The Lebanese Cookbook [Reprint ed.] 0714879096, 9780714879093

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BREADS AND

PASTRIES 352 DESSERTS 386

DRINKS ,.s PICKLES AND

JAMS •••

GUEST CHEFS ,ss

ABRIEF HISTORY Of

ThCTC" are more Lebaneseoutside Lebanontoday than there are ll\ingin this sm:iJlestof countries.1"'hediaspornkft see-king rd'ugc from a culture that tud been dest11bilizcd by nuny ye-m of occupationsbr the Ottomans, the Frc:nch,and others, only to find itsdf:unid itsown 15-)'('StCi\'il war from l9i5-l990. Yet the duJlenges ofU:banon's historyha\-etnnslate-dintoculirury opponunity, as the mmy influencesof those who ha\-eoccupied the country ha\-ebecomea pa.rtofthew:iy the Ldxmesecook and eat.

LEBANESE Lebanon'sdivme snd fertile h3s alwsy-sb«n demand.tts m:myclimates-the coost:dpbin on CUISINE high the .\kditemncan ses, the coolmountainsof freshrain and lmdscape

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sno"fall, the fecund orchsrds and vineyardsof the Bek33 \:illey-311in such a murow,compactspace,h:1\-elongmade Lebanona playgroundfor the wealthysnd s thoroughfarefor commel'C'C and business. The European flairthin took root in Lebanonas .-\rnbcultu« mingled\\ith French,when LebanonW3S 3 protector3.te of Fran« from the 1920suntil the 194os,esmed Beirutits reputationas a cosmopolitancity, the -P'!lrisof the .\tiddk East." \\:nile much of the beautyof the city's grchitectute"has been damagt"dor destroredby civilwar and the falloutof political turmoil,the discordtus not destroyed the soul of Lebanon.On the contmy, sd,..ersityhas instilledthe resol,'Cand fun-lo\'ing resilien« that are hallmarksof the Lebanesespirit. The culin.srysccnein Lebanonis s mis of the esrthr,hearty tn.dirioiul pe3.S3ntdishesthat come-from the country's mmr mountain vilbges and the cutting edge-,conte-mpomycuisine found in Beirut!indother cities, influencedbr the mixture of cultures,both of the Levantand Europe,that ha,·e called Lebanonhome throughout its history. The prcscl"V'3tion of foodswhen they ate" abund:mtand in sesson,calledmow1d1, \\-:1.S born out of necessitybut hls O\'ef the centuriesbecomea true art for the Lcbanese.11leygrew their own oJi,..es,msde oli,-eoil, and soldboth in the localnurket or battered with it.The tr:idlrionaldiet is rich in fruit, \'egctables, legumes,and grains and it was impomnt to pre-sen'