Taste Lebanon
لبنان
Hummus, tabbouleh, grilled meats, man'oushe, pickles and a breakfast culture of cheese, za'atar and olives. Lebanese cooking is Levantine — overlapping with Syria, Palestine and parts of the eastern Mediterranean — while still tasting like itself.
12 recipes · 2 cuisines
Essential dishes
Hummus
حمص
Chickpeas, tahini, lemon and garlic — a dip, not a yoghurt smoothie, and not a Turkish restaurant garnish.
8 hr 15 minEasyNo chilli
Falafel
فلافل
Fried ground chickpeas or fava — herbs, garlic, a crisp shell. Not a mashed leftover patty.
12 hr 40 minMedium🌶️
Tabbouleh
تبولة
A parsley salad with a little bulgur — not a wheat salad with a parsley garnish.
50 minEasyNo chilli
Fattoush
فتوش
A bread salad — fried pita, vegetables, sumac, and a sour dressing that should stain your fingers.
28 minEasyNo chilli
Baba ghanoush
بابا غنوج
Smoky eggplant, tahini and lemon — the mezze that should taste of fire, not of a steamed vegetable.
50 minEasyNo chilli
Man'oushe
مناقيش
Breakfast flatbread with za'atar oil — the Lebanese morning that is not a croissant.
2 hr 7 minMediumNo chilli
Kibbeh
كبة
Bulgur and lamb, pounded or pulsed — fried torpedoes, a tray bake, or raw if you trust the butcher.
1 hr 40 minA bit of work🌶️
Shish tawook
شيش طاووق
Yoghurt-garlic chicken skewers — pale, tangy, grilled, and unfinished without garlic sauce and pita.
2 hr 32 minEasyNo chilli
Mujadara
مجدرة
Lentils, rice and a scandal of fried onion — the cheap pot that tastes like a house.
1 hrEasyNo chilli
Labneh
لبنة
Yoghurt drained until it is a cheese — oil, za'atar, and bread. Breakfast that is also mezze.
12 hr 10 minVery easyNo chilli
Kafta
كفتة
Minced lamb, parsley and onion on a skewer — the Levantine grill that is not a burger.
30 minEasy🌶️
Batata harra
بطاطا حارة
Potatoes fried and tossed with garlic, chilli and coriander — hot in both senses if you want them to be.
40 minEasy🌶️🌶️
Regional cuisines
Think you know Lebanon food?
12 quiz dishes. Optional — Passport stamps still come from cooking.
Take the Lebanon food quizFood history
Phoenician trade, Arab kitchens, Ottoman rule and French mandate markets. Mezze is a way of eating, not a starter course invented for restaurants.