Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The Central Role of Food - Slow Food Congress Paper 2012-2016

This is the Slow Food magazine. They used a photo in the Feb. 2008 issue I took on their cover of a woman in Baskinta crushing garlic.
Slow Food International is having its congress meeting this year on the 27 - 29 of October. Last congress meeting was held in Mexico 4 years ago. I attended the meeting. It had a great impact on my life's work. Unfortunately for us (as Lebanese), Slow Food Beirut does not exist anymore. Why? It's a long story...
The result is a pure reflection of the country's (yes my beloved Lebanon) image. We screwed up badly! That's all I have to say about this subject. We loose out, we gain less knowledge, less networking, less support. I'm ashamed and sad.

Ok, to get back to this paper...

They have sent a report to each of us (Slow Food guys) to view and to add comments, in order to have an effective interaction of words and ideas to work on for the next 4 years to come. The paper is divided as follows:

1. About us: historical / introduction

2. What we are talking about: the right to food
  • From food to soil fertility
  • From food to the salubrity of water
  • From food to the salubrity of air
  • From food to the defense of biodiversity
  • From food to health
  • From food to knowledge and memory
  • From food to pleasure, social relations, conviviality, and sharing
3. What we are doing
  • A return to the land
  • The war on waste
  • Local economy and participatory democracy
  • Permanent education
I shall highlight for you what I actually highlighted in the paper that really touched me and hit home. Take the time to reflect on these matters please. This is important!

"Union and diversity can run together and progress together." Teach that to the Lebanese.

"The right to pleasure, the importance of consciously living life at the right pace, the value of cultural biodiversity..."

"Slow Food is inspired by the world of gastronomy and mobilizes itself to protect a great agrifood heritage threatened by mass production... the defense of plant species, animal breeds..."

"Terra Madre makes us think about a concept of food quality based not only on taste properties, but also on respect for the environment and fair earning for producers."

"Right to food is the primary right of humanity."

"Hunger is a form of slavery, above all physical slavery."

"Slow Food and Terra Madre's obligation has to do with the respect for traditional, sustainable forms of agriculture—the only ones that have always protected agro-biodiversity, resources, and cultural diversities—whose standard bearers are small-scale producers, women, the elderly and indigenous populations."

"War on hunger, the priority of world policy."

"Food is what ought to remind us every day that we are part of nature, that we belong to nature, that we are inside nature—the greatest living system. Food comes from nature via the earth and through it becomes culture."

"By threatening and compromising soil fertility and soil's role as a living system, we jeopardize earth's "life breath", our life and the life of the planet we live on."

"Soil fertility has another big enemy: overbuilding and indiscriminate urbanization. In many parts of the world, the building of houses, apartment blocks, shopping malls and industrial plants is taking away huge swaths of land every day that could be producing food or at least ensuring our "life breath", if only by remaining fallow and absorbing rainfall. This "consumed" soil has been lost forever." This is exactly what is happening in Lebanon. We (as money-hungry Lebanese) are selling our soil to foreigners to build ugly building and  our beautiful nature is being ruined year after year. Does anyone care in the government? Not much!

"The quality of our air is deteriorating all the time, and as a result, so is the quality of our lives."

"We should ask more and more people to grow their own gardens."

"Small-scale, local and organic are our answer to agro-industry ."

"If we are members of the Slow Food movement and if we are part of the Terra Madre network, it is not only because we are concerned about the way we eat, but also because we are aware that to eat in a goo, clean and fair manner, it is vital for us to take good care of the part of the planet we live on."

"TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE!" I am seeking it all the time, are you?

"It is necessary to encourage young people to return to farming. To do this it takes land, tools, infrastructure, simple red-tape, funding, proper education and the handling down of traditional knowledge. What is necessary most of all is to restore pride and dignity to farm work, one of the most useful, delicate, important and beautiful forms of labor of all." How I agree...

"Eating is an agricultural act—only in this way we can transform ourselves from passive consumers into active co-producers, sharing our knowledge of food with those who produce it, appreciating and paying the right price for their efforts to provide good, clean, and fair food, following the seasons, seeking out local food as much as possible, promoting it and teaching its characteristics and production methods to their children." Amen to that...!!!!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Barbara in Bejdarfel with Chadia Lahoud "Helwe El Hayet"



My neighbor Sarri called me the other day saying that I should meet Chadia from his adopted village Bejdarfel, near Batroun. That is exactly what I did!  She is such an adorable woman with a lot of knowledge on edible wild herbs and plants from her village. I was delighted to share this adventure with my friend Tangor from Turkey who is a food connoisseur, having studied in Italy at the university of Gastronomy in Polenza. He is now working for one of the most famous restaurants in Turkey in research and development. Gioconda is from Andalusia in Spain and was raised in a hotel / restaurant. She is passionate about food and was really touched by this country promenade. A special bond was created that day with my two friends. I want to thank my new "habib albi" Mike Massy for giving us permission to use his beautiful song "Ya Zaman"! I absolutely love it.... Thanks, thanks! It made this episode even more special.

