’d love to try those wild peas.
On May 4, 2012 at 6:57 am
gateau algerien says:
it’s called Mariyamia in arabic, it’s good to darken the hair, and also, for diabetic, my grany take it a lot, and every time her doctor is amazed bout her blood sugar.
On May 4, 2012 at 3:24 pm
Joumana says:
@gateau algerien: Here it goes by as3een or meramyeh. Did not know about the hair and blood sugar properties, thanks for sharing!
On May 4, 2012 at 10:42 pm
gateau algerien says:
you are more than welcome my dear
On May 5, 2012 at 8:33 am
Jamie says:
I love your photos – beautiful. And really interesting – we don’t see wild herbs around here anymore.
On May 6, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Kathy says:
Joumana, Such an interesting post…Love seeing your photos and so enjoy your commentary!
On May 6, 2012 at 3:49 pm
Fadia says:
Hi, I am Lebanese and I am living in Australia, would you please any one tell me what we call the rcheid in english or where I can find picture of the rcheid on the internet? Thanks fadia
On May 22, 2012 at 4:42 am
Joumana says:
@Fadia: I will ask around and hopefully will have an answer for you soon.
On May 22, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Fadia says:
Could you please answer me by email send the answer to my email address fatamech68@yahoo.com. Thanks Fadia
On May 22, 2012 at 4:46 am
Josiane Eid says:
Hi Joumana. I really enjoy your post. I grew up in Lebanon at the same time as you, and had a teta and a Jeddo. I have been looking everywhere for the name of the lebanese herb that we call “Tayyoun” in my village. Is it the same as sage? They sure smell alike.
Thanks
Josiane
On August 21, 2013 at 7:00 am
Joumana says:
@Josiane: I will ask a lady who might know (remind if I forget, got a lot on my plate right now); what I do know is that each herb has a different name depending on the region, like sage is called as3een in the Chouf and Meramiyeh in other areas. I have heard tayyoun mentioned so I am sure someone would know in the rural areas.
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On July 20, 2018 at 9:35 pm
Tamer K says:
Good website…I was wondering about the properties of مشي (بتشديد الشين) and its translation in English or French…the Shuf area of Lebanon where I live has an abundance of this herb…thanks
On April 11, 2023 at 8:47 am
Joumana Accad says:
@Tamer K I actually lived (and most likely will return ) in the Shouf as well and my friend Oum Elias showed me the messhe and we even went on a harvesting trip on morning, not far from where I live in Deir el Qamar. She then showed me how she cooks it. I think I published it in a post. However, I never found out what this herb is called in French or English. I need to find out!!
On April 18, 2023 at 2:43 am
Joumana Accad says:
Check out this post! (I should combine them); I went foraging for this very same herb with my friend Um Elias! https://www.tasteofbeirut.com/foraging-wild-edible-greens/
On April 18, 2023 at 2:50 am
Jean Deerfoot says:
I’m in the USA where can I find habae from Lebanon near the mountains it was said Mother Mary collected these herbs to help people
On June 24, 2024 at 5:47 pm