Lebanese Cuisine: Divine Tastes and Healthy Ingredients

Lebanese Cuisine is a Levantine Cuisine that includes an abundance of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, starches, fresh fish and seafood…

For lovers of Mediterranean food, Lebanese Cuisine is one of the best…

Starters/Dips/Sauces

Hummus:

Delicious dip made with chickpeas, lemon juice, crushed garlic, and paprika, served nicely with pitta bread.

One of the worldwide known dishes of Lebanese Cuisine.

Sfeeha:

Meat pies filled with lamb or beef allspice chopped tomatoes, parsley, garlic, onions finely chopped, pine nuts, salt, black pepper, ground cinnamon allspice mixture, paprika, and cilantro.

Kibbe Nayeh:

Grounded raw beef or lamb mixed with pureed onions, spices and a little bulgur.

Manakish:

Lebanese-type pizza with meat, cheese, sesame seeds, sumac, and thyme.

Served with cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh mint leaves and olives.

Falafel:

Deep-fried balls made of chickpeas.

Can be eaten in a sandwich with pitta and fresh vegetables, tahini.

Rkakat Jibre:

Thin layer dough pastries stuffed with cheese.

Sambousek Lahme:

Small pastries stuffed with meat and pine nuts

Muhammara:

An extraordinary Lebanese dip containing olive oil, breadcrumbs, finely chopped walnuts, mashed garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice.

Nikhaat:

Lamb’s brains dipped in egg mixture with onions, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and then fried

Fatayer bi Sabanikh:

Spicy triangular spinach pies with onions, olive oil, lemon

Fattet Hummus:

Pieces of toasted pitta bread mixed with tahini, hommos and yoghurt

Mujaddara:

Lentils, onion, rice, spices, and olive oil are put in a food processor and pureed after they are cooked.

Served with salad and pickles.

Garlic sauce:

Thick Lebanese garlic sauce is used to add garlic flavour to grilled meats, and salads.

Garlic, lemon, and olive oil are blended until the mixture looks like mayonnaise.

Salads

Fattoush:

Simple, crispy, refreshing, full of colour salad with fresh vegetables, crushed pieces of toasted pitta, olive oil, lemon juice and sumac dressing.

Lebanese radish salad:

A very tasteful, salad with peppery radishes, toasted walnuts, and fresh mint.

Tastes nicely in pitta bread with a little goat cheese.

Baba Ghanoush:

A salad made with tahini and baked eggplants.

Tabbouleh:

Parsley, tomatoes, spring onions, cut into small pieces and mixed with bulgur.

Olive oil and lemon, and salt are added.

Can be eaten wrapped in lettuce or pitta bread or as a side salad dish.

Khyar bi Laban:

Salad made of cucumber, mint, garlic, salt, and yoghurt.

Zaatar Akhdar:

Salad made of fresh thyme, finely chopped onions, and garlic. Olive oil and lemon

Main dishes

Shish Taouk:

Juicy chicken grilled kebabs marinated overnight in yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic, paprika and a little tomato paste. Pitta bread on the side.

Shawarma:

The meat is marinated with olive oil, vinegar, garlic, pepper, salt cardamom, and allspice mixture, and placed on rotating cones.

Cooked slowly with a heat source behind the cone.

The meat is shredded from the cone and put in pitta with Hummus, tahini, and pickled vegetables.

Kofta:

Fried minced meatballs with parsley, breadcrumbs, onions, and spices. Served on their own or in a tomato sauce with potatoes.

Kousa Mahshi:

Small slightly bulbous Lebanese zucchini are used for this dish.

The zucchinis are hollowed out and filled with a stuffing of lamb or beef mincemeat, rice, tomatoes finely cut, chopped parsley, chopped mint, coriander allspice mixture, ground cumin, and chilly powder.

Cooked in a casserole and served with yoghurt.

Cilantro and Garlic potatoes:

Potatoes cut into cubes fried with fresh cilantro, garlic, cumin, lemon juice, and salt.

Served on their own or with meat or chicken.

Rice pilaf:

A delicious side rice dish with fried broken vermicelli noodles, toasted pine nuts, and olive oil served with yoghurt or with meat dishes.

Lebanese baked Eggplant:

This spicy appetising dish contains eggplants, beef cut into small pieces, potatoes cut into cubes, tomatoes, salt, pepper, chopped walnuts, onions olive oil.

Red Bean Stew:

As a main dish in Lebanese Cuisine is accompanied by rice and as a side dish with pitta bread.

Red beans, onions, cilantro, garlic, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, tomato sauce, salt and pepper are the ingredients for this stew.

Kebbe akras:

Meat and bulgur mixture stuffed with cooked meat deep-fried.