Last but not least, I dedicate this episode to my dear Roula, the show's segment director who has left us to pursue a job outside Lebanon. She is so special to me... She understood exactly what is inside my head and most important what is inside my heart. Love you... more to come, I promise!

Opening of a Mouneh Shop - Dekenet al Falamanki


Someone went out and finally done it!!! Wish it had been me....

Good for them. Falamanki on Damascus road, the new trendy Lebanese restaurant is opening a mouneh shop. When I entered the premises, it was like O my goodness! This looks like the Mouneh book. I was so happy to see my book everywhere too. I feel very close to this idea and concept. I wish them all the success. The most important point is that they are working on bringing small scale producers closer to end users (consumers). May they always be true to this philosophy. The place is very cozy, you must come and visit. I will be signing copies of Man'oushe and Mouneh, if anyone is interested.



For those who want to read the details in English:

You're cordially invited you to the opening of Dekkanet Al Falamanki on Friday, April 20 between 4pm and 8pm in Al Falamanki's garden.

The opening is animated/MC'd by: Al Zeytoun, Al Jams, Al Makdouss, Al Cheese, etc (this is a traditional lebanese expression to say who's the entertainment of the night).
 
The event is open to public.

Dekkanet AL Falamanki is a boutique where all sorts of provisions offered from many villages of Lebanon can be found. Seasonally oriented and farm fresh, Dekkanet al Falamanki is specialized in providing you with blossoming foods of the months; Whether you are looking for arak, jams, pickles, dairy products or even oils our boutique is dedicated to bringing traditional flavors into your home.

Tel: 01-333246; address: Al Falamanki gardens, Sodeco, Damascus road, Beirut. 
Open from 7am till midnight.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

My Review of L'Osteria

I am not a food critic, but I do hold strong opinions about the subjects and I intend to express them. How is that for a beginning?

Last night, in the desperate search for an authentic eatery in Lebanon, we got lucky! My husband and I went to an amazing place bursting with positive vibes. Yes, I  sense these things, am I psychic? Perhaps! Seriously I tend to feel positive and negative vibes, and that makes the whole difference in a restaurant setting. We arrived and were seated on a tiny corner table (love corners). The setting is very romantic, authentic and charming. I think the place seats about 30 customers. I asked about the history of the location. Apparently, it used to be a "dekken" where one used to buy fruits and vegetables. It looks like an "qabou" refurbished to feel good, actually great! The food is unpretentious! I look for that because it is important, a rarity these days in our capital. Good quality products cannot go wrong in however way you cook or serve them. Am I right? We started with a glass of wine made by a friend in Zahleh, Jean Paul Khoury. Thanks Jean Paul for persisting in doing this juice of the gods. Our waiter, who seems like an old timer in the restaurant (happy to be), suggested bruschetta toast with cherry tomatoes marinated with garlic, olive oil, and zaatar. I could tell! I liked the fact that the cook used local seasoning! Then we had slices of carpaccio, thinly sliced with garlic and olive oil with Parmesan shavings. Simple but good! We finished with a wonderful torta (tortilla) made with eggs, of course and Swiss chard, mushrooms, pine nuts, flavored with coriander or parsley and garlic. I think the owner is having a love affair with garlic. Good for you! We loved it. It felt good, we left HAPPY!

Quick preview: good food, good vibes, friendly service, adorable setting, fair prices! Also, the owner Thomas is kind you can tell that he is passionate about his job. We did not speak for long, but that was my first impression. Did I mention that his wife is Italian? Love that! I think it's a good combination: Lebanese / Italian, especially when dealing with food.

Grazie mille!

If you are interested to visit:
L'OSTERIA
Aschrafieh - Nahr Street
+ 961 1 566 175

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Tabbouleh Photo in Saveur


I just joined Pinterest . I found this photo from Saveur magazine. It is absolutely amazing! Do you like? It speaks to you and really makes you want to have tabbouleh NOW!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Know your Meal at Horeca


If you want to read about this amazing group from Italy certifying restaurants in Lebanon "Consosci il tuo pasto" read their website. There is an article in today's Daily Star which describes our event at Horeca and how restaurants and institutions are being certified locally. Some local examples include: OBOX, Bio Mass, Jrebta, La Boulangere Bio, Sanctus wine, Tawlet Souk el Tayeb, Adonis Valley, La Table de Joseph, Jouzourna, Cow and Apple, Biocaprin, Le Petit Gris.

"The Conosci il tuo pasto certification process is underpinned by the philosophy that one should know who made one’s food, where it came from, and how it has been prepared. Indeed, tracing one’s food, from source to plate, is about the best thing a vulnerable public can do to safeguard against ingesting rotten or dangerous food."



