This is how our grandparents used to preserve aubergines: stuff it with walnuts/garlic/chili and preserve it in olive oil. Have one directly after you come home from work, it will keep you going until you prepare your meal.
Suggestions: slice aubergine makdoos, and add them on top of your fattouch. Trust us on this one. Alternatively, prepare a labneh/makdoos sandwich. This is a perfect combination.
Proudly form Akkar - North
Ingredients: baby eggplants, walnuts, garlic, chili, olive oil, salt
Store in a dry and cool place, keep covered with oil
Lebanon's ultimate product, comfort food at its best. If you have Zaatar in your cupcoard, you will never go hungry.
Suggestions: mix with equal parts of olive oil and spread on a bread for toasting or use as a dip (toasted bread, vegetable sticks, etc.). Alternatively, add raw on your salads, grilled chicken, grilled fish, or grilled veggies.
Puree of pure black olive goodness, a must in every pantry. It's great on toast before or after any meal.
Suggestions: Great with your labneh sandwich and tomato-based stews. Spread on toast with some garlic and walnuts, or a slice of sundried tomatoes. Spare yourself the pitting, and go for the paste.
Proudly form Zgharta - North
Ingredients: black olives, salt
Store in a dry and cool place, keep covered with oil
Carob molasses is the black gold of the lebanese pantry. It has zero sugar added, and tastes like caramel. Our carob molasses is unique for two reasons: it is first fermented for two months, giving it a unique flavor character. Then it is cooked a woodfire, which gives the final molasses subtle smoky hints.
Suggestions: The classic way to enjoy it is to mix it with tahini, then eat it with bread. Also, use it as an alternative to processed white sugar for your bakeries.
One of Lebanon's most unique ingredients. Think of it as aged balsamic. Essential for fattoosh, lebanese sausages (makanek), or lebanese meat pies (sambousek). A must in every cupboard.
Suggestions: Use in salad dressings, dips, sauces, on roasted vegetables. Our favorite way to use pomegranate molasses is to add it to very hot pan-fried beef fillet (ras asfour), lebanese sausages (makanek) or chicken liver. Don't forget to scrap the sauce from the bottom of the skillet with bread.
The evening companion for generations in Lebanon. This blend makes the perfect caffein-free hot herbal tea. Zhoorat is also soothing and a great digestive.
Suggestions: Simply add boiling water to a handful of Zhoorat, and let it brew for a few minutes. For those with a sweet tooth, add a splash of honey or enjoy with cookies.
Proudly form Bekaa
Ingredients: Damascus rose petals, hyssop, almonds in their shells, chamomile, lime flower, lemon verbena, and jujube
Crushed hot pepper flakes prepared the traditional Armenian way by drying peppers, crushing them, then finally rubbing them in olive oil for added richness and flavor.
This is the finest olive oil we have found in all of Lebanon. It's extra virgin and cold-pressed. You can put this bottle proudly on your table, or offer it only to friends you love.
Suggestions: drizzle generously for a refined finishing of your dishes (salads, grilled fish, grilled vegetables, etc.). If you're in need of comfort food, drizzle generously on a bowl of yoghurt, add cumin, then dip with toasted bread.
This is your secret weapon to make the tastiest kebbeh at home. This preparation (called Kammounet kebbe) is the treasure chest of families in the south of Lebanon. Every family has its own unique mix of ingredients and ratios.
Suggestions: In a food processor, blitz our kebbe spices with a spoonful of fine bulgur, onion, and fresh mint (optional). This kammounet kebbe can now be mixed with the mash of any ingredient you choose, to get your kebbe base: potatoes, lentils, tomatoes, pumpkin, fish, ground meat, etc. Just incorporate your mash of choice with pre-soaked fine bulgur and the blitzed mix. Then spread on a large plate and garnish with chopped scallions, walnuts, fresh mint, Aleppo pepper and lots of of extra virgin olive oil.
Proudly form Kfar Remane - South
Ingredients: cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cloves, chilies, Damascus rose petals, marjoram, cinnamon sticks, mint
Orange blossom is exactly how the Lebanese coast smells during spring time. Orange blossom water is every Lebanese mom's remedy for a tummy ache or if we're simply under the weather.
Suggestions: for a perfect white coffee (café blanc), add a splash of orange blossom water to a cup of hot water along with a piece of lemon/orange peel to boost the aromas. Alternatively, upgrade your fruit salads with a couple of drops.
No table is complete without a small plate of green olives. Our dad loves to eat 3-4 pieces (or more) after every meal.
Suggestions: Nibble these delicious olives during apéro, add it on your labneh sandwich or simply enjoy with a fresh piece of bread with lots of olive oil, cucumber, and fresh mint.
Proudly form Zgharta - North
Ingredients: green olives, lemon slices, olive oil, water, salt
Store in a dry and cool place, keep covered with oil
Anise-flavored large cookies (kaak abbass/khamees)
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Those large cookies are almost in every house north and south of Lebanon, but almost don't exist in Beirut or elsewhere. They are to be enjoyed for breakfast, in the afternoon, or at night with your tea or coffee.
Suggestions: to be crunched with your tea or coffee. Butter them and add your favorite jam. Or our favorite way, go savoury: spread labneh or your favorite white cheese, drizzle olive oil, and add sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, and olives.
Suggestions: spread on a piece of bread, drizzle generous amounts of olive oil, then add your favorite vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, radish, olives, etc.)
Our pine nute are grade 8, the tastiest and largest size in Lebanon. Toasted or raw, their earthy flavor is a great addition to your dishes, salads and even sweets.
Suggestions: use it raw to prepare an italian pesto, or toasted to garnish your rice dishes and salads. For those with a sweet toth, pine nuts make a great ingredient in tarts and biscuits, and a luxurious topping for your ice creams and sorbets.
Nothing beats the unique flavor of mulberry. While this luxurious berry has a relatively short season, our mulberry syrup is the perfect way to savour mulberry all year round.
Suggestions: To enjoy the classic version, add a few spoons of syrup in cold water along with ice cubes. For those who like to prepare their drinks with a twist, add mulberry syrup to your lemonade, ginger beer, sparkling water or cold-infused lemon verbena.
Keshek was our ancestors method to preserve yogurt for long harsh winters. They would rehydrate it and eat it as a soup with dried mint and sometimes, qawarma (preserved meat).
Suggestions: for the man'oushe spread, mix keshek with tomato paste, olive oil, chopped walnuts and some sesame seeds. Spread on bread/dough, then bake. Alternatively, sprinkle it on any of your salads as a Lebanese substitute for Parmigiano. You can thank us later for this.
This is the Lebanese maple syrup. It's even tastier. Can be used for both savory and sweet dishes. A must to keep in your cupboard.
Suggestions: pour generously on your pancakes, or drizzle as a glaze on your hot cakes, on your fruit salad, on a peanut butter toast, on your granola, or simply enjoy with a spoon to satisfy the sweet crave after a meal. In savory dishes, this molasses is a great addition in salad dressings or to glaze roasted meats or vegetables before they go to the oven.
These stuffed olives will get addictive. To be enjoyed with a toothpick pre or post a group meal. Or simply in the afternoon for aperitivo with a nice drink.
Suggestions: serve in a bowl with toothpicks, or add whole to your green leaf salads.
Proudly form Aley - Mount Lebanon
Ingredients: green olives, cow milk labneh, olive oil, nigella seeds or fresh thyme leaves for garnish
Store in a dry and cool place, keep covered with oil
Verjuice (hosrom) is one of the best kept secrets of the Lebanese villages. Think of it as lemon juice, but with more vivid flavors. Verjuice is traditionally used in salads (like Tabbouleh and Fattouch) and with stuffed vine leaves (Warak Enab).
Suggestions: Use in salad dressings and marinades. It is also ideal in stews, sauces, soups and deglazing. Replaces lemon juice almost anywhere.
When having (un)expected guests, rose water syrup mixed with water and ice cubes will prove to be a great solution
Suggestions: For the classic version, add a few spoons of syrup in cold water along with ice cubes. We recommend adding some fresh orange juice to that, you can thank us later. Also, you can replace sugar syrup (qater) in oriental sweets with our rose water syrup.
Proudly form Qsar Naba - Bekaa
Ingredients: rose water, sugar, organic Italian food dye
Rose water is a floral and fragrant water used in almost every oriental sweet. It is also used outside the kitchen, as a natural facial toner.
Suggestions: Use rose water to flavor your dairy-based desserts (panna cotta, rice pudding, etc.), oriental sugar syrup (qater), ice creams/sorbets, cakes, drinks and fruit salad.
Cooked on wood fire, the traditional way. Has smoky yet, sweet notes.
Suggestions: add a spoonful to any of your tomato-based dishes (pasta sauce, bean stew, chakchouka, etc.) for tomato perfection. Spread on a slice of bread for your grilled cheese sandwich.
Hearty and wholesome food with a smoky flavor. This is the superfood of Lebanon.
Suggestions: cook similarly to rice in stock then serve with chicken, red meat, fish, or vegetables. Add a handful to upgrade your vegetable soup, or boil like pasta and strain to add in your salads.
