Browse content similar to Lebanon. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
Line | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|
As a cook and writer, | 0:00:03 | 0:00:05 | |
I've long been intrigued by the flavours and fragrances | 0:00:05 | 0:00:09 | |
of Middle Eastern cooking, | 0:00:09 | 0:00:12 | |
one of the oldest and most influential cuisines in the world. | 0:00:12 | 0:00:16 | |
Now I want to find out more. | 0:00:16 | 0:00:18 | |
You know, there really is only one true way | 0:00:20 | 0:00:23 | |
to get to know a region's food, and that's to go there, | 0:00:23 | 0:00:26 | |
to eat the food amongst the people who cook it and eat it every day. | 0:00:26 | 0:00:31 | |
That way it's seasoned with a sense of place - | 0:00:31 | 0:00:34 | |
the landscape, the culture and the traditions. | 0:00:34 | 0:00:37 | |
That's incredible. | 0:00:38 | 0:00:40 | |
So join me on my journey... | 0:00:40 | 0:00:42 | |
Can I have a look in your cupboard? | 0:00:42 | 0:00:44 | |
..to discover ingredients and recipes that define three countries | 0:00:44 | 0:00:49 | |
with truly exciting food stories. | 0:00:49 | 0:00:51 | |
Cheese and roses. It shouldn't work. | 0:00:51 | 0:00:54 | |
Places considered to be the key pillars of Middle Eastern cuisine. | 0:00:54 | 0:00:57 | |
My adventure takes me across northern Iran | 0:00:59 | 0:01:02 | |
to taste Persian dishes with a rich heritage, | 0:01:02 | 0:01:06 | |
to Lebanon with its Arab-influenced flavours of the Levant, | 0:01:06 | 0:01:10 | |
and to Turkey, where the recipes, born of a diverse landscape, | 0:01:10 | 0:01:15 | |
have travelled the world. | 0:01:15 | 0:01:17 | |
Did the date pattern. Should've done the walnut pattern. | 0:01:17 | 0:01:20 | |
My appetite for new flavours | 0:01:20 | 0:01:22 | |
takes me through ancient and beguiling lands | 0:01:22 | 0:01:25 | |
but, more importantly, into people's homes. | 0:01:25 | 0:01:28 | |
I absolutely loved it, and I can't thank you enough. | 0:01:28 | 0:01:31 | |
This is my chance to learn new techniques and recipes | 0:01:31 | 0:01:34 | |
that aren't in books but have been handed down through generations... | 0:01:34 | 0:01:39 | |
How long does it take you? | 0:01:39 | 0:01:40 | |
-Five minutes. -Five minutes? -Yeah. | 0:01:40 | 0:01:42 | |
Yeah, well, I'd better get a move on, then. | 0:01:42 | 0:01:44 | |
..and I'll share the secrets I discover | 0:01:44 | 0:01:47 | |
by cooking recipes inspired by my journey. | 0:01:47 | 0:01:49 | |
An adventure that starts with both the modern and ancient expression | 0:01:51 | 0:01:55 | |
of Arab cuisine, in the fertile, spirited lands of Lebanon. | 0:01:55 | 0:01:59 | |
HORNS BEEP | 0:02:07 | 0:02:09 | |
I've wanted to come to Lebanon for so long. | 0:02:17 | 0:02:20 | |
I mean, yes, it is the Middle East | 0:02:20 | 0:02:22 | |
but it's also very much the Mediterranean. | 0:02:22 | 0:02:25 | |
For someone who likes to eat and cook... | 0:02:25 | 0:02:27 | |
..this is a very exciting place to be. | 0:02:28 | 0:02:31 | |
I can't wait to discover its secrets. | 0:02:31 | 0:02:33 | |
The cuisine of Lebanon is as rich and varied as its landscapes. | 0:02:41 | 0:02:45 | |
It's counted as the healthiest in the Middle East. | 0:02:48 | 0:02:51 | |
Pulses, grains and vegetables form its nourishing heart, | 0:02:51 | 0:02:55 | |
and meat used sparingly to great effect. | 0:02:55 | 0:02:58 | |
I'll be celebrating the flamboyance of festival food... | 0:03:02 | 0:03:05 | |
I've never seen so much on one table. | 0:03:05 | 0:03:07 | |
It's the generosity, it's just never-ending. | 0:03:08 | 0:03:11 | |
..the simplicity of rustic staples... | 0:03:11 | 0:03:13 | |
I'd love it, I'd love this for breakfast. | 0:03:13 | 0:03:15 | |
I'd love this for breakfast every day. | 0:03:15 | 0:03:17 | |
..and the joys of preserves infused with floral fragrance. | 0:03:21 | 0:03:24 | |
CALL TO PRAYER | 0:03:29 | 0:03:31 | |
Just half the size of Wales, | 0:03:36 | 0:03:39 | |
this is a small country with a big reputation. | 0:03:39 | 0:03:42 | |
It's been ravaged by decades of war, | 0:03:44 | 0:03:47 | |
yet remains one of the most relaxed | 0:03:47 | 0:03:49 | |
and liberal corners of the Arab world... | 0:03:49 | 0:03:52 | |
..and my journey starts here, | 0:03:53 | 0:03:55 | |
in the eternally resilient capital, Beirut. | 0:03:55 | 0:03:58 | |
Beiruti native Nour Matraji will be my guide and translator in Lebanon. | 0:04:10 | 0:04:15 | |
-I'm very excited about this trip. -You're going to love it. | 0:04:15 | 0:04:19 | |
The city was known as the Paris of the East, | 0:04:19 | 0:04:21 | |
not least for its vibrant nightlife and party vibe... | 0:04:21 | 0:04:25 | |
..but tonight, the streets are busy for a different reason. | 0:04:26 | 0:04:29 | |
Just over half the country's population is Muslim. | 0:04:32 | 0:04:34 | |
And I've arrived during Ramadan, | 0:04:37 | 0:04:39 | |
a month of daylight fasting for the devout. | 0:04:39 | 0:04:42 | |
I'm getting the feeling that there are certain foods that you only see | 0:04:43 | 0:04:47 | |
-during Ramadan. -Yes, exactly. | 0:04:47 | 0:04:49 | |
And, like, for example, this stand over here that we're going to pass, | 0:04:49 | 0:04:52 | |
they have kallaj Ramadan - | 0:04:52 | 0:04:54 | |
kallaj of Ramadan, so it's basically like a dough. | 0:04:54 | 0:04:58 | |
It's like kind of a pastry, wrapped, | 0:04:58 | 0:05:00 | |
then stuffed in cream and then fried | 0:05:00 | 0:05:03 | |
and then dipped in sugar syrup. | 0:05:03 | 0:05:05 | |
Then splash pistachio over it, and it's heaven. | 0:05:05 | 0:05:10 | |
You're making me very happy. | 0:05:10 | 0:05:11 | |
And this is just a Ramadan thing. | 0:05:12 | 0:05:14 | |
-Sure. -So, in, like, a few days this is gone. | 0:05:14 | 0:05:16 | |
The kallaj dough is filled with ashta, | 0:05:16 | 0:05:19 | |
made from skimming the thick skin from simmered milk. | 0:05:19 | 0:05:22 | |
Unlike clotted cream, it doesn't melt when warmed. | 0:05:22 | 0:05:26 | |
The deep-fried pastry parcels are trickled with rose water | 0:05:26 | 0:05:30 | |
or orange blossom syrup and then showered with chopped pistachios. | 0:05:30 | 0:05:34 | |
Wow. | 0:05:34 | 0:05:36 | |
You want to try some? | 0:05:36 | 0:05:37 | |
-I... I'd love to. -Yes. -I'd love to. | 0:05:37 | 0:05:39 | |
SHE SPEAKS ARABIC | 0:05:39 | 0:05:41 | |
Thank you. Shukran. Thank you. | 0:05:43 | 0:05:45 | |
Here goes. | 0:05:45 | 0:05:46 | |
So good. | 0:05:49 | 0:05:51 | |
It's really crisp on the outside... | 0:05:51 | 0:05:52 | |
..and you get that little hint of rose water. | 0:05:54 | 0:05:56 | |
I can't believe I'm eating fried cream. | 0:05:56 | 0:05:58 | |
This is so good. | 0:06:00 | 0:06:01 | |
We're going to a place now | 0:06:05 | 0:06:06 | |
that is usually very well known for its breakfast, but during Ramadan | 0:06:06 | 0:06:10 | |
they switch their hours, | 0:06:10 | 0:06:12 | |
so instead of opening from 7am till 2pm, they open from 10pm till 3am. | 0:06:12 | 0:06:17 | |
So for part of the year | 0:06:19 | 0:06:20 | |
their day is just turned completely on its head. | 0:06:20 | 0:06:24 | |
-The hours are just completely different. -Exactly. | 0:06:24 | 0:06:27 | |
Sohur is eaten as close to dawn as possible. | 0:06:29 | 0:06:32 | |
It needs to sustain those who fast right through the day until sunset. | 0:06:32 | 0:06:37 | |
Cafe Al-Soussi is reputed to serve the best breakfast in town | 0:06:39 | 0:06:43 | |