Chilhood Memories

2nd day Horeca 2012

Very talented chefs visited Atelier Gourmand today. I was really impressed by their recipes and talent, yet I was disappointed too because visitors did not pay enough attention to what they were preparing and saying. A lot of people come to the fair to eat free food, although this fair is solely for professionals ONLY!  We have so much to learn from each other. People are in pursuit of money and glory and forget the essential. For me, it was exceptional.

My first guest was Chef Mohamed Ourad from Momo.Not only is this chef talented but a true gentleman with years of experience. I am so glad that we hired a cameraman to document his teachings. The aim was to have renown international chefs revisit a Lebanese recipe. Chef Mohamed cooked for us moghrabieh and tajin. I will be posting the video very soon. I loved both dishes but preferred the tajin. According to Chef Mohamed our tajin is too heavy. He lightened the traditional tajin sauce with some fish broth and added a dollop of fresh cream. It was exceptional. His moghrabieh was innovative as he made it with fresh seafood. I loved the taste but cried out for a bit of spice (you all know how I am!). I think we can learn a lot from Chef Mohamed because he has so much experience and regional culture. I am definitely going to visit his kitchen sometime soon.

My second guest was Chef Remy Lefebvre from La Maison du Caviar. Chef Remy is a self taught chef who has traveled extensively to fulfill his passion in cooking. He is a redhead like me so we hit it off immediately! His dish was special too because he interpreted our traditional Lebanese Sayadieh his way. He reduced the fish stock a lot to become very concentrated. He made a risotto using tarrator. I really loved that! His assistant Chef Ali attended to the risotto while he grilled the fish with caramelized onions. We spoke about La Maison du Caviar in Lebanon and the perception of Lebanese towards this establishment. Some are scared to visit the restaurant because they feel it might be too expensive. Chef Remy mentioned that some of the dishes served in the restaurant are cheaper than others who pretend to be very casual and affordable. One can spend thousands of dollars at the restaurant eating very fine caviar and others can simply eat at an affordable price other menu items. Makes sense... Thanks Remy, I'll be back.

And finally, a soul mate found called Suzanne Husseini. Host of the popular cooking program "Sohbe Taibe/صحبة طيبة " and author of the bestselling cookbook "When Suzanne Cooks," highlighting the wonders of Arabian cuisine. According to Suzanne, "Love begins in the kitchen" .  She is really amazing! She reminds me of sexy Nigella Lawson but the Arabic version (so cute and more authentic!). She cooks and talks about food with a passion. She cooked her lamb and freekeh in front of audiences who couldn't wait to taste the food. You can find the recipe in her book. It is still available at the fair. It was great to see how a person with lots perseverance was able to accomplish her dreams. She is a tough cookie who loves to share her passion with her readers and TV audiences alike. "Suzanne Husseini’s love of food began at home. She cites the meals her mother made during her childhood in Canada as the source of her everyday inspiration". We understood each other because we are going through a lot of similar circumstances in our common journey. I hope to see more of her and her cooking in the future. Habibti intee!!!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Update on Horeca - 1st Day

Lots of energy yesterday at Horeca. I was delighted to meet Miles Irving, English forager who sells edible plants and herbs to restaurants in England. He came to discover the rich forage we have in Lebanon. According to a source, university professor at USEK Marc Berouth, there are over 400 edible plants and herbs in Lebanon and only about 40 species are being used. I think that is amazing! I think a book on the subject is so important. Miles himself has written a book on foraging, based on English plants. The book also depicts interesting recipes from famous chefs in his country. Why can't we do the same? I am going to try to find a way of getting this done, somehow! I will need the help of specialists, it will happen... A special thanks to Souk el Tayeb producers Rima Massoud and Georgina Bayeh, they made us dishes using wild Lebanese edible plants. Their presence made it all the more special.

The second part of the event yesterday was with special guest, owner of Sultan Brahim Tony Rami and his team. It was amazing, hummus and chickpeas in all forms. I will write a post about this subject later when I have the video to show how each one is made. I was very impressed with his hummus made with filet of fish conserved in fat like awarma. Very innovative. Also, as you know, I am a huge fan of red pepper paste! Another variety I tasted was with a sauce poured on the hummus made with red pepper paste. A chef from Akkar invented the hummus "Akkarieh" with chopped pickled turnips, tomatoes, and parsley. Extraordinary! There is a lot to do with this team, I will do it! I'm very grateful for their enthusiasm and generosity. Good things ahead.

During the fair I got two marriage proposals too and one of my books was stolen, sad and disgusting! An old man screamed at me to give him hummus with a spoon.... I'm learning a lot about people every day. Mostly I am grateful to all my fans who came up to me, took photographs, and asked about my TV segment and my future shows. Don't worry I won't let you down. There are so many adventures ahead. I'm really excited!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Fraud on Amazon

I am being misrepresented on AMAZON. Please don't buy my books on AMAZON. Mouneh is listed at 270 USD. Someone wants to harm me!

Popular Posts