World Cuisine: Discover The Delights Of Lebanese Food

If you’re a food fan, you probably like to experiment with different flavours and try out new dishes. One of the best ways to increase your repertoire, and improve your palette is to sample foods from all over the world. Every country has its own identity when it comes to cuisine. If you’re looking for somewhere to start your international culinary journey, look no further than Lebanon. Lebanese food packs a punch in the flavour stakes and there’s a host of traditional crowd pleasers to try out. The culture of sharing food also provides the perfect excuse to get friends round for a tasting session.

Lebanese favourites

Lebanon is a vibrant nation, which has strong influences from the East and the West. As such, you can expect an intriguing mixture of European and Oriental dishes. Here are some of the best-loved recipes to try at home.

Mezze and starters

The Lebanese people love to share food, and you’ll often find a family dinner table packed with all kinds of wonderful looking plates. Like Spanish tapas and Greek meze, you can enjoy a taste of everything when you go out to the best Lebanese restaurant. You can bulk order mezze dishes as a starter to share for dinner, or as a lunchtime feast.

Popular recipes include stuffed vine leaves and peppers, meatballs and falafel. Delicate filo pastry parcels stuffed with cheese, meat and vegetables, are also a highlight. In the summer months, cold mezze plates are an excellent option. Choose from crisp salads bursting with spicy flavours, or traditional tabbouleh. You can recreate this classic at home using parsley, mint, spring onions and tomatoes. Mix together and add a splash of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. In the winter, hearty lentil soups will hit the spot.