Lebanon Stole My Heart

Lebanon, Lebanon. Where to start? I was only there for a week but so much was crammed into that time. I was there for work, developing some materials through a community based approach where I was working with beneficiary focus groups and field staff for edits to the materials. This was a follow up to my work in Peru.

And Lebanon...where I'd be dying to go since childhood. It amazed me. It overwhelmed me. It challenged me.

Let's start with Beirut--a fantastic, gorgeous city. The coastal corniche walk around the city is beautiful, with one highlight being "Pigeon Rocks"(see left). Gorgeous cafe culture, and the ever present mosques and churches dotting the beautiful city. Roman ruins scattered throughout the downtown area, somehow having survived the bombings in 2006. I got a good feel for Beirut and walked all over it.

I explored the American university--an oasis green patch in the middle of dense Beirut. I enjoyed many an (overpriced) cup of coffee at people watching cafes. Middle Eastern chic is the best way to describe the trendiness with a seamless blending of traditional. Lots of women in headscarves and some men in 'traditional' clothing as well.

One tourist highlight was the Beirut organic farmers market. The famous "souk el tayeb" takes place on Saturday and I got to sample many delicious foods. Farmers markets everywhere excite me!

And...the food: Oh. my. The food! I had taken the NYTimes article in December on Lebanese food very seriously and got to try most places they recommend.

Most meals start with a dish of olives and nuts. Sometimes radishes. Sometimes a plate of fresh mint or arugula with pepper slices. Always accompanied by fresh pita. Pita, and more pita.

I loved the moutabal (Lebanese babaganoush) and its smokey freshness. All hummus I had was divine--as I read in one article "an earthy milkshake" with perfect parts chickpea and tahini. Served with olive oil drizzled on top, and sometimes mint or pomegranate seeds.

Flaky pastries with tangy greens inside, with a drop of lemon. (see left). Fried haloumi cheese and grilled phyllo dough cheese wraps topped my list, as did the dish with layers of grilled chicken, then hummus, then yogurt with pinenuts--a surprise and a special treat! Grilled meats with garlicky paste. Dolma (vineleaves, as they call them) filled with minced lamb or rice and tomato sauce. Fresh as can be tabbouli (heavy on parsley, light on the grain) served with lettuce for scooping.

Pudding or nut-based desserts with rosewater or orange blossom water. Another favorite was knefeh, a slice of grilled cheese placed in a Lebanese lightweight and not dense sesame 'bagel' doused with sweet rosewater syrup. Beetroot tahini--a pink hummus. Rose wine.

Now I can't miss the beans--the incredible big white beans in foule with lemon and garlic and parsley, or the fattoush (see left), a perfect blend of arugula and lettuce with tomato chunks and cucumber and tiny radish slices with mint galore and a dazzling dressing of pomegranate molasses (which gives it an incredible tang) with top quality olive oil--and with crusty crunchy pita chips mixed in. And the kibbeh with lemon squeezed on it, and the insanely tasty "meat dough pie" with flakey dough and lamb topped with pomegranate molasses. Strained greek yogurt called "labneh". Lots of fresh oranges and apples served between meals. I had a delicious ice cream that was apricot with pine nuts in it.

In sum...perhaps the best week of eating I've ever had. I brought some things home like the best baklava ever, some labneh balls, and zatar (thyme+sesame seeds for olive oil dipping), but sadly the airport officials confiscated my olive oil and wouldn't say why.

The music was sensational. I bought some CD's to remember the music. Check out the oud, it's a gorgeous instrument.

More soon!