and is hugely popular during Ramadan. | 0:06:43 | 0:06:46 | |
Muhammad and his cousin Ahmed serve the same simple menu | 0:06:46 | 0:06:50 | |
as their grandfather, who started the business 125 years ago. | 0:06:50 | 0:06:54 | |
Unbelievably, they serve up to 300 people a night | 0:06:55 | 0:06:59 | |
using this one simple stove. | 0:06:59 | 0:07:01 | |
I just love the fact he doesn't even turn his flame down. | 0:07:01 | 0:07:04 | |
-No, no. -It's like... -And this is... | 0:07:04 | 0:07:06 | |
It's all or nothing, isn't it? | 0:07:06 | 0:07:08 | |
Exactly. | 0:07:08 | 0:07:09 | |
They say Beirutis live every day as if it's their last - | 0:07:09 | 0:07:14 | |
and Muhammad's rather adventurous take on health and safety | 0:07:14 | 0:07:17 | |
appears to back this up. | 0:07:17 | 0:07:19 | |
The menu's designed as a selection of sharing plates. | 0:07:22 | 0:07:25 | |
Starting with the all-familiar hummus. | 0:07:27 | 0:07:29 | |
Extra smooth here as the skins are removed from the chickpeas | 0:07:29 | 0:07:33 | |
before pounding. | 0:07:33 | 0:07:35 | |
Tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil are added. | 0:07:35 | 0:07:38 | |
Look at that. Just look at that. | 0:07:41 | 0:07:43 | |
The Arab classic, sawda djej, | 0:07:44 | 0:07:47 | |
chicken livers cooked with sweet-sour pomegranate molasses, | 0:07:47 | 0:07:51 | |
garlic and cumin, | 0:07:51 | 0:07:53 | |
served for breakfast, or as an appetiser. | 0:07:53 | 0:07:56 | |
-People come from miles for this. -Yeah. | 0:07:56 | 0:07:59 | |
And the dish I'm looking forward to most, fatteh. | 0:07:59 | 0:08:02 | |
There are many types of fatteh and in this one, | 0:08:03 | 0:08:07 | |
Muhammad tops pieces of toasted pita with steaming chickpeas. | 0:08:07 | 0:08:12 | |
He then smothers it with labneh, | 0:08:12 | 0:08:14 | |
the Arab staple of soft cream cheese made from strained yoghurt... | 0:08:14 | 0:08:18 | |
..and the best is yet to come. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:21 | |
The dish is finished off with toasted pine nuts | 0:08:21 | 0:08:25 | |
fried with awarma, a star of the Lebanese store cupboard, | 0:08:25 | 0:08:30 | |
lamb morsels preserved in dripping and used throughout the year | 0:08:30 | 0:08:34 | |
to flavour dishes. | 0:08:34 | 0:08:35 | |
-Smell that. -Exactly, it's amazing. -It's incredible. Amazing. | 0:08:35 | 0:08:38 | |
The dripping-laden fatteh cannot arrive quickly enough. | 0:08:38 | 0:08:42 | |
Mmm! | 0:08:51 | 0:08:53 | |
-Gorgeous. -It's really good. | 0:08:55 | 0:08:57 | |
This is very gentle food. | 0:08:57 | 0:08:58 | |
-It is. -There's no what I call... | 0:08:58 | 0:09:00 | |
..big flavours. There's nothing shouty. It's very, very mild. | 0:09:00 | 0:09:05 | |
It's a very gentle flavour. | 0:09:05 | 0:09:07 | |
So this has got to last, | 0:09:07 | 0:09:08 | |
-would actually have to last me the whole day. -Exactly... | 0:09:08 | 0:09:11 | |
-Because you can't drink, either. -Exactly. | 0:09:11 | 0:09:13 | |
-This is what I can't get my head around. -Exactly. | 0:09:13 | 0:09:15 | |
So, you know sometimes you have something, like at night, | 0:09:15 | 0:09:18 | |
and then the next day it just makes you super thirsty. | 0:09:18 | 0:09:21 | |
-Yes. -This is a no-no. | 0:09:21 | 0:09:23 | |
This is something everybody who fasts tries to avoid. | 0:09:23 | 0:09:26 | |
So you're trying to eat foods that have a bit of, like... | 0:09:26 | 0:09:30 | |
-..water kind of content in them. -Yeah. -Yeah. -Hence all the salad | 0:09:30 | 0:09:33 | |
-and the tomatoes and things like that? -Yes, exactly. Exactly. | 0:09:33 | 0:09:36 | |
You know, I love this place. | 0:09:42 | 0:09:44 | |
The fact that it's midnight and it's only really just opened. | 0:09:45 | 0:09:49 | |
They'll be going till three o'clock in the morning - | 0:09:49 | 0:09:51 | |
and they're basically eating something very sustaining | 0:09:51 | 0:09:54 | |
and yet quite gentle to see them through. | 0:09:54 | 0:09:57 | |
The really special thing for me was finding something here | 0:09:57 | 0:10:01 | |
that is, hand on heart, | 0:10:01 | 0:10:02 | |
one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. | 0:10:02 | 0:10:05 | |
That fatteh with the yoghurts and the pine nuts... | 0:10:06 | 0:10:09 | |
..and with what was basically roast juices and dripping on top | 0:10:10 | 0:10:14 | |
and little bits of lamb... | 0:10:14 | 0:10:16 | |
It is, it's home cooking. | 0:10:16 | 0:10:17 | |
It's comfort cooking, it's about making yourself feel good | 0:10:17 | 0:10:21 | |
and keeping yourself going - | 0:10:21 | 0:10:23 | |
and I love it. | 0:10:23 | 0:10:24 | |
It's a beautiful morning on the Corniche, | 0:10:37 | 0:10:39 | |
Beirut's iconic seaside promenade. | 0:10:39 | 0:10:41 | |
The country's shoreline | 0:10:44 | 0:10:45 | |
stretches almost 200 kilometres along the Mediterranean. | 0:10:45 | 0:10:49 | |
My culinary adventure will take me south to the arid hills of Nabatieh | 0:10:51 | 0:10:57 | |
by the Israeli border, | 0:10:57 | 0:10:59 | |
before heading east to the country's rural heartland, | 0:10:59 | 0:11:02 | |
the Bekaa Valley - | 0:11:02 | 0:11:04 | |
but first I'm travelling to the bountiful slopes of Mount Sannine, | 0:11:04 | 0:11:08 | |
just 40 kilometres from Beirut... | 0:11:08 | 0:11:10 | |
..but before leaving Beirut there's just enough time for a pit stop | 0:11:12 | 0:11:16 | |
at a very unassuming local landmark, | 0:11:16 | 0:11:19 | |
the ice cream shop, Hanna Mitri, | 0:11:19 | 0:11:22 | |
in the historically Christian area of Achrafieh. | 0:11:22 | 0:11:26 | |
-Hello. -Hello. | 0:11:26 | 0:11:28 | |
Can I have a little, a little taster of some of the...? | 0:11:28 | 0:11:30 | |
You may, you may have whatever you like. | 0:11:30 | 0:11:32 | |
The sorbet, you have strawberry, | 0:11:32 | 0:11:35 | |
you have apricot, rose water and lemon. | 0:11:35 | 0:11:38 | |
So, gentle early summer flavours? | 0:11:38 | 0:11:40 | |
-Yeah. -Could I have some rose water? | 0:11:40 | 0:11:41 | |
-I'd love to taste the rose water. -Some rose water? -Yes. | 0:11:41 | 0:11:43 | |
OK, I'll give you some rose. | 0:11:43 | 0:11:45 | |
Yes. And all the roses are out, so it feels... | 0:11:45 | 0:11:47 | |
The rose water here in the shop is white. | 0:11:47 | 0:11:49 | |
-Thank you. -We don't add the colour, we don't add anything. | 0:11:49 | 0:11:53 | |
It's natural. Everything is natural. | 0:11:53 | 0:11:55 | |
Amazing. | 0:11:57 | 0:11:59 | |
It's so fragrant. It tastes... | 0:11:59 | 0:12:01 | |
-It's refreshing. -It tastes of the smell of a rose. -Of course. | 0:12:01 | 0:12:05 | |
-So, how long have you been here? -Not for long. | 0:12:05 | 0:12:08 | |
Since 1949. | 0:12:08 | 0:12:09 | |
My father had, 20 years old. | 0:12:11 | 0:12:12 | |
-Really? -And we didn't close, even in the war. | 0:12:13 | 0:12:17 | |
In the war, maybe two or three days when they hit the area here... | 0:12:18 | 0:12:23 | |
It was a big hit. | 0:12:23 | 0:12:26 | |
-And you stayed open...? -We stayed here. | 0:12:26 | 0:12:28 | |
And we have this to remember - | 0:12:28 | 0:12:30 | |
it was a big shell who hit here. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:32 | |
We keep it. We didn't change it, | 0:12:34 | 0:12:35 | |
to let us remember, a little bit, these times. | 0:12:35 | 0:12:39 | |
You want to taste another thing? | 0:12:39 | 0:12:40 | |
-Oh... -The lemon. | 0:12:40 | 0:12:42 | |
