Green Olives

A producer's skilled gestures, expertly crushing the flesh of  fresh green olives to preserve them in brine through a process transcended through generations....

Labneh Cheese Balls

 Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words!

This is Sawsam Shaaban, small-market producer at Souk el Tayeb. She is making labneh cheese balls in her home... The detailed recipe will be included in the Mouneh book starting with making one's yogurt, then details will follow on how to make labneh, and finally how to preserve the cheese balls in oil.

I'm Back!!!

Hello to all my readers, I'm back! I had internet connection problems and now it's all settled.... For good... I'm so happy to be able to write on my BLOG... Today I will be delving in the world of figs - to write all the recipes for mouneh dealing with figs. I decided to take the time to write on my Blog (before I enter the fig maze!!!) Why did I write maze, because my dear readers, writing these recipes is like deciphering an unsolved mystery. It might sound easy to you, but when you are trying to write a book (professionally, of course) you have so many details that are lurking to haunt you... OK, I won't bore you with all my anxieties... No one should know about them... The book comes out, everyone says, "Mabrouk!" meaning congratulations in Arabic and that's that... No one knows what you go through to get that perfect photo, that perfect recipe, that perfect encounter with a producer or a farmer, that muse to keep you going... Am I babbling again!

STOP....

Today, I heard a speech which really touched me... I have posted it for everyone to hear. Look down below...Take 5 minutes of your time to listen to each word that woman has to say. It is very inspiring. My friend Georgia who lives in Montreal sent me the link this morning. It certainly hit home! I can relate to what she is saying.. I can relate to wanting something so much, to look for it inside of you, and to reach for your goal. Of course it doesn't happen easily, does anything in life? But the basic idea is that if you can dream, you have the chance to achieve that dream... if you really set your mind and soul on the goal...

Two days ago I found a bird in the middle of  the street. It was not hurt. It did not move. I picked it up, held it, caressed it ... He clung to me as if he was on a branch. I was so amazed. I could not take him home, for my cat Tchu-Tchu would have gone wild. I gave the bird to my friend. The bird relentlessly let go of my hand. I felt that this certainly must symbolize something... Was God trying to communicate to me through this bird... I told my friend who held the bird, "Today will be different"... Something will come out of this... I am not a superstitious person. I don't believe in that, but I believe that nature speaks to us all the time...and indeed hours later, I was told that my colleague and very good friend was hospitalized. He clung to his life... He's OK now....Thank God!  The same day an enthusiastic foreign man coming from a neighboring country calls to tell me that we are destined to meet, that we should meet ASAP. His journey in Lebanon had led him to me... to my book... to my work.... He envisages a mutual collaboration... for he has interesting FOOD related projects too...Will my food visions travel borders? Who's to say...Many things to think about...

I shall go back to my figs now!!!! 

I wanted to share this photo -This is a farmer selling figs on the side of the road in Abdine - a charming tiny village, where I am told my ancestors originally came from.... thus, came about my maiden name Abdeni...

JK Rowling: The fringe benefits of failure | Video on TED.com

JK Rowling: The fringe benefits of failure | Video on TED.com

Marcelle Ghanem - LBC

Marcelle Ghanem, a local TV spokesperson who has a weekly talk show on LBC, discussed FOOD and its origin in Lebanon. Unfornutaley I was not able to see it but I heard that it is a DISASTER... our food is contaminated and there are many variables to look for ... I was told he discussed fruit, vegetables, meat, and chicken... also Dairy foodd... I wish I had known...the FOOD topic will continue this week on Thursday night. I will surely be watching... Won't you?

Poetry of Food reports on Tawlet Souk el Tayeb

Rony Zibara wrote a lovely article on Tawlet Souk el Tayeb with beautiful photos... Check it out ... Thanks Rony!

http://poetryoffood.com/stories/feature/rony-zibara/innovative-eating-experience-beirut

Le Galet - A Fish Restaurant in Tabarja

Ziad Akkaoui, the man behind the new restaurant in Tabarja Le Galet, has finally acted on his "calling". Le Galet is a fish restaurant and a future sushi bar located in the coastal village of Tabarja overlooking the Mediterranean sea. The setting is very relaxing, the food is delicious, the service is friendly, and the ambiance will bring you back over and over again. It's the perfect outing for a family, as all the children head for the beach full of beach pebbles. It can also be the perfect setting for a couple looking for romance. You can start with some arak served with homemade pickles, and continue with an array of seafood mezza along with the quintessential plates of hummus, tabbouleh, fattoush, etc. My favorite appetizer is a shrimp dish cooked in oil with slits of garlic and chili peppers. It was hard for me to let go of the dish full of oil - perfect for dipping. As you make your order, you have to choose the fish you want to eat after the lavish appetizer setup. You can have your fish deep-fried or grilled seasoned with cumin and other local spice flavors served with a bed of vegetables. The seafood tastes fresh and Ziad explained to me that he personally goes to Tripoli to the fish market every morning to pick out the catch of the day to serve to his customers. The recipes have been revised and you can feel the creative touch and feel of the chef. I visited the kitchen and was impressed by its cleanliness and by its organized setup. I wish Ziad and his restaurant Le Galet success and longevity. I think when one follows his passion and works on making it happen with determination and professionalism, it's bound to work! For reservations call: 09 853871/2 or 09-103830 or 70-542221.

What is Terra Madre?

This article was just published in the Terra Madre Newsletter, I wanted to share it with you...

WHAT IS TERRA MADRE?

Extract from Terra Madre, Carlo Petrini’s latest book.

