The gastronomy in Lebanon

As in many Mediterranean areas, the Lebanese gastronomic tradition has been influenced by numerous contacts with other cultures over the centuries.
Although it is a territory of reduced extension, Lebanon, thanks to its climatic variety, can count on a large assortment of elements. Next to fish dishes, meat, vegetables and an abundant use of spices are among the basic ingredients of Lebanese cuisine.

Among the most traditional dishes there is the sayadiya, a preparation based on rice and fish and served with dried fruit, such as almonds and cashews. Along with the sayadiya we usually eat fish cooked with tahini (a cream made from white sesame seeds), coriander and garlic.

Other famous Lebanese dishes are shish barak, beef and onions wrapped in a dough of pasta and cooked with yogurt, coriander and garlic. It is usually eaten together with majadara, rice and lentils flavored with caramelized onions and spices. The fattoush is the typical Lebanese salad, based on summer vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, sweet onion) with oil, vinegar, parsley, mint and sommaco.

Very traditional is the kubba, balls of meat and burgur that can be served raw and seasoned with olive oil or stuffed and cooked on the grill or still fried, usually accompanied by the tabouleh, a salad based on bulgur, with parsley, spring onions, mint, tomatoes and gherkins, topped with lemon juice and olive oil.

On the Lebanese table surely there are the ful medames, dried beans cooked over low heat and served with olive oil, parsley, onion, garlic and lemon juice, hummus, a sauce made of chickpea paste and seed paste sesame, flavored with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and paprika, cumin seeds in powder and finely chopped parsley and traditional falafel, meatballs of spicy and fried vegetables.