-Please. Lemon, fantastic. -You'll like the lemon. -Yes. -OK. | 0:12:42 | 0:12:45 | |
Thank you. | 0:12:46 | 0:12:47 | |
We bring the lemon, we wash it, squeeze it, handmade, | 0:12:49 | 0:12:53 | |
we put everything in it. | 0:12:53 | 0:12:54 | |
I love it because it's not at all sweet. | 0:12:54 | 0:12:56 | |
-No. -It's so refreshing. | 0:12:56 | 0:12:58 | |
It's good with some vodka. | 0:12:58 | 0:13:00 | |
To digest at the end. | 0:13:01 | 0:13:03 | |
-It's a little early. -I'm telling you about me. | 0:13:03 | 0:13:06 | |
I love it. | 0:13:06 | 0:13:08 | |
I'm a very happy man. | 0:13:08 | 0:13:09 | |
Well, that was one of the most difficult decisions ever, | 0:13:16 | 0:13:20 | |
and I've ended up with rose, because it feels right. | 0:13:20 | 0:13:23 | |
Rose water is of this place. | 0:13:23 | 0:13:25 | |
What is so extraordinary is learning that this place stayed open | 0:13:27 | 0:13:31 | |
right the way through the war. | 0:13:31 | 0:13:33 | |
People came here for ice cream. | 0:13:33 | 0:13:34 | |
It says so much about this place. | 0:13:34 | 0:13:36 | |
I'm off to find out more about the source of these flavours. | 0:13:40 | 0:13:44 | |
Lebanon's fertile land produces a rich harvest of fruits, | 0:13:47 | 0:13:52 | |
vegetables and flowers, many of which are bottled and preserved. | 0:13:52 | 0:13:56 | |
A long-standing tradition called mouneh, | 0:13:57 | 0:14:00 | |
one of the cornerstones of Lebanese cuisine. | 0:14:00 | 0:14:03 | |
I'm meeting Amine, who quit his job as a banker in London | 0:14:06 | 0:14:10 | |
to help run his family's preserves and pickling business | 0:14:10 | 0:14:14 | |
in the village of Ain el Kabou. | 0:14:14 | 0:14:16 | |
I can't imagine why. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:19 | |
We start in February with the citrus | 0:14:20 | 0:14:23 | |
and our little workshop is fully focused on producing | 0:14:23 | 0:14:30 | |
-all the citrus products. -So orange, lemon... | 0:14:30 | 0:14:33 | |
-And bitter orange. -Bitter orange. | 0:14:33 | 0:14:35 | |
And then, we follow the seasons. | 0:14:35 | 0:14:38 | |
-After the citrus, we start with the roses. -Yes, the early roses. | 0:14:38 | 0:14:43 | |
And then, the strawberries, | 0:14:43 | 0:14:45 | |
the apricots, the mulberries, then the figs, | 0:14:45 | 0:14:48 | |
and we cover the whole year this way. | 0:14:48 | 0:14:50 | |
I'm just thinking, everything that I love about this cuisine - | 0:14:50 | 0:14:55 | |
the fragrance of it, the fruits, the sourness - it's all here, | 0:14:55 | 0:15:01 | |
in these slopes, in these landscapes. | 0:15:01 | 0:15:04 | |
I feel, this must be like the job... | 0:15:04 | 0:15:07 | |
It's like a gift from the gods, working here. | 0:15:07 | 0:15:09 | |
AMINE LAUGHS | 0:15:09 | 0:15:11 | |
A fact I'm sure Amine appreciates every day. | 0:15:11 | 0:15:14 | |
This time of year, the family makes rose preserves | 0:15:17 | 0:15:20 | |
using an exceptionally fragrant variety, the centifolia. | 0:15:20 | 0:15:25 | |
We usually pick it early in the morning, | 0:15:25 | 0:15:27 | |
before the sun hits it and takes the flavour out. | 0:15:27 | 0:15:31 | |
So, usually, by 9am, we're done with the picking. | 0:15:31 | 0:15:34 | |
I know roses smell differently, according to what variety they are. | 0:15:40 | 0:15:44 | |
But this is... It is sweet, but it's also refreshing. | 0:15:46 | 0:15:50 | |
-It is. -It's a clean smell, because sometimes rose can be very rich, | 0:15:50 | 0:15:55 | |
very sweet and almost a little bit cloying and soapy - | 0:15:55 | 0:15:59 | |
but this has a freshness to it. | 0:15:59 | 0:16:02 | |
It has other virtues. | 0:16:02 | 0:16:03 | |
The colour - | 0:16:04 | 0:16:06 | |
when you cook it, it doesn't turn into black... | 0:16:06 | 0:16:09 | |
-Yeah. -..like other varieties. | 0:16:09 | 0:16:11 | |
And the nicest thing about this variety of rose | 0:16:11 | 0:16:15 | |
is the texture of the petals. | 0:16:15 | 0:16:18 | |
Because depending on which variety you use for preserves... | 0:16:18 | 0:16:22 | |
-Yes. -..some of them are very chewy. | 0:16:22 | 0:16:24 | |
-Right. -Very chewy. -Yeah. | 0:16:24 | 0:16:26 | |
This one will just melt in your mouth. | 0:16:26 | 0:16:28 | |
The petals are cooked with sugar and lemon. | 0:16:31 | 0:16:34 | |
The lemon not only counteracts the sweetness, | 0:16:34 | 0:16:36 | |
but also preserves naturally for up to two years. | 0:16:36 | 0:16:39 | |
-Good colours. -Yeah. -Yeah. | 0:16:41 | 0:16:43 | |
This is like a table of sort of jewels. | 0:16:43 | 0:16:46 | |
I mean, just shining. | 0:16:46 | 0:16:47 | |
This is my every morning breakfast. | 0:16:48 | 0:16:52 | |
Amine's mother, Youmna, and her sister, Leila, | 0:16:52 | 0:16:55 | |
are the founders of the business. | 0:16:55 | 0:16:57 | |
I'm intrigued as to why we've got cheese on the table. | 0:16:59 | 0:17:02 | |
Yeah, this is the local version of ricotta. | 0:17:02 | 0:17:05 | |
And in the tradition, | 0:17:05 | 0:17:06 | |
they used to have this with this fruits-in-syrup over. | 0:17:06 | 0:17:12 | |
Just try them together. | 0:17:13 | 0:17:14 | |
Mmm... | 0:17:18 | 0:17:20 | |
It shouldn't work. | 0:17:22 | 0:17:24 | |
It shouldn't work, should it? | 0:17:24 | 0:17:26 | |
Cheese and roses, it shouldn't work. | 0:17:26 | 0:17:28 | |
THEY LAUGH | 0:17:28 | 0:17:29 | |
But it so does. | 0:17:29 | 0:17:31 | |
Everything I'm eating, | 0:17:32 | 0:17:34 | |
of course, it's about the flavour, but it's also about the fragrance, | 0:17:34 | 0:17:38 | |
it's about the smell. It's just... | 0:17:38 | 0:17:41 | |
..hovering over the landscape and over the table and over my plate. | 0:17:41 | 0:17:45 | |
It's just here. It's just engulfing. | 0:17:45 | 0:17:47 | |
Yeah, absolutely. | 0:17:47 | 0:17:48 | |
The family's boutique set-up has won numerous awards for its preserves | 0:17:52 | 0:17:57 | |
that lock up the sense of season in a jar. | 0:17:57 | 0:18:00 | |
It may now export to high-end delis all over the world, | 0:18:01 | 0:18:06 | |
but its roots were humble and born of necessity. | 0:18:06 | 0:18:09 | |
It started in '89, 1989. | 0:18:10 | 0:18:14 | |
We still had war in Lebanon. | 0:18:14 | 0:18:17 | |
Yeah - and my sister, Leila, and myself, | 0:18:17 | 0:18:19 | |
we began with an idea | 0:18:19 | 0:18:22 | |
-to do something for the people in this area... -Yeah. | 0:18:22 | 0:18:26 | |
..who couldn't work because they couldn't reach their place of work | 0:18:26 | 0:18:30 | |
because of the war. | 0:18:30 | 0:18:32 | |
They had the idea of tapping into an already-established skill base. | 0:18:32 | 0:18:36 | |
Preserving seasonal ingredients, both savoury and sweet, | 0:18:38 | 0:18:42 | |
had, after all, been key to the way of life here for centuries. | 0:18:42 | 0:18:46 | |
They all do this in their homes for generations | 0:18:46 | 0:18:49 | |
because in summertime, | 0:18:49 | 0:18:52 | |
in the mountains here, | 0:18:52 | 0:18:54 | |
the nature is very generous. | 0:18:54 | 0:18:56 | |
It gives you so many fruits | 0:18:56 | 0:18:58 | |
and so many vegetables... | 0:18:58 | 0:19:01 | |
-Herbs. -..and in wintertime, | 0:19:01 | 0:19:03 | |
it's all full of snow and they don't have anything any more. | 0:19:03 | 0:19:06 | |
Of course, you have snow, yeah. | 0:19:06 | 0:19:08 | |
So, they learnt how to preserve all what nature gives us in summer | 0:19:08 | 0:19:14 | |
and keep it in their homes, in their pantry rooms. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:18 | |
