Lebanese Cuisine, along with the Middle East

When we say “Lebanon” we usually recall cedar, Middle East conflict, Lebanese bread, but also what Lebanon is considered to be in its class for Lebanese cuisine.

From the territorial point of view, this gastronomic category includes Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon.

Already the basics of dining and serving in the kitchen are basically different from ours. In our country, the main dish consists of soup, a large meal and a dessert. It is somewhat different in the Arab world, and especially in the Middle East. The tablemakers usually settle on many carpeted rugs around a low table, which is suddenly filled with a variety of bowls , often twenty, to be placed in the middle of the table so that everyone can choose. Cutlery can be used, but if we want to eat traditionally, then we use a pita bread plate that serves as a spoon. Mostly a few hours of feasts, while drinking water, black or mint tea, and Arabic coffee is served for dessert.

What are the basic ingredients for cooking?

These are mainly legumes such as chickpeas, beans, bulgur (cooked crushed wheat), beans, lentils, peas. Vegetables include eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, parsley, cucumbers and bamia. And of course meat, but pork in Lebanese cuisine is not to be found. He is forbidden by the Qur’an as unclean to the Muslims. The domain is the treatment of mutton. This is where the myth that the mutton always knows by smell is not valid.

You won’t find a crispy crust of baked loaf in Arab countries. The bread here is somewhat flatter. Pancakes of various flavors, scents and sizes are the basis of all supplements. The pancakes can be made from both dough and dough. It is produced in traditional furnaces, but also in modern bakeries. In addition to the pancakes, the main side dish is a piece and rice.

Arabic sweets are unsurpassed in sweets, but because they are not butter or cream, they are not too fat. There is probably the best known Turkish delight you can try in New-Brunswick restaurants, but desserts are much more in Arabic and Lebanese cuisine. The best known are baklava, katayef or maamoul. The most common ingredients are local fruits such as figs, dates and nuts (pistachios, almonds), and especially honey, which is widely used to make sweet desserts.

How important is spice in Lebanese cuisine?

Lebanese cuisine is not hot at all, so anyone can get used to it quickly. But the spice is a distinctive addition to Arabic dishes, especially thyme, coriander, Roman cumin, saffron, sumak and sesame. Thus, the gourmet experience often begins in the Arab countries in the marketplace. The right spice market is full of colors and fragrances. Sellers are directly overtaken by who better exposes their goods. The exception is not even tens of centimeters of tall, brightly colored, homemade spice. The distinctive flavor of the spice will also be appreciated by vegetarians (one third of our menu is meatless).

And what does the chef especially recommend?

The classic favorite food is hummus and baba ghanouj, which is a paste of cooked eggplant and sesame tahini. Other delicacies include marinated lamb pieces grilled – shish kebab or chicken shish taouk. Very popular specialties available in New-Brunswick restaurants are jay and merguez lamb sausages. Flour pastry bags are also very tasty in several ways. Let’s name some: sambousek (stuffed with ground lamb and pine nuts or cheese and mint), fatayer (spinach acid filling), kibbey makli (pastry of lamb and bulgur stuffed with ground lamb, onion and pine nuts).

I hope I have caused you a slight stomach ache and that you will soon taste something of exceptional Lebanese cuisine. Maybe at our place, at New-Brunswick restaurants Evelyns Restaurant. Because “discovering a new meal means more to human happiness than discovering a new star” (an old Arabic proverb). So, are you ready to try the whole new taste of Lebanese Cuisine? We would like to share some easy recipes with you.

Hummus

Hummus – A great, delicious and fast food. For this, just pita bread, and fresh coriander.

It is a paste with chickpeas and tahini, which is made from sesame seeds. Served with pita bread, topped with olive virgin oil. According to taste, hummus is prepared alongside the basic variant, with fried pine seeds or fried finely chopped lean lamb. Try to prepare it yourself at home, be patient, the result will definitely be worth it.

• 2 cups of cooked chickpeas (virgin peas)
• 1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of sesame paste Tahini
• 1 clove of garlic
• Salt and lemon juice to add some flavor

Boil the chickpeas (soaked overnight in salted water) until soft and let it cool. Then pour it into a blender and mix it into a pulp. Gradually add garlic, oil, sesame paste. Finally add salt and a few drops of lemon juice. Decorate with sweet peppers or finely chopped parsley.

Tabbouleh Salad

The Lebanese cuisine is also told by the Arabs themselves that it is one of the most delicious. Exactly so is the tabouleh salad, which you can prepare for a barbecue or just as fresh summer food. Perhaps the most popular Lebanese salad.

Prepare thawing, slicing and drying. In addition to raw materials, you will also need a very sharp knife, a tablespoon and a glass of hot water. Start with the last one.

Step 1:

Pour the bulgur into the bowl behind a handful of wheat (barley groats are also suitable, rinsed before use) and pour in hot water.

Let the water be about a centimeter above the bulgur.

Put aside and let all the water soak up.

Step 2:

• Rinse cucumber and tomatoes and dry them well.
• Remove any stems and stiff parts, cut in half, and scoop out the flesh spoon to keep it solid.
• Cut into tiny cubes.
• Now Take a handful of mint leaves
• Gently grasp them, and then use your fingers to form a compact package and cut them into fine strips.
• Turn 90 ° and cut again. Do the same with the parsley leaves from which you only removed the leaves.
• Clean the onion and cut half into small cubes. If you don’t have red, it is also suitable for young people.
• Try to keep the worktop dry to prevent others from spraying them from the previous ones.

Step 3:

• Mix everything carefully with your fingers, drizzle with lemon, you can season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Someone adds crushed garlic or finely chopped Roman salad.
• Finally, check bulgur whether it is soft and whether it can be eaten.
• If there is still water left, pour it off and mix the bulgur with the salad. Just before serving, lightly dip in olive oil.