Lebanese cuisine comprises the culinary traditions and practices originating from Lebanon. It includes an abundance of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish, and seafood. Poultry is eaten more often than red meat, and when red meat is eaten, it is usually lamb and beef Dishes include copious amounts of garlic and olive oil, and are often seasoned with salt and lemon juice. Chickpeas and parsley are also staples of the Lebanese diet.
Well-known dishes include baba ghanouj, tabbouleh, sfeeha, falafel and shawarma. An important component of many Lebanese meals is hummus, a chickpea puree, and many dishes are eaten with flatbread. A plate of vegetables including tomatoes, cucumber, mint, olives and pickles is always served on the table, and a plate of fruits at the end of the meal with a Lebanese coffee. Well-known desserts include baklawa, sfouf, and ka'ak. Some desserts are specifically prepared on special occasions; for example, meghli (rice pudding dessert, spiced with anise, caraway, and cinnamon) is served to celebrate a newborn baby in the family.
Arak is an anise-flavoured liquor and is the Lebanese national drink, usually served with a traditional Lebanese meal. Another historic and traditional drink is Lebanese wine.
History
Lebanese cuisine has ancient roots and is part of the culinary tradition of the Eastern Mediterranean. The diet of early humans in Lebanon was diverse, although hunting focused primarily on large game, particularly adult aurochs, fallow deer, red deer, and wild goats as well as rhinoceroses, which appear to have been a regularly available and significant food resource for Paleolithic inhabitants of the Lebanese coast, as indicated by their comparatively high proportion among the faunal remains at Ras el-Kelb Cave.
Many dishes in Lebanese cuisine can be traced back thousands of years to eras of Phoenician, Persian, Egyptian, Neo-Babylonian, Roman, Greek, Byzantine, Arab, and Ottoman rule. In the last 500 years, Lebanese cuisine has been influenced by the different foreign civilizations that held power. From 1516 to 1918, the Ottoman Turks controlled Lebanon and introduced a variety of foods that have become staples in the Lebanese diet, such as cooking with lamb. After the Ottomans were defeated in World War I (1914–1918), France took control of Lebanon until 1943, when the country achieved its independence. The French introduced foods such as flan, caramel custard, eclairs, french fries, and croissants. The 1885 cookbook Tadhkirat al-Khawatin wa-Ustadh al-Tabbakhin by Lebanese author , published in Beirut, is one of the first widely read 19th century Arabic cookbooks, and was an important text for Levantine cuisine in general for decades.
The Lebanese diaspora who live worldwide has introduced new ingredients, spices, and culinary practices into Lebanese cuisine, keeping the cuisine innovative and renowned both beyond and within its borders.
Lebanese cuisine has become engrained as a staple in a multitude of cultures such as in Australia and in Brazil. It has also served both as a source of identity and income for the diaspora across the world, and as an investment opportunity for individuals and corporations wanting to expand and go global. Lebanese immigration had a significant influence on Mexican cuisine, particularly tacos al pastor, which developed from the vertical-roasting traditions brought by Lebanese immigrants and was adapted using Mexican ingredients and cooking practices.
The impoverishment caused by the Lebanese liquidity crisis forced many Lebanese to avoid traditional Ramadan sweets, as they stuck to the bare essentials, or to pivot to more affordable sweets that do not contain expensive ingredients such as cream or certain nuts, like qatayef. At some point, the price of a kilogram of dessert went from 24,000 Lebanese pounds, to 100,000, then around one-seventh of the minimum monthly wage.
Overview Most often, foods are grilled, baked, or lightly cooked in olive oil; butter or cream is rarely used other than in a few desserts. Vegetables are often eaten raw, pickled, or cooked. Like most Mediterranean countries, much of what the Lebanese eat is dictated by the seasons and what is available. Lebanese cuisine also varies by region. South Lebanon is famous for its kibbe, the Beqaa Valley for its meat pastries (such as sfiha), and North Lebanon and Saida (Sidon) for its sweets.
In Lebanon, very rarely are drinks served without being accompanied by food. Similar to the tapas of Spain, mezeluri of Romania and aperitivo of Italy, mezze is an array of small dishes placed before the guests creating an array of colors, flavors, textures and aromas. This style of serving food is less a part of family life than it is of entertaining and cafés.
Mezze may be as simple as raw or pickled vegetables, hummus, baba ghanouj and bread, or it may become an entire meal consisting of grilled marinated seafood, skewered meats, and a variety of cooked and raw salads and an arrangement of desserts. The assortments of dishes forming the mezze are generally consumed in small bites using a piece of flatbread.
A typical mezze will consist of an elaborate variety of 30 or so hot and cold dishes, which may include:
Salads such as tabbouleh and fattoush Dips like hummus, baba ghanoush, and moutabal Kebbeh, kafta and falafel (fried chickpea balls) Some patties such as the sambusac Stuffed grape leaves and pickles Roasted nuts, olives, and vegetables Condiments like toum and taratour, ideal for spread on sfiha
When dining as a family, the mezze typically consists of three or four dishes, but when served in a restaurant, the mezze can range from 20 to 60 dishes, served in 2 categories as regular mezze or seafood mezze; the variant combinations and dishes involved are plenty. Family cuisine also offers a range of dishes, such as stews (yakhneh) which can be cooked in many forms depending on the ingredients used; they are usually made with meat or chicken and served with rice. A notable type of stew is called bizella (peas) with rice.