If you haven't got it here, in your larder... | 0:19:18 | 0:19:20 | |
-..you don't eat. -Yeah. | 0:19:21 | 0:19:23 | |
I can't think of another cuisine | 0:19:24 | 0:19:26 | |
that has so much in the way of preserves in it. | 0:19:26 | 0:19:30 | |
-It's absolutely part of the essence of Lebanese food. -Absolutely. | 0:19:30 | 0:19:35 | |
Youmna and Leila's preserves became so popular that the army | 0:19:38 | 0:19:42 | |
opened up snowbound mountain roads | 0:19:42 | 0:19:44 | |
to allow the products to reach Beirut. | 0:19:44 | 0:19:47 | |
Hard to imagine the same reverence being accorded to jams back home. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:53 | |
Sitting here, it's really difficult | 0:19:53 | 0:19:57 | |
to think of what this terrain is like in the winter. | 0:19:57 | 0:20:01 | |
There's thick snow. The roads become impassable. | 0:20:01 | 0:20:04 | |
So you have to have a good store cupboard. | 0:20:05 | 0:20:08 | |
You've got to have an efficient way of providing food. | 0:20:08 | 0:20:11 | |
So, the long tradition... | 0:20:12 | 0:20:14 | |
..of packing stuff away in its season for later on... | 0:20:16 | 0:20:19 | |
..it's not just... | 0:20:20 | 0:20:22 | |
..a fanciful bit of joyful cooking, it's a necessity. | 0:20:23 | 0:20:29 | |
It's not just about making rows of jams and jellies | 0:20:30 | 0:20:33 | |
that look pretty on the shelf, | 0:20:33 | 0:20:36 | |
it is utterly crucial, and has been for centuries. | 0:20:36 | 0:20:39 | |
In peace times, in war times, it doesn't matter, | 0:20:41 | 0:20:44 | |
you need to have something in your cupboard. | 0:20:44 | 0:20:46 | |
Fragrances of Mount Sannine have inspired me | 0:20:49 | 0:20:52 | |
to make a richly aromatic dessert. | 0:20:52 | 0:20:55 | |
Creamed rice with apricots, | 0:21:00 | 0:21:02 | |
pistachios and rose petals. | 0:21:02 | 0:21:05 | |
Add 150g of pudding rice, | 0:21:08 | 0:21:12 | |
two tablespoonfuls of golden caster sugar, | 0:21:12 | 0:21:15 | |
250ml of milk, and the same of double cream, | 0:21:15 | 0:21:19 | |
to a pan. | 0:21:19 | 0:21:20 | |
Split a vanilla pod and add, before bringing to the boil. | 0:21:21 | 0:21:25 | |
Turn down to a simmer until the rice softens. | 0:21:26 | 0:21:30 | |
In a separate pan, boil dried apricots | 0:21:30 | 0:21:33 | |
with half a lemon and a cinnamon stick. | 0:21:33 | 0:21:37 | |
Chop a generous handful of pistachios. | 0:21:37 | 0:21:40 | |
Trickle in a dash of rose and orange blossom waters. | 0:21:42 | 0:21:46 | |
Top with the apricots and pistachios | 0:21:47 | 0:21:49 | |
and finish with a sprinkle of dried rose petals. | 0:21:49 | 0:21:53 | |
A delightful, creamy and fragrant dessert. | 0:21:53 | 0:21:57 | |
The end of Ramadan is approaching | 0:22:00 | 0:22:02 | |
and Nour has invited me to her parents' home in Beirut | 0:22:02 | 0:22:06 | |
for Eid al-Fitr, | 0:22:06 | 0:22:07 | |
the celebration that marks the end of fasting. | 0:22:07 | 0:22:10 | |
Anticipating a deluge of generosity, | 0:22:11 | 0:22:14 | |
I'm keen not to turn up empty-handed, | 0:22:14 | 0:22:16 | |
so I'm visiting a kitchen-table enterprise | 0:22:16 | 0:22:19 | |
on the outskirts of Beirut, | 0:22:19 | 0:22:21 | |
which I'm hoping will provide a solution. | 0:22:21 | 0:22:23 | |
Salut. Hi. | 0:22:28 | 0:22:30 | |
Arabic is the national tongue of Lebanon, | 0:22:30 | 0:22:32 | |
but most people also speak either French or English | 0:22:32 | 0:22:35 | |
and it's not uncommon to greet people in all three languages. | 0:22:35 | 0:22:39 | |
Mona Hashemi's delicately flavoured, exquisitely crafted ma'amoul | 0:22:44 | 0:22:49 | |
are traditionally eaten at Eid | 0:22:49 | 0:22:51 | |
and she's agreed to offer me a pastry-making masterclass. | 0:22:51 | 0:22:54 | |
Hello. | 0:22:57 | 0:22:58 | |
So, these are the little treasures I've been hearing about. | 0:22:59 | 0:23:02 | |
Her delicate semolina-based dough is enriched with butter | 0:23:06 | 0:23:10 | |
and given a slightly chewy texture with the addition of mastic, | 0:23:10 | 0:23:14 | |
a naturally-occurring resin. | 0:23:14 | 0:23:16 | |
Hidden away in there is a small pinch of mahlab, | 0:23:17 | 0:23:21 | |
the ground kernel of the sour cherry tree, | 0:23:21 | 0:23:24 | |
which adds a pleasingly bitter note | 0:23:24 | 0:23:26 | |
and works well with aromatic orange blossom and rose waters. | 0:23:26 | 0:23:30 | |
A sweet stuffing of either pistachio, walnuts or dates | 0:23:31 | 0:23:35 | |
is carefully encased in the centre... | 0:23:35 | 0:23:37 | |
..but it is the handmade, intricate designs | 0:23:38 | 0:23:41 | |
that make these delicacies so charming. | 0:23:41 | 0:23:45 | |
How cute is that?! | 0:23:45 | 0:23:47 | |
So, the pattern that you're putting on... | 0:23:47 | 0:23:49 | |
..it tells us what's inside - | 0:23:51 | 0:23:53 | |
or is it just the shape that tells us? | 0:23:53 | 0:23:55 | |
The dates are like daisies, | 0:23:55 | 0:23:56 | |
the pattern, the design's like a daisy. | 0:23:56 | 0:23:59 | |
-Yeah. -The walnuts is like a rose. | 0:23:59 | 0:24:03 | |
And then the pistachios are like a leaf, you know. | 0:24:03 | 0:24:07 | |
-Oh, yes, of course. -Yeah. There it is. | 0:24:07 | 0:24:10 | |
-It's obvious now! -Yeah, makes it easier now to do them. | 0:24:10 | 0:24:13 | |
And that little tool that you're holding, this one... | 0:24:13 | 0:24:16 | |
..is that just for these? | 0:24:18 | 0:24:19 | |
Do you do anything else with it? | 0:24:19 | 0:24:21 | |
THEY SPEAK ARABIC | 0:24:21 | 0:24:23 | |
-Only for these? -Only for ma'amoul. | 0:24:23 | 0:24:25 | |
You know, I would love to have a little go. | 0:24:27 | 0:24:31 | |
Would that be all right? | 0:24:31 | 0:24:33 | |
-This is easier. -OK. | 0:24:33 | 0:24:35 | |
You're getting the beginner's tools. | 0:24:35 | 0:24:37 | |
Oh, I'm... OK, I'm on the nursery slopes. | 0:24:37 | 0:24:41 | |
-OK. -You and me. | 0:24:41 | 0:24:43 | |
OK. | 0:24:43 | 0:24:45 | |
Oh, you have to be quite careful, don't you? | 0:24:45 | 0:24:47 | |
Cos the nuts are actually only just below the surface. | 0:24:48 | 0:24:51 | |
Exactly. | 0:24:51 | 0:24:52 | |
Look at the speed you're doing it at! | 0:24:52 | 0:24:55 | |
It's not brilliant, is it? | 0:24:55 | 0:24:58 | |
SHE SPEAKS FRENCH | 0:24:58 | 0:24:59 | |
Ah, so... | 0:24:59 | 0:25:01 | |
SHE SPEAKS FRENCH | 0:25:01 | 0:25:02 | |
So you did the date pattern, | 0:25:02 | 0:25:05 | |
you should have done the walnut pattern. | 0:25:05 | 0:25:07 | |
Did the date pattern! | 0:25:07 | 0:25:09 | |
Should have done the walnut pattern. | 0:25:10 | 0:25:12 | |
Ah! | 0:25:21 | 0:25:22 | |
-So it doesn't fall off... -Yes. | 0:25:24 | 0:25:26 | |
It lies in the ridges and the furrows and the folds. | 0:25:26 | 0:25:30 | |
-Yes. Exactly. -We make it like this. | 0:25:31 | 0:25:34 | |
It's a work of art. | 0:25:34 | 0:25:36 | |
So beautiful. | 0:25:36 | 0:25:38 | |
Better. | 0:25:38 | 0:25:39 | |
THEY LAUGH | 0:25:39 | 0:25:40 | |
Perfect. | 0:25:42 | 0:25:43 | |
I wouldn't say "perfect". | 0:25:43 | 0:25:45 | |
It's better than my first one. | 0:25:45 | 0:25:47 | |
It's the sort of thing I just love doing. | 0:25:50 | 0:25:53 | |
You could sit all afternoon, quite happily, | 0:25:53 | 0:25:57 | |
with this amazing little tool, | 0:25:57 | 0:25:59 | |
just decorating cookies. | 0:25:59 | 0:26:01 | |
The ma'amoul go into the oven at 180 degrees. | 0:26:02 | 0:26:06 | |
