Lebanese Cuisine

Book excerpt: New Update Edition. Lebanese cuisine is perhaps one of the most typical expressions of Middle Eastern cuisine, extremely varied and heavily influenced by the Arab-Muslim tradition. This is especially noticeable in the prevalence of the use of lamb meat, in the abundant use of dried fruit, especially almonds and pine nuts, and in the lemon juice-based condiments. Lebanese cuisine is a delight for nothing expensive. Using fresh, flavourful ingredients and refined spices, the Lebanese have acquired the best aspects of Turkish and Arab cuisines and given them a French twist. The soups are light, enriched with lentils and spiced with cinnamon. A typical dish is tabbouleh, a salad of parsley, tomatoes and burghul, with numerous variations, the taste definitely reminiscent of lemon. Stuffed vegetables such as courgettes, pumpkins, aubergines and chard with vegetarian fillings, meat and rice and meat and pine nuts are widespread. The "kabees", the Lebanese pickles, but also salads and lots of seasonal fruit are commonly found on the tables. In desserts, Lebanese cuisine provides for almost "professional" preparations that make it almost impossible to prepare desserts at home, which are ten consumed outside the home in front of coffee. Domestic desserts include "mamool" and "kak el-eed", a sort of biscuit with a hole.