Lebanese Cuisine - LebGuide.com (Lebanon Guide)

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Discover the Lebanese Cuisine by photos !

Cuisine from the Middle East is known wordwide for its richness and goodness. In Lebanon, it is probably the best country to enjoy it, since it is believed that one thing that unites all Lebanese is the love of eating... Restaurants, cafes and snack bars are present everywhere and offers excellent international cooking as well as the delicacies of the local cuisine. International food in Lebanon, especially in Beirut, is generally of a high standard. French and Italian cuisines are very common, and Japanese, Chinese and Thai food are becoming increasingly popular too.

Lebanse food is typically Mediterranean. The average meal is high on vegetables, low on meat and big on flavor. A meal usually starts with a mezze, a selection of small portions of dips, pickles, salads and nibbles eaten with the Arabic bread called "khibbiz". Mezze items can include anything from starters to pastries. Salads include fattouch and tabbouleh. The main course is generally grilled meat, chicken or fish, eaten with bread or spiced rice and the leftovers of the mezze. In fact, the mezze are appetizers that can make a whole meal out of them. Meals are generally accompanied by wine or arak. Lebanon is rich with grapes that are high in sugar content and perfect for wine production thanks to the natural climate of the Bekaa valley . There are three wine producers, Ksara, Kefraya and Chateau Musar. All are excellent and eager to give visitors a tour. Arak is a powerful Lebanese aniseed liquor that turns from clear to a milky white color when mixed with water. Alcohol is generally not a taboo in Lebanon.

Desserts include many different variations of sweets such as baklava, kenafeh, maamoul, karabige... as well as a lot of fruits.

At the end of the meals, black coffee is generally offered. It is served Turkish style, that means extra strong with grounds at the bottom of the cup, and hot tea (called "chai" in arabic) is also a popular drink.

In Lebanon, lunches usually begin at 1 or 2 PM and could finish at 4 or 5 PM. Dinners often do not begin before 9 or 10 PM. Most restaurants, especially in Beirut, require reservations and are open very later in the evening... Now, that's all this was said, have a nice visit in this guide !