20 minutes later, the coffee is on, the ma'amoul are ready, and so am I. | 0:26:08 | 0:26:14 | |
This is lovely. | 0:26:21 | 0:26:23 | |
I just can't get over these. They're so fragile, | 0:26:23 | 0:26:25 | |
they are so fragrant. | 0:26:25 | 0:26:27 | |
-So, the... -Oh, it's going to become tougher. -Yes. -So is it only Eid? | 0:26:40 | 0:26:44 | |
Are they made at any other time of year? | 0:26:44 | 0:26:46 | |
So, Easter for Christians, and Eid, during Ramadan, for Muslims. | 0:26:46 | 0:26:51 | |
Now. | 0:26:51 | 0:26:53 | |
I'm surprised about the Christian thing. | 0:26:53 | 0:26:54 | |
I didn't realise that it was something for everyone. | 0:26:54 | 0:26:57 | |
Ma'amoul are enjoyed throughout the Arab world, | 0:27:00 | 0:27:03 | |
and most countries have their twist on these delicate pastries. | 0:27:03 | 0:27:07 | |
Here, they are a beautiful example of a shared culinary heritage. | 0:27:08 | 0:27:13 | |
Back in Beirut, and the big day has come. | 0:27:25 | 0:27:28 | |
For some, it's the end of 30 days' fasting. | 0:27:29 | 0:27:32 | |
For those of a more liberal persuasion, including Nour's family, | 0:27:32 | 0:27:35 | |
an excuse to bring everyone together. | 0:27:35 | 0:27:38 | |
-Amazing. -You had no idea about the food? -No...! | 0:27:39 | 0:27:43 | |
Lebanon is known for its relaxed attitudes. | 0:27:43 | 0:27:46 | |
Many Muslims here, particularly in urban areas, drink alcohol, | 0:27:46 | 0:27:50 | |
including the Levantine tipple arak, | 0:27:50 | 0:27:53 | |
made from fermented grapes and aniseed. | 0:27:53 | 0:27:57 | |
Nour's mother, Maya, | 0:27:57 | 0:27:58 | |
has been preparing dishes for the past four days. | 0:27:58 | 0:28:02 | |
So, this is dough, | 0:28:02 | 0:28:03 | |
fried dough stuffed with meat and then soaked in yoghurt. | 0:28:03 | 0:28:08 | |
Fried dough, stuffed with meat... | 0:28:08 | 0:28:11 | |
..soaked in yoghurt. | 0:28:11 | 0:28:13 | |
I'm liking the sound of this. | 0:28:13 | 0:28:15 | |
-There's all this, as well! -Yes. | 0:28:15 | 0:28:18 | |
Oh, look at those. | 0:28:18 | 0:28:20 | |
There is... | 0:28:21 | 0:28:23 | |
..aubergine, stuffed with meat... | 0:28:23 | 0:28:26 | |
MAYA SPEAKS ARABIC | 0:28:26 | 0:28:28 | |
-..and onions. -And tomato, OK. | 0:28:28 | 0:28:30 | |
So much food! | 0:28:30 | 0:28:32 | |
And there's still work to be done. | 0:28:32 | 0:28:34 | |
Freekeh, a roasted green wheat with a distinct nutty flavour, | 0:28:38 | 0:28:43 | |
is widely used in Arab cuisine. | 0:28:43 | 0:28:45 | |
Here, it is topped with ground lamb, roasted almonds, pistachios, | 0:28:46 | 0:28:51 | |
pine nuts and finally chicken. | 0:28:51 | 0:28:54 | |
This is magnificent! | 0:28:54 | 0:28:56 | |
It's utterly magnificent. | 0:28:56 | 0:28:58 | |
Maya has also made Nour's childhood favourite, | 0:28:59 | 0:29:03 | |
a distinctly Arab dish called mulukhiyah, made of chicken, | 0:29:03 | 0:29:07 | |
cinnamon spiced onions, bay leaves, and mallow, | 0:29:07 | 0:29:11 | |
an astringent, leafy vegetable often compared to cooked okra | 0:29:11 | 0:29:15 | |
and made popular by the ancient Egyptians. | 0:29:15 | 0:29:19 | |
This is a completely new smell to me. | 0:29:19 | 0:29:21 | |
-I don't know this smell. -Really? -And I know most cooking smells. | 0:29:21 | 0:29:23 | |
-Yes. -But I don't know this one. | 0:29:23 | 0:29:26 | |
I've noticed that some people who are not from the Middle East | 0:29:26 | 0:29:29 | |
either love it, or hate it. So we're going to see. | 0:29:29 | 0:29:31 | |
I think it's a mark of the best food, actually. | 0:29:31 | 0:29:33 | |
-The food that polarises people... -Yeah. -..tends to be the best. | 0:29:33 | 0:29:37 | |
Exactly! | 0:29:37 | 0:29:38 | |
But Maya has left her speciality until last - | 0:29:38 | 0:29:42 | |
and with very good reason. | 0:29:42 | 0:29:44 | |
Kibbeh, which uses a base of bulgur wheat and ground meat, | 0:29:44 | 0:29:48 | |
is hailed as one of Lebanon's national dishes, | 0:29:48 | 0:29:51 | |
and there are literally dozens of regional variations. | 0:29:51 | 0:29:54 | |
Maya, who is from south Lebanon, | 0:29:54 | 0:29:57 | |
is cooking her local version, kibbeh nayyeh, | 0:29:57 | 0:30:00 | |
where the ground meat is actually served raw. | 0:30:00 | 0:30:03 | |
Ah! | 0:30:03 | 0:30:05 | |
Maya adds water to tenderise the bulgur wheat, | 0:30:05 | 0:30:09 | |
another widely used cereal here. | 0:30:09 | 0:30:11 | |
The bulgur will lend the dish a lovely, nutty hue. | 0:30:11 | 0:30:15 | |
Ice is also added, to keep the bulgur cool. | 0:30:17 | 0:30:20 | |
This makes total sense! | 0:30:32 | 0:30:33 | |
The raw minced meat, in this case lamb, is added to the chilled wheat. | 0:30:38 | 0:30:43 | |
Time for Maya's special southern flourish. | 0:30:43 | 0:30:47 | |
This is the magic, basically. | 0:30:48 | 0:30:49 | |
-And what is the magic? -OK. The magic is... | 0:30:49 | 0:30:54 | |
..cumin, and dried wild flowers. | 0:30:54 | 0:30:58 | |
-Yes. -Red pepper. | 0:30:58 | 0:31:00 | |
Basil, onions, mint, and that's it. | 0:31:00 | 0:31:03 | |
I want to know what those wild flowers are. | 0:31:03 | 0:31:05 | |
It's spring flowers that are, like, harvested, | 0:31:05 | 0:31:08 | |
and just dried and made specially for this. | 0:31:08 | 0:31:11 | |
For just this one recipe? | 0:31:11 | 0:31:13 | |
Yes. And everything... The wild flowers are here. | 0:31:13 | 0:31:15 | |
You know, meat always has a certain smell sometimes, | 0:31:15 | 0:31:20 | |
that is not really pleasant. | 0:31:20 | 0:31:21 | |
-Particularly lamb, particularly lamb. -Exactly. | 0:31:21 | 0:31:23 | |
And when you have, like... | 0:31:23 | 0:31:24 | |
..and sometimes when you cook it, it goes away, but you're eating raw... | 0:31:24 | 0:31:28 | |
-Yes. -..mince. | 0:31:28 | 0:31:30 | |
Not mince, like, raw pureed meat. | 0:31:30 | 0:31:32 | |
You know? So... | 0:31:32 | 0:31:34 | |
To just give it that beautiful smell. | 0:31:34 | 0:31:36 | |
These wild flowers are there to do that. | 0:31:36 | 0:31:39 | |
Yes, take a little bite. | 0:31:39 | 0:31:40 | |
You taste hers, and she's going to taste yours. | 0:31:41 | 0:31:44 | |
Oh! OK. | 0:31:44 | 0:31:45 | |
-OK, so, just a little bit? -No, eat it all. | 0:31:46 | 0:31:49 | |
-Really? -Yeah. -Mm. | 0:31:49 | 0:31:51 | |
Raw meat's kind of a slightly odd thing for us to eat, but... | 0:31:51 | 0:31:54 | |
Mm-hm. | 0:31:54 | 0:31:57 | |
Mmm! How delicious. | 0:31:58 | 0:32:00 | |
So good. | 0:32:01 | 0:32:03 | |
It's smooth, isn't it? | 0:32:03 | 0:32:04 | |
It just goes down easily - | 0:32:04 | 0:32:06 | |
and it's these spices and this mix that just brings that... | 0:32:06 | 0:32:09 | |
I'm not even sure I knew it was raw, | 0:32:09 | 0:32:11 | |
-if you know what I mean. -Exactly, that's the thing. | 0:32:11 | 0:32:15 | |
When you're not sure that it's raw, and you don't know, | 0:32:15 | 0:32:18 | |
this means the kibbeh was done right. | 0:32:18 | 0:32:19 | |
Great! | 0:32:20 | 0:32:22 | |
Eating raw meat can be harmful, | 0:32:22 | 0:32:25 | |
but Maya follows a family recipe, sources her meat carefully, | 0:32:25 | 0:32:29 | |
and keeps it chilled as near to the point of serving as possible. | 0:32:29 | 0:32:33 | |
And now... | 0:32:33 | 0:32:35 | |
OK. Begin. | 0:32:35 | 0:32:37 | |
You can do whatever shape you want. | 0:32:39 | 0:32:41 | |
Finally, the kibbeh is shaped... | 0:32:42 | 0:32:44 | |
..and lavishly doused with olive oil. | 0:32:48 | 0:32:50 | |
You have a lot of food! | 0:32:59 | 0:33:00 | |
