Lebanese cuisine represents all aspects of the Mediterranean diet, including an abundance of starches, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish, and other seafood. Poultry is eaten more often than red meat, and when red meat is eaten, it’s usually lamb. Lebanese cooking also includes good amounts of garlic and olive oil.
Usually foods are either grilled, baked, or sautéed in olive oil. Butter and cream are rarely used, other than in desserts. Vegetables are often eaten raw or pickled, as well as cooked. While Lebanese cuisine doesn’t boast an extensive repertoire of sauces, it does focus on herbs, spices, and the freshness of the ingredients.
There isn’t a meal eaten in Lebanon that does not include bread. It is also very rare that drinks are served without food. One of the more healthy and entertaining aspects of Lebanese cuisine is the manner or custom in which food is often served, referred to as Maza. The assortments and combinations of Maza are almost limitless. It’s an impressive spread of small dishes (appetizers) placed before guests, creating an enticing array of colors, flavors, textures, and aromas.
Although simple fresh fruits are often served towards the end of a Lebanese meal, there are also desserts and coffee. The genius of Lebanese food is in its simplicity— a natural bond that all the Lebanese share.
Often regarded as the national dish of Lebanon, Tabbouleh is a salad made from burghul (parboiled cracked wheat), onion, lemon juice, and tomatoes. It owes its fresh flavor to large amounts of chopped fresh parsley.
No recipe of Lebanese origin has gained more importance and fame than the Lebanese Tabbouleh. It has been said that Tabouleh is a Lebanese Maza (hors d’oeuvre) tradition.
Items needed to make Tabouleh:
85 grams (3 oz or 1/2 cup) burghul
2 bunches flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch fresh mint
3 green onions or 1 small onion
1 large tomato
90 mil (3 oz or 6 Tbs) lemon juice
60 mil (2 1/2 oz or 4 Tbs) olive oil
salt
Leave the burghul in water for about 2 hours, then wash and squeeze out. Wash and chop the parsley, mint, and green unions very fine. Dice the tomato. Combine all ingredients including burghul. Add salt to taste, lemon juice, and olive oil and mix well. Serve in a bowl lined with lettuce leaves. This salad can be eaten with a fork, but the traditional way is to scoop up a bite of the mixture in a lettuce leaf.