Although simple fresh fruits are often served towards the end of a Lebanese meal, there is also dessert, such as baklava and coffee. When sweets are not available, fruits are typically eaten after meals, including figs, oranges and other citrus fruits, apples, grapes, cherries and green plums (janarek). Although baklava is the most internationally known dessert, there is a great variety of Lebanese desserts.
Food preservation
A distinctive feature of Lebanese cuisine is mouneh (, from the Arabic , meaning "to store"), the seasonal preparation and storage of preserved foods for year-round use. Traditionally, households prepared staples such as bulgur, olive oil, labneh, tahini, pickles, jams, tomato paste, makdous, and awarma (lamb confit) during late summer and early autumn, when agricultural produce was most abundant. Historically, these preserves were stored in earthenware jars and canvas sacks in cool rooms or cellars, although they are now more commonly kept in glass jars or bottles. While many households purchase prepared mouneh from local producers, it remains common in rural areas for families to produce their own, sometimes using communal kitchens equipped for large-scale processing and preservation.
Dishes and ingredients Lebanese cuisine combines Turkish, Arab, and French cooking styles. Characteristics include the use of lamb (introduced by the Ottomans), the abundant use of nuts (especially almonds and pine nuts), and dressings made from lemon juice.
Bread The Lebanese use bread, usually flatbread, as an integral part of a meal, and food is generally not served without it.
Pita bread with a pocket, known as khubz Arabi (Arab bread), is widely popular, and may be cut or torn up to dip in various dishes or be stuffed as a sandwich or wrap with ingredients such as falafel or shawarma. Taboon bread is traditionally baked in a taboon oven or a tannur, and is similar to the various tandoor breads found in many parts of Asia. Marquq is prepared much thinner, almost paper-thin, and cooked on a metal saj or pan. Ka'ak is a common Lebanese street bread that is usually consumed as a snack. There are many variations of ka'ak, from being sprinkled with traditional sesame seeds to being stuffed with cheese and za'atar. Manaeesh (mini-pizza) is traditionally garnished with cheese (kashk, in its Lebanese version), za'atar, and spicy diced tomatoes, and may be eaten for breakfast. These are made in many variants in a number of local bakeries or furns. Some bakeries allow customers to bring their own toppings in order to build their own customized manaeesh for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Variants include manakousheh za'atar (thyme pizza) and manakousheh jebneh, which has only cheese. Manaeesh dough can also be eaten with minced meat and onions which is called lahm bi 'ajin. Mini versions are called sfeeha. The same dough can be made into a triangular pie called fatayer, filled with spinach, onions, and sumac.
Dairy Cheese, as well as yogurt and eggs, are used in the cuisine of Lebanon. One of the more recognizable dishes within Lebanon is labneh. Unlike regular yogurt, labneh is strained so as to remove the watery whey, leaving a thicker, creamier consistency. It is spreadable and garnished with olive oil and sea salt. It is an extremely versatile dish that can be served in a mezze platter for either breakfast or dinner. A variant is mixed with garlic. Ejjeh is the traditional omelette of Lebanon. It is made with egg, chopped parsley and scallions. Within Lebanon, people make this omelette with different herbs that are cultivated from their village.
Cheeses Ackawi (also akkawi) is a salty white cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk, but can also be made with goat's or sheep's milk. Baladi cheese has a mild yet rich flavor. It is called the "cheese of the mountains" since it is made in the high mountains by local shepherds in Lebanon. Darfiyeh is a goat cheese matured in a salty goat skin or "darf". It is a seasonal cheese, native to Lebanon's northern mountain villages of Ehden and Bcharre (and not to be confused with baladi cheese). Feta is used in salads and other dishes, although some cooks will use a milder cheese called jibneh baidha (simply "white cheese"). Halloum is a semi-hard unripened cheese, perfect for grilling and frying. Along with akkawi it is traditionally stored in brine, giving it a strong, salty taste (though modern methods have allowed fresher varieties with less salt). Kashkaval is a cheese popular in many Eastern European countries that has made its way into Lebanese cuisine. It melts very quickly and is practical for pasta, pizza, and sandwiches. Nabulsi is similar to halloumi, made by boiling fresh ackawi cheese in a mixture of spices and seeds which are then fried, grilled, or eaten and used in the popular dessert knafeh, a cheese pastry soaked in a sugar-based syrup. Shanklish is made from cow's milk, salted, fermented, and seasoned with thyme and pepper, formed into cheese balls coated in red pepper chilli flakes.
Stews Lebanese stews, often served with rice or flatbread, are made with ingredients found locally available.
Bamieh bi-zeit (okra and tomato stew) is one of the most popular stews. Traditionally, it is served with rice and a basic salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil, with fresh warm bread. This stew combines the distinct flavor of okra with a flavourful tomato sauce. Bamya bel lahmeh (okra and lamb stew) adds small sautéed pieces of filleted lamb. Abu shoushe is a taro and lentil stew. Yakhnet sabanikh is a spinach stew. Fasoulya hamanieh is a kidney bean stew. Makhlouta is made with a variety of beans, wheat, and legumes, and is popular in the town of Baskinta. Mulukhiyah is a stew with mallow leaves, chicken, beef topped with raw chopped onions and vinegar. Mjadrat fasoulya is a kidney bean and lentil stew popular in Rashaya.