Mm-hm. | 0:33:00 | 0:33:01 | |
From stuffed vine leaves to an array of lamb and vegetable dishes, | 0:33:04 | 0:33:09 | |
it just keeps coming. | 0:33:09 | 0:33:10 | |
I've never seen so much food on one table. | 0:33:13 | 0:33:15 | |
It's this generosity, it's just never-ending. | 0:33:17 | 0:33:19 | |
This is such a delight, to see so many people eating at once. | 0:33:30 | 0:33:34 | |
-Yes. -It's really important, the sound of people... | 0:33:34 | 0:33:38 | |
"Yes, I want to socialise, I want to talk, but actually..." | 0:33:38 | 0:33:40 | |
Everybody's focused on the sound of food, yes. | 0:33:40 | 0:33:43 | |
-I know. It's lovely, isn't it? -Yes. Yes. | 0:33:43 | 0:33:46 | |
Family gathers, and food. | 0:33:46 | 0:33:47 | |
You think all of them would be here if there wasn't food? | 0:33:47 | 0:33:50 | |
It's such an honour to be here. | 0:33:57 | 0:34:00 | |
Such a privilege to be invited, | 0:34:00 | 0:34:02 | |
to cook, and to be with the family to eat with them. | 0:34:02 | 0:34:06 | |
It's wonderful, it's a big, social occasion, | 0:34:06 | 0:34:09 | |
and being part of it is very, very special. | 0:34:09 | 0:34:11 | |
It's when that food goes on the table. | 0:34:15 | 0:34:18 | |
It's like the catalyst that just starts everything off. | 0:34:18 | 0:34:21 | |
All the conversation, all the movement, all the fun, | 0:34:21 | 0:34:24 | |
all the life that is around that table. | 0:34:24 | 0:34:27 | |
It starts with the food. | 0:34:27 | 0:34:29 | |
One dish on Maya's table that particularly caught my imagination, | 0:34:42 | 0:34:46 | |
was the classic Middle Eastern salad fattoush. | 0:34:46 | 0:34:49 | |
For my version, peel, halve and seed two cucumbers. | 0:34:52 | 0:34:57 | |
Cut into half moons and add to a bowl. | 0:34:57 | 0:35:01 | |
Quarter a handful of tomatoes and radishes. | 0:35:02 | 0:35:06 | |
Chop a small lettuce | 0:35:07 | 0:35:09 | |
and a bunch of spring onions. | 0:35:09 | 0:35:11 | |
Tear in parsley | 0:35:12 | 0:35:13 | |
and a few of the smallest mint leaves. | 0:35:13 | 0:35:17 | |
Shallow-fry a whole pita bread in olive oil. | 0:35:17 | 0:35:21 | |
Blend olives and parsley with olive oil and lemon. | 0:35:21 | 0:35:24 | |
Spread the paste on the toasted bread. | 0:35:25 | 0:35:29 | |
Dress the salad with a mixture of pomegranate molasses, | 0:35:29 | 0:35:33 | |
olive oil, and sumac. | 0:35:33 | 0:35:35 | |
It's a fresh and exciting salad | 0:35:35 | 0:35:38 | |
that will always take me back to Lebanon. | 0:35:38 | 0:35:40 | |
My journey through Lebanese cuisine now takes me inland and southwards, | 0:35:44 | 0:35:49 | |
from the shores of the Mediterranean | 0:35:49 | 0:35:52 | |
to the dusty slopes of Nabatieh, | 0:35:52 | 0:35:54 | |
just ten miles from the Israeli border. | 0:35:54 | 0:35:57 | |
It's here I plan to unravel a mystery | 0:35:57 | 0:35:59 | |
that has stumped me since long before I arrived. | 0:35:59 | 0:36:03 | |
I'm on a bit of a personal mission for something that's puzzled me, | 0:36:05 | 0:36:09 | |
a mystery, for a long time. | 0:36:09 | 0:36:10 | |
I love the herb mix, za'atar, | 0:36:12 | 0:36:15 | |
and I buy it from my local Lebanese grocer's - | 0:36:15 | 0:36:18 | |
and I know that it's a mixture of thyme, of sesame seed, | 0:36:18 | 0:36:22 | |
salt and very often sumac - | 0:36:22 | 0:36:25 | |
and yet it's always puzzled me, | 0:36:25 | 0:36:27 | |
because it doesn't seem to actually smell of thyme. | 0:36:27 | 0:36:29 | |
So I've come here | 0:36:32 | 0:36:33 | |
to unravel this little puzzle. | 0:36:33 | 0:36:36 | |
What exactly is za'atar? | 0:36:37 | 0:36:40 | |
The herbal mix known as za'atar is a storeroom staple | 0:36:43 | 0:36:47 | |
throughout the Arab world - | 0:36:47 | 0:36:48 | |
but it's also a herb in its own right. | 0:36:48 | 0:36:51 | |
Abu Kasim is a local farmer here in Nabatieh. | 0:36:53 | 0:36:56 | |
He was one of the first farmers in the country to grow za'atar | 0:36:58 | 0:37:01 | |
commercially, and I'm hoping he can solve my culinary conundrum. | 0:37:01 | 0:37:05 | |
So what do you call this herb that you are growing? | 0:37:09 | 0:37:12 | |
Yeah. This is oregano, it's got that beautiful sea-green... | 0:37:25 | 0:37:29 | |
..colour, it's very soft and velvety to touch. | 0:37:29 | 0:37:33 | |
Mystery solved. | 0:37:54 | 0:37:55 | |
It seems like the herb mix I buy uses oregano rather than thyme - | 0:37:55 | 0:38:00 | |
but both herbs are related, | 0:38:00 | 0:38:02 | |
and different varieties of both may be used. | 0:38:02 | 0:38:05 | |
This personal quest has led to an unexpected revelation for me. | 0:38:06 | 0:38:11 | |
Maybe it takes the right... | 0:38:12 | 0:38:15 | |
..plant in the right place, to make you rethink it, | 0:38:15 | 0:38:19 | |
but oregano, to me, has always been slightly dusty, a little bit old. | 0:38:19 | 0:38:23 | |
It's something I reserve, I suppose, to use dried, on pizza... | 0:38:23 | 0:38:28 | |
..and suddenly, holding a freshly-picked plant, | 0:38:29 | 0:38:33 | |
something that I can feel, and it's velvety, it's soft and it's earthy, | 0:38:33 | 0:38:38 | |
it's aromatic - but it's also got a very slight fruitiness to it. | 0:38:38 | 0:38:43 | |
It's a completely different herb from the one that I know, | 0:38:43 | 0:38:46 | |
and have been barely using - | 0:38:46 | 0:38:48 | |
and I want to know more, and I want to use it differently. | 0:38:48 | 0:38:52 | |
Standing in these fields, | 0:38:52 | 0:38:54 | |
I'm interested to know how Abu Kasim's business came about. | 0:38:54 | 0:38:58 | |
So, I'm intrigued why you decided to grow it, | 0:38:58 | 0:39:02 | |
why you decided to farm it, | 0:39:02 | 0:39:03 | |
when it actually grows quite naturally. | 0:39:03 | 0:39:06 | |
With the potential for injury from unexploded cluster bombs, | 0:39:37 | 0:39:41 | |
and the desire to protect the environment from excessive foraging, | 0:39:41 | 0:39:45 | |
Abu Kasim was provided with the impetus | 0:39:45 | 0:39:48 | |
for his now-successful business. | 0:39:48 | 0:39:50 | |
I'm keen to find out how this plant is transformed | 0:39:51 | 0:39:54 | |
into the herb mix I know and love. | 0:39:54 | 0:39:57 | |
The plant is thrashed by farm hand Abu Ali, | 0:40:00 | 0:40:03 | |
and any woody stems are removed by Abu Kasim's wife Fatima. | 0:40:03 | 0:40:08 | |
It's not surprising that this is such a happy scene, | 0:40:08 | 0:40:11 | |
because with the warmth from the earth and the heat of the sun, | 0:40:11 | 0:40:15 | |
and all of the oregano dust that's flying around the air, | 0:40:15 | 0:40:19 | |
this whole scene is just totally intoxicating. | 0:40:19 | 0:40:22 | |
There is magic in this process. | 0:40:33 | 0:40:35 | |
From how the leaves are sieved... | 0:40:40 | 0:40:42 | |
..to how Abu Kasim prepares the herb mix | 0:40:47 | 0:40:50 | |
by toasting the sesame... | 0:40:50 | 0:40:52 | |
..and mixing with the tangy, lemony sumac... | 0:40:56 | 0:40:59 | |
..right through to how his sister-in-law makes saj, | 0:41:03 | 0:41:06 | |
a Lebanese flatbread... | 0:41:06 | 0:41:08 | |
..and coats it with an olive oil and za'atar mix... | 0:41:16 | 0:41:19 | |
..to make the much-loved man'oushe. | 0:41:21 | 0:41:23 | |
The trick is to cook the bread until it's crisp, | 0:41:28 | 0:41:31 | |
but also soft enough to roll. | 0:41:31 | 0:41:34 | |
Often served with cheese, labneh or ground meat, | 0:41:34 | 0:41:37 | |
here, it is filled with tomatoes and cucumber. | 0:41:37 | 0:41:42 | |