Terra Madre first appeared on the global political and economic scene in 2004. It began as a large meeting of people from all over the world, but soon turned into a permanent network—or rather a number of networks—whose members work day by day, wherever they happen to be, to create a new economic, agricultural, food and cultural model.

Terra Madre is a concrete way of putting into practice what has been defined as “glocalism”: a set of actions carried out on a local scale to generate major repercussions on a global scale. It has evolved in the course of time and now has a policy of its own, shared values and medium and long-term objectives. Terra Madre is thus much more than just a biennial get-together. ...-... It is an open network of local food communities that welcomes anyone who shares its ideals, even if they do things differently or work in diverse geographical and operating contexts. It embodies a new approach to the production, processing, distribution and consumption of food, drawing liberally on the history of the world’s populations, but also looking ahead. It’s conscious of the mess we have gotten ourselves into, but it’s not afraid of the future.

The 1,000 events organized for Terra Madre Day by the Slow Food and Terra Madre network, together have just proven this. Congratulations and keep the good work and the spirits up.

Carlo Petrini
Slow Food Founder and President

Food Scare - AFP report

 Series of food scandals scare Lebanon
'What's in my tabbouleh?', Lebanese ask
BEIRUT (AFP)

A series of food scandals has prompted the Lebanese, who pride themselves on the quality of their cuisine, to look more closely at what goes on their plates and to increasingly turn to organic produce.

The food scare was sparked by reports of high levels of pesticides detected in locally grown fruit and vegetables, including grapes, strawberries, potatoes and apples, some of which contained 25 times internationally accepted levels.

" What's left to eat? "
Liliane Baz, resident of Beirut

"We don't dare buy anything anymore," said Liliane Baz, a resident of Beirut. "They said courgettes, cucumbers, strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes, basically all fruits and vegetables, are poisonous."

"What's left to eat?" she asked. "I now trust vegetables coming from Syria or Jordan more than homegrown produce."

Salem Hayyar, who authored a recent pesticides report that contributed to the scare, said that while the media blew the findings of his research out of proportion, Lebanon's sunny, fertile fields are awash with toxins.

"There is definitely a problem with pesticides in Lebanon," said Hayyar, a professor at the state-run Lebanese University. "But the answer is not organic. It's teaching farmers how to use the right pesticides at the right time."

Experts blame lack of government action and proper legislation for having given farmers a free hand in the use of pesticides, which sometimes are not labeled and are mixed locally.
Top

Food safety laws
" There are no food safety laws in Lebanon, so there is no way to verify how or when pesticides are being used and when the produce is harvested "
Zuhair Berro, president of Consumers Lebanon

"There are no food safety laws in Lebanon, so there is no way to verify how or when pesticides are being used and when the produce is harvested," said Zuhair Berro, president of Consumers Lebanon, a non-governmental organization.

"What we do know for sure is that farmers are not respecting the time they should wait before harvesting, and there is no one to hold them to that or even open their eyes to the wrongdoing."

Berro said that the problem is such that some produce exported in recent years to Europe was returned, the most recent being a shipment of grapes.

While acknowledging a lack of funding and manpower to properly address the problem, the agriculture ministry has cautioned against generalizations saying that not all farmers were using pesticides improperly.
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Hysterical
" People have really gone hysterical, our clientele has doubled since the pesticides scare "
Kamal Mouzawak, founder of Souk el Tayeb

The food scare has nonetheless come at an opportune time for the budding local organic market, which is struggling to keep up with demand.

"People have really gone hysterical, our clientele has doubled since the pesticides scare," said Kamal Mouzawak, the founder of Souk el Tayeb, Lebanon's first farmers' market launched in 2004.

"Before we used to sell out by closing time at 2:00 pm, but now people line up before opening time to get first dibs."

Organic fruit and vegetables are not accessible to all, however, as they typically cost twice as much as non-organic produce.

"Organic produce is more expensive, so naturally it was initially popular with a fortunate few," said Rafiq Bustany, who grows organic fruit and vegetables sold at the farmers' market.

"But today even the middle class is gaining interest, and we are not able to keep up with the new demand."

Organic-only grocery stores and organic corners in major supermarkets are also sprouting across Lebanon's capital, and one grocery store even delivers a "healthy basket" to clients' doorsteps.
Top

A new interest
" Unfortunately I think it is a temporary craze, like so many other crazes, so we can only hope this hysterical reaction will turn into permanent action "
Mouzawak

A handful of restaurants are also offering organic menus and now catering to a wider audience.

Mouzawak, who recently opened a restaurant that serves organic food, said he hoped the new interest in organic food was not simply a fad but would lead to real change in how people eat.

"Unfortunately I think it is a temporary craze, like so many other crazes, so we can only hope this hysterical reaction will turn into permanent action," he said.

Rula Najjar says she is one of those who have made the full-fledged transition to healthier eating.

"I have a new rule," said the 25-year-old as she went through her shopping list at an organic food store in Beirut's Ashrafieh district.

"If it's not something my great-great grandmother ate, I'm not eating it either."

It's Time for a Change

It's the end of 2009 and the beginning of a new year... I have to go back, there's no escaping... It's been haunting me for a long time... I threw the first stone yesterday... Will it work out, is it my destiny...? I asked God for help, will he answer my prayer? He always does, I've been blessed. Tonight we celebrate the birth of Christ, the person / God who changed history... who taught us to do unto others as you would have them do unto you...The greatest lesson, the lesson of LOVE... It's not that difficult, but many just don't get it. To my dear readers, I wish you a Merry Christmas full of Love, Hope, and Happiness for you and your family.