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Thali

🇱🇧 The food of Lebanon

28 dishes from Lebanon, best known first, across 6 cities and regions.

Lebanese cooking is shaped by the Mediterranean climate and centuries of cultural exchange. Meals center on fresh vegetables, grains, olive oil, and herbs, with lamb and poultry more common than beef. Mezze—an array of small dishes—sets Lebanese food apart, as does the tradition of preserving foods for year-round use.

  • Mezze can include up to 60 small dishes in restaurants.
  • Labneh is a thick, strained yogurt spread.
  • Manaeesh flatbread is topped with cheese or za'atar.
  • Mouneh preserves foods for use throughout the year.
  • Arak is the national anise-flavored spirit.

The cooking of Lebanon

Lebanese cuisine draws from ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions, blending influences from Phoenician, Ottoman, and French periods. Meals feature a balance of grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruits, with olive oil and lemon juice as key seasonings. Food is often grilled, baked, or cooked lightly in olive oil, and dairy is mostly reserved for a few dishes and desserts. Mezze, a spread of small plates, is central to social gatherings, while family meals are simpler. The cuisine adapts to the seasons, using what is fresh and local, and preserves such as pickles and jams are made to last through the year.

Staple foods in Lebanon

Flatbreads are eaten with nearly every meal, used to scoop up dips or wrap fillings. Chickpeas, lentils, and parsley are common, as are tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, and olives. Lamb and goat are the main red meats, while poultry is more widely eaten. Olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice are used generously. Dairy appears as yogurt, labneh (strained yogurt), and a variety of cheeses. Preserved foods, known as mouneh, include bulgur, pickles, jams, and confit meats.

Breakfast in Lebanon 8 dishes

Breakfast often features flatbreads like manaeesh, topped with cheese or za'atar, and labneh served with olive oil. Eggs, sometimes made into herb omelets called ejjeh, are also common. Fresh vegetables and olives may accompany the meal.

Snacks and street food in Lebanon

Street foods include falafel (fried chickpea balls), shawarma (spit-roasted meat in flatbread), and ka'ak, a sesame bread sometimes filled with cheese or za'atar. Manaeesh, a type of flatbread with various toppings, is a popular snack at any time of day.

Sweets and drinks in Lebanon

Baklawa (layered pastry with nuts and syrup), sfouf (semolina cake), and ka'ak are well-known desserts. Fresh fruit is often served at the end of a meal if sweets are not available. Arak, an anise-flavored spirit, is the national drink and is usually served with food. Lebanese wine is also traditional.

From region to region in Lebanon

Cooking styles and specialties differ by region. South Lebanon is known for kibbe, a dish of ground meat and bulgur. The Beqaa Valley specializes in meat pastries like sfiha. North Lebanon and the city of Saida are famous for their sweets. Mountain villages produce unique cheeses such as darfiyeh and baladi, reflecting local ingredients and traditions.

At the table in Lebanon

Meals are typically accompanied by plates of fresh vegetables, pickles, and olives. Mezze is more common at gatherings and restaurants than at home, where fewer dishes are served. Food is often eaten with flatbread, used in place of utensils. Drinks are rarely served without food.

Festival and religious food in Lebanon

Certain desserts are made for special occasions. Meghli, a spiced rice pudding, is prepared to celebrate the birth of a child. During Ramadan and other holidays, sweets like qatayef are traditional, though economic hardship has led some families to choose simpler or less costly treats.

Where this page comes from

The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Lebanese cuisine", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Thali rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

Cities and regions of Lebanon

Akkar 1al-Fanar 1Baalbek 1Levant 1Sidon 1Tripoli 1
MealBreakfastLunchTea timeDinnerSupperSnacks
KindMain dishStreet foodSoupStew or curryRice dishNoodle or pasta dishDumplingBreadGrill or roastSandwich or wrapPie or savoury pastrySalad or sideCheese or dairy foodSausage or cured foodSauce, pickle or fermentSweet or dessertDrink
DietVegetarianVeganFish and seafoodMeat
HummusVegan 🇸🇾 Syria and 5 moreMashed chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon, and garlic, served as a dip or spread Sauce, pickle or ferment, Breakfast, Lunch KnafehVegetarianكنافة 🇵🇸 Palestine and 5 moreShredded pastry layered with cheese and soaked in sweet syrup Sweet or dessert, Breakfast, Snacks Strained yogurt 🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreYogurt thickened by straining out most of its whey Sauce, pickle or ferment, Breakfast, Snacks PastirmaMeat 🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreAir-dried cured meat coated in a spiced fenugreek paste Sausage or cured food, Breakfast, Lunch Manakishمناقيش 🇱🇧 Lebