Traditional Lebanese food shares similarity with Greek, Turkish, and the surrounding Middle Eastern nations cuisines. With many barbecued meat and vegetable dishes, Lebanese food is not only quite healthy, but also colorful, tasty, and satisfying. In this article, we have listed some of the best traditional dishes you can indulge in from Lebanon.
Shawarma
As mentioned above, Lebanese food shares many similarities with Turkish and Greek cuisine. Where Greece has gyros and Turkey has the kebab, Lebanon has shawarma. Shawarma is made by slow-roasting marinated meat on a spot. This is done for a couple of hours until the meat becomes juicy and tender.
The meat is then carved and served inside a flatbread once it ready. A variety of fresh vegetables, such as parsley, cucumber, tomato, onion, or lettuce are then stuffed in the bread to balance out the flavors and make this dish healthier. This cuisine is also served with dips such as hummus and sauces such as garlic and yogurt.
Sambousik
Sambousik is a Lebanese mezze dish that contains cheese, meat, or both. Halloumi cheese and lamb meat at the ones usually used to fill this pastry. The pastry is then fried or baked to crispy perfection and flavored with pine nuts, spices, herbs and onion. When ready, Sambousik is normally served before the main meal to entice the appetite.
Hummus and Baba Ghanoush
Hummus is a popular Traditional Lebanese food chickpea-based dip that is made from tahini and often served as an accompaniment to flatbread and meat. In most cases, this dip is will be served drizzled with oil to provide a silky texture and an extra layer of flavor.
There is also another dip in Lebanon that is similar to hummus known as baba ghanoush. Even though both dips are made from tahini, the main difference between them is baba ghanoush also contains eggplant and sometimes topped with pomegranate, while hummus is chickpea-based. Make sure you try both of these dips when you visit Lebanon.
Manakish — Lebanese Pizza
Even though pizza is traditionally from Italy, the Lebanese have their own version of this dish known as Manakish. This delicious dish is usually served during breakfast and we’ll be surprised if you won’t be obsessed with it.
Manakish is made from flatbread topped with a variety of spices such as sumac, sesame seeds, and thyme. All these spices when combined with marjoram and oregano produce a super delicious spice that is known za’atar. Olive oil is also used to flavor this dish and you should make sure you have it for breakfast while vacationing in Lebanon.
No Comments