Lahmajoun:

A round thin piece of dough topped with lamb or beef minced meat, minced vegetables, onions, tomatoes, parsley, cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin, and cinnamon.

Baked and sprinkled with lemon. Very popular.

Jawaneh:

Chicken wings baked in the oven with olive oil and salt. A special sauce made with coriander, garlic, oil, lemon juice, and black pepper is poured over the wings which are fried and tossed.

Artichoke bi Lahme:

Artichokes stuffed with meat and pine nuts.

Fattet Bathinjan:

Eggplants with yoghurt and minced meat.

Small eggplants are hollowed out and filled with a tasty mixture of pieces of meat, pine nuts, garlic, black pepper, salt, and cinnamon.

Cooked in tomato sauce.

When cooked they are placed on a plate and small pieces of toasted pitta are put on top together with yoghurt mixed with garlic.

Kafta Mekli:

Mincemeat skewers in sausage shape are great on bbq, pan or oven.

The mixture is made of minced beef and lamb, onion, salt, pepper, and parsley. Served on split flatbread and filled with tabbouleh.

Kharuf Mehshi:

Roasted lamb stuffed with rice, nuts, onions, coriander, ginger, salt, pepper, pistachios, almonds, golden raisins, and mixed spices.

Laban Omou:

Lamb cut in cubs, simmered in yoghurt and flavoured with coriander, onions, dried mint, butter and mixed spices.

Shish Barak:

Small meat dumplings cooked in a plain yoghurt stew. Mint, cilantro and garlic are sprinkled in the stew.

Samak bi Tahini:

Baked fish marinated in lemon juice, then covered with tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic and spices.

Samak Meshwi:

Sea bass grilled and served with tarator or sesame sauce.

Siyadiyeh:

A dish mainly with white fish-like cod garnished with caramelized onions and pine nuts.

Barmieh bi Zayt:

Okra cooked with olive oil, onion, garlic, coriander, salt and tomato paste dissolved in water and tomato dice.

Fassolia bi Riz:

Bean stew with rice

Makhlouta:

Traditional Lebanese stew with at least five types of whole grains. Chickpeas, pinto peas, wheat grains, lentils, rice, burghul, potatoes in small pieces, onions, olive oil, coconut oil, and salt.

Lebanese moussaka:

An eggplant stew with chickpeas, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and dried mint.

Yakhnet Sabanegh:

Spinach with rice, dill and lemon juice, peas, pinto beans, wheat grains, lentils, rice, burghul, potatoes cut into small pieces, onions, olive oil, coconut oil, and salt.

Sweets/desserts

Kunafeh:

Our favourite dessert from Lebanese Cuisine is made with shredded or noodle-like pastry.

Layered with gooey cheese, nuts and soaked in syrup.

Baklava:

Flaky layers of very thin pastry filled with honey and nuts (pistachio, almonds, walnuts), lots of butter, doused in orange blossom sugar syrup.

Cut in small or larger pieces usually triangle shape.

Awamat:

Fried doughnut balls dipped in syrup with orange blossom.

Barazek:

Sesame pastries are crunchy, nutty, and not very sweet.

Bouza bi Haleeb:

A delicious ice cream made with milk, sugar, ground mastic, sugar, orange blossom water, rose water, sahlab powder, kuzu, root starch, cornstarch, and pistachios.

Halawa:

A rich dessert made with tahini or sesame seeds, sugar citric acid, pistachios, or chocolate.

Maakroun:

Flower and semolina fried cookies dipped in sugar syrup with orange blossom water and lemon juice. This sweet is served on Santa Barbara’s day

Maamoul bi Fistok:

Small shortbread pastries filled with pistachios

Maamoul bi Tamer:

Small short pastries filled with fresh dates

Mouhalabieh:

An easy refreshing milk flan slightly flavoured with orange flower or rose water topped with unsalted pistachios.

Namoura:

Semolina cake soaked in syrup and decorated with almonds.

Riz bi Haleeb:

Lebanese rice pudding with orange blossom water and pistachio nuts added on top.

Sfouf:

Spongy cake without eggs served with tea or coffee

Sisniyeh:

Sesame nougat

Nonalcoholic drinks

Ahweh:

Arabic or Turkish coffee

Ahwech Baida:

A drink usually served after a meal is perfumed lightly and digestible.

Literally means white coffee but has nothing to do with coffee.

Ayran:

A refreshing minted yoghurt drink

Jeliab:

Grape molasses and raisins mixed together combining a drink and topped with pine nuts.

Sharab et Tout:

A welcoming drink for guests served cold with mulberry syrup.

Sharab el Ward:

Distilled rose water is diluted in water with sugar and a touch of lemon. Served cold.