So good! | 0:41:42 | 0:41:43 | |
Simplicity itself. | 0:41:43 | 0:41:45 | |
And I'm not surprised - | 0:42:16 | 0:42:18 | |
and it's just, the bread is so crisp, | 0:42:18 | 0:42:21 | |
and so sort of crunchy, | 0:42:21 | 0:42:23 | |
and then all the lovely, refreshing tomatoes and cucumber. | 0:42:23 | 0:42:26 | |
I'd love this for breakfast. | 0:42:26 | 0:42:29 | |
I'd love this for breakfast every day. | 0:42:29 | 0:42:30 | |
SHE LAUGHS | 0:42:32 | 0:42:33 | |
I would! | 0:42:33 | 0:42:35 | |
I would be happy to eat this every morning. | 0:42:36 | 0:42:38 | |
No wonder za'atar is a cornerstone of Lebanese cuisine. | 0:42:40 | 0:42:44 | |
Its earthiness really elevates everyday dishes. | 0:42:45 | 0:42:48 | |
My trip to the farm has inspired me to use it even more. | 0:42:50 | 0:42:53 | |
Za'atar chicken and chickpeas. | 0:42:58 | 0:43:01 | |
Mix three tablespoonfuls of za'atar | 0:43:08 | 0:43:11 | |
with a glug of olive oil. | 0:43:11 | 0:43:13 | |
Add chickpeas and six peeled garlic cloves | 0:43:14 | 0:43:19 | |
to a large roasting tin. | 0:43:19 | 0:43:20 | |
Brush four chicken thighs with the za'atar mix | 0:43:21 | 0:43:24 | |
and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. | 0:43:24 | 0:43:27 | |
Bake in a preheated 200-degree oven for 40 minutes. | 0:43:27 | 0:43:31 | |
Remove the garlic, brush the chicken again, | 0:43:33 | 0:43:36 | |
and return to the oven for a further 15 to 20 minutes. | 0:43:36 | 0:43:40 | |
Pound the soft, roasted garlic, before adding thick yoghurt. | 0:43:42 | 0:43:47 | |
Serve the chicken on a bed of chickpeas | 0:43:49 | 0:43:52 | |
with the yoghurt | 0:43:52 | 0:43:53 | |
and a few small mint leaves. | 0:43:53 | 0:43:55 | |
The final leg of my journey takes me further inland and eastwards, | 0:44:04 | 0:44:08 | |
to the Bekaa Valley, the rural heartland of Lebanon. | 0:44:08 | 0:44:11 | |
It's the country's most important agricultural region, | 0:44:14 | 0:44:17 | |
and, I'm hoping, the ideal place | 0:44:17 | 0:44:19 | |
to learn more about traditional home cooking. | 0:44:19 | 0:44:22 | |
So I'm out into the Bekaa Valley, | 0:44:23 | 0:44:25 | |
which is, I guess, about ten miles from the Syrian border - | 0:44:25 | 0:44:30 | |
and, immediately, you can see it's incredibly lush. | 0:44:30 | 0:44:33 | |
This is very different, it feels very different, | 0:44:37 | 0:44:39 | |
and I suspect that the cooking will be different here, too. | 0:44:39 | 0:44:42 | |
Situated between two parallel mountain ranges, | 0:44:44 | 0:44:48 | |
this fertile plateau is home | 0:44:48 | 0:44:50 | |
to almost half of Lebanon's cultivated land. | 0:44:50 | 0:44:53 | |
First, I'm off to discover a simple but essential routine | 0:44:56 | 0:45:00 | |
that has been part of domestic life, not only here, | 0:45:00 | 0:45:03 | |
but across most of the Middle East, for centuries. | 0:45:03 | 0:45:06 | |
Ibrahim Abu Eid lives in Haouch Snaid | 0:45:11 | 0:45:16 | |
with his wife Aziza and their three children, Hamoud, Maria and Zara. | 0:45:16 | 0:45:21 | |
Ibrahim is showing me how to make labneh, | 0:45:23 | 0:45:26 | |
the soft, white cheese that to this day | 0:45:26 | 0:45:28 | |
forms a staple part of the Arab diet. | 0:45:28 | 0:45:31 | |
This is a world away from Beirut... | 0:45:33 | 0:45:35 | |
..but before we start, | 0:45:36 | 0:45:38 | |
I must meet another very special member of the family. | 0:45:38 | 0:45:41 | |
COW LOWS | 0:45:41 | 0:45:42 | |
-That's a good yield. -Yes. | 0:45:57 | 0:45:59 | |
Whilst many rural people buy their labneh | 0:45:59 | 0:46:02 | |
from small-scale local producers, | 0:46:02 | 0:46:05 | |
this single cow provides Ibrahim and his family | 0:46:05 | 0:46:08 | |
with all the dairy they need. | 0:46:08 | 0:46:10 | |
Made into balls and placed in oil, labneh can last two to three months. | 0:46:12 | 0:46:17 | |
And now we have the milk - on with the cooking. | 0:46:19 | 0:46:21 | |
Ten litres of milk we've collected | 0:46:24 | 0:46:27 | |
will be reduced to about two kilos of labneh. | 0:46:27 | 0:46:31 | |
The first step is to heat the milk. | 0:46:31 | 0:46:34 | |
Yes, you get that... It's like a skin. | 0:46:38 | 0:46:40 | |
-Yes. -It forms at the bottom. -Yes. -Yes, I know. | 0:46:40 | 0:46:42 | |
Made using only yoghurt and milk, | 0:46:42 | 0:46:44 | |
labneh is healthier than similar foods like cream cheese, | 0:46:44 | 0:46:48 | |
and can be served with meats and meze, | 0:46:48 | 0:46:51 | |
but is most popular at breakfast. | 0:46:51 | 0:46:53 | |
But it is just the best breakfast, | 0:46:53 | 0:46:56 | |
because it's a real kick to start the day, | 0:46:56 | 0:46:59 | |
cos it's got that hit of acidity, | 0:46:59 | 0:47:01 | |
that little bit of sharpness, | 0:47:01 | 0:47:02 | |
that little bite first thing in the morning. | 0:47:02 | 0:47:04 | |
So it really wakes you up - | 0:47:04 | 0:47:06 | |
but at the same time, it's quite gentle because of its creaminess. | 0:47:06 | 0:47:09 | |
Once cooled to the right temperature, the yoghurt is added. | 0:47:10 | 0:47:15 | |
Not so much cooking, as alchemy. | 0:47:15 | 0:47:17 | |
-45 degrees. -OK, so it comes up... -Yes. | 0:47:23 | 0:47:25 | |
..to boil, then down to 45. | 0:47:25 | 0:47:26 | |
At 45? Yeah. | 0:47:31 | 0:47:33 | |
It is this thing where simple things | 0:47:41 | 0:47:43 | |
are often not as simple as they look. | 0:47:43 | 0:47:45 | |
This is one of those things. | 0:47:46 | 0:47:48 | |
Something tells me that Ibrahim | 0:47:49 | 0:47:51 | |
has never needed a written recipe for labneh... | 0:47:51 | 0:47:54 | |
..and I suspect neither will his children. | 0:47:55 | 0:47:57 | |
Who taught you to make labneh? | 0:47:59 | 0:48:01 | |
Once strained, salt is added, | 0:48:18 | 0:48:21 | |
and then it is left to ripen for 24 hours. | 0:48:21 | 0:48:24 | |
Mmm! | 0:48:37 | 0:48:39 | |
-So, good? -It's so good. -Thanks. | 0:48:39 | 0:48:42 | |
It does coat your mouth, but deliciously so. | 0:48:42 | 0:48:46 | |
Not in a horrible, sweet, cloying way, in a very refreshing way. | 0:48:46 | 0:48:51 | |
-That was great! Fantastic. -Thank you. | 0:48:51 | 0:48:54 | |
Labneh is widely believed to have originated with nomads, | 0:48:54 | 0:48:58 | |
as a way to preserve milk - | 0:48:58 | 0:49:00 | |
but it clearly has a permanent home in modern Lebanese life. | 0:49:00 | 0:49:03 | |
As well as dairy, ingredients such as grains and pulses | 0:49:09 | 0:49:13 | |
are a mainstay of daily meals. | 0:49:13 | 0:49:15 | |
Whether combined with fresh produce or judicious amounts of meat. | 0:49:15 | 0:49:19 | |
I'm curious to find out more about | 0:49:22 | 0:49:24 | |
this affordable and healthy food culture. | 0:49:24 | 0:49:28 | |
So I'm travelling to the village of Ammiq, | 0:49:28 | 0:49:30 | |
on the western edge of the Bekaa Valley, to meet Rima Jabbour, | 0:49:30 | 0:49:35 | |
a cook whose vegetable and grain-laden dishes | 0:49:35 | 0:49:38 | |
are stuff of local legend. | 0:49:38 | 0:49:39 | |
I was just thinking these look fabulous tomatoes... | 0:49:44 | 0:49:46 | |
Where do you...? Where do you get most of your fruit and veg from? | 0:49:48 | 0:49:51 | |
You grow your own. | 0:49:54 | 0:49:56 | |
Ah! It's always the best. | 0:49:56 | 0:49:58 | |
SHE REPLIES IN ARABIC | 0:49:58 | 0:50:00 | |
It's always the best. | 0:50:00 | 0:50:01 | |
Traditionally, meat was expensive, | 0:50:02 | 0:50:04 | |
so people relied heavily on what they had at their fingertips - | 0:50:04 | 0:50:08 | |
fresh vegetables in the summer, and grains throughout the year. | 0:50:08 | 0:50:11 | |
Would you say that what you are cooking now, | 0:50:14 | 0:50:17 | |
is this very much what most families would cook for dinner? | 0:50:17 | 0:50:22 | |
Today, Rima is cooking a vegetarian dish, burghul banadoura. | 0:50:48 | 0:50:53 | |
Its main ingredient, bulgur wheat, | 0:50:53 | 0:50:55 | |
is a healthy source of plant-based protein. | 0:50:55 | 0:50:58 | |
Oh, look at that! | 0:50:58 | 0:50:59 | |
Velvety. | 0:51:00 | 0:51:01 | |
Once soaked, it's added to the pan of chopped tomatoes, | 0:51:02 | 0:51:06 | |
onions and sweet peppers, | 0:51:06 | 0:51:08 | |
and just a sparing touch of Rima's very special secret ingredient. | 0:51:08 | 0:51:12 | |
So this is home-made tomato puree? | 0:51:13 | 0:51:15 | |
Ah, that's a good load. | 0:51:15 | 0:51:18 | |
You make it with your own tomatoes - | 0:51:18 | 0:51:20 | |
and do you do a lot at once, do you do a big store? | 0:51:20 | 0:51:23 | |
50 kilos?! | 0:51:35 | 0:51:38 | |
Industrial quantities of tomato puree are not the only thing | 0:51:38 | 0:51:42 | |
Rima stores in her larder. | 0:51:42 | 0:51:44 | |
Thrifty housekeeping means dried grains and pulses | 0:51:44 | 0:51:47 | |
are also bought in bulk. | 0:51:47 | 0:51:49 | |
That's a lot of lentils! | 0:51:59 | 0:52:01 | |
THEY LAUGH | 0:52:01 | 0:52:03 | |
So with all your ingredients that are dry and they're stored, | 0:52:03 | 0:52:07 | |
I wonder how long you could go without going to the shops. | 0:52:07 | 0:52:10 | |
Just cooking every day. | 0:52:10 | 0:52:11 | |
Really? | 0:52:14 | 0:52:15 | |
I can barely go a week. | 0:52:16 | 0:52:18 | |
Can I have a look in your cupboard? | 0:52:18 | 0:52:20 | |
It's this fascination | 0:52:21 | 0:52:22 | |
with what other people make their daily meal with. | 0:52:22 | 0:52:25 | |
Not nosy or anything... | 0:52:25 | 0:52:27 | |
Ooh! | 0:52:32 | 0:52:33 | |
Ah, so cassia bark... | 0:52:40 | 0:52:42 | |
It has very much the same effect as cinnamon, | 0:52:43 | 0:52:45 | |
but it is a slightly cheaper version. | 0:52:45 | 0:52:47 | |
What's this? | 0:52:49 | 0:52:50 | |
Oh, my word! | 0:52:53 | 0:52:54 | |
A mixture of exotic flavours such as fenugreek, cloves and nutmeg, | 0:53:02 | 0:53:06 | |
seven spice is an incredibly useful spice blend, | 0:53:06 | 0:53:10 | |
and found throughout the Arab world, and beyond - | 0:53:10 | 0:53:13 | |
and no two jars are exactly the same. | 0:53:13 | 0:53:16 | |
This is a little magical mystery tour of spice mixtures. | 0:53:16 | 0:53:19 | |
I mean, I'm getting the hint, | 0:53:19 | 0:53:21 | |
some of them are clearly very soft and gentle. | 0:53:21 | 0:53:24 | |
These mixtures seem very warm and earthy. | 0:53:24 | 0:53:28 | |
They are not hot, I'm not getting any notes of chilli. | 0:53:28 | 0:53:31 | |
They are just very fragrant, and... | 0:53:31 | 0:53:35 | |
..I mean, quite peppery. | 0:53:35 | 0:53:37 | |
Do you make your own spices? | 0:53:37 | 0:53:39 | |
So, do you buy that, or do you mix it? | 0:53:39 | 0:53:42 | |
Ah, you see, I love that way of shopping. | 0:53:52 | 0:53:54 | |
These dishes of cheap and filling ingredients may be simple, | 0:54:01 | 0:54:05 | |
but such considered use of flavourings mean | 0:54:05 | 0:54:07 | |
they're never boring. | 0:54:07 | 0:54:09 | |
It's absolutely delicious. | 0:54:14 | 0:54:16 | |
It's delicious. | 0:54:16 | 0:54:18 | |
I think the secret is your home-made tomato puree. | 0:54:18 | 0:54:21 | |
That's what the secret is. It's completely natural - | 0:54:21 | 0:54:25 | |
and I think it makes such a difference, I really do. | 0:54:25 | 0:54:27 | |
It's delicious. | 0:54:28 | 0:54:30 | |
You know, it always feels a privilege | 0:54:30 | 0:54:33 | |
to cook and eat someone's home food - | 0:54:33 | 0:54:35 | |
but, fortunately, in this case, | 0:54:35 | 0:54:37 | |
I'm not the only one who gets to taste Rima's incredible cooking. | 0:54:37 | 0:54:41 | |
Rima works at a rather special restaurant, | 0:54:52 | 0:54:55 | |
hidden away above the fields and pastures of the Bekaa Valley. | 0:54:55 | 0:54:59 | |
Tawlet Ammiq is a restaurant with a difference... | 0:55:01 | 0:55:04 | |
..and I'm not just talking about the view. | 0:55:05 | 0:55:07 | |
You feel as if you could reach out and touch Syria, you are so close... | 0:55:12 | 0:55:15 | |
..but actually, what you come here for is what's happening inside. | 0:55:17 | 0:55:20 | |
This is a very, very special restaurant. | 0:55:21 | 0:55:24 | |
The menu celebrates local food traditions | 0:55:26 | 0:55:30 | |
by employing a small army of home cooks | 0:55:30 | 0:55:33 | |
to showcase their age-old recipes and techniques. | 0:55:33 | 0:55:36 | |
People from all over Lebanon | 0:55:36 | 0:55:38 | |
think nothing of driving hours to get here. | 0:55:38 | 0:55:41 | |
The buffet is an A-Z of Lebanese home cooking. | 0:55:44 | 0:55:47 | |
Fattoush, in all its fresh glory - | 0:55:49 | 0:55:52 | |
and, of course, all the ingredients are grown locally... | 0:55:52 | 0:55:56 | |
..and, there's tabbouleh - | 0:56:03 | 0:56:05 | |
heavy on the parsley, and lighter on the wheat, around here. | 0:56:05 | 0:56:09 | |
Got feta and olives. | 0:56:09 | 0:56:12 | |
Got a cucumber sweetcorn salad. | 0:56:12 | 0:56:14 | |
Stuffed courgette. | 0:56:15 | 0:56:16 | |
Yoghurt dips. | 0:56:16 | 0:56:18 | |
Kibbeh, kibbeh nayyeh, | 0:56:18 | 0:56:21 | |
and numerous one-pot, home-style stews, | 0:56:21 | 0:56:24 | |
known collectively as tabkhat. | 0:56:24 | 0:56:26 | |
SHE SPEAKS ARABIC | 0:56:28 | 0:56:30 | |
OK... | 0:56:30 | 0:56:32 | |
I've never seen nuts used this way, just handfuls of them. | 0:56:34 | 0:56:38 | |
Look at these kebabs. | 0:56:41 | 0:56:42 | |
Vegetable kebabs. | 0:56:45 | 0:56:46 | |
Got cauliflower, got tomato... | 0:56:46 | 0:56:48 | |
Everything cooked here by local cooks, people who live in this area. | 0:56:49 | 0:56:54 | |
People come for miles to eat this. | 0:56:54 | 0:56:57 | |
There's not one single thing here | 0:56:59 | 0:57:01 | |
that I don't want to sit down and eat. | 0:57:01 | 0:57:03 | |
It's just...dazzling! | 0:57:03 | 0:57:06 | |
Oh, garlic, basil! | 0:57:10 | 0:57:13 | |
-Roast potatoes. -Mm. | 0:57:14 | 0:57:16 | |
Perfect. | 0:57:16 | 0:57:17 | |
Beiruti socialites, tourists and expats | 0:57:24 | 0:57:28 | |
sit beside local families here, | 0:57:28 | 0:57:31 | |
all drawn to quality ingredients, | 0:57:31 | 0:57:33 | |
prepared with passion and love. | 0:57:33 | 0:57:36 | |
This, to me, captures what Lebanese cuisine is all about - | 0:57:37 | 0:57:42 | |
shared tables, shared heritage and shared food... | 0:57:42 | 0:57:47 | |
..and I leave with a sense that there is a bright future | 0:57:48 | 0:57:51 | |
for that most precious element, home cooking. | 0:57:51 | 0:57:54 | |
I'm so glad that I came here to the Bekaa Valley. | 0:57:54 | 0:57:57 | |
Coming here has allowed me to do something very special, | 0:57:57 | 0:58:02 | |
and really is the essence of why I came here, | 0:58:02 | 0:58:06 | |
which is to see what people are actually doing in their own home - | 0:58:06 | 0:58:10 | |
how they're eating, how they're cooking, | 0:58:10 | 0:58:13 | |
what they're doing with their food. | 0:58:13 | 0:58:15 | |
It's not just a peep in somebody's larder, | 0:58:15 | 0:58:18 | |
it's a peep inside their life. | 0:58:18 | 0:58:20 | |
That's what it is. | 0:58:21 | 0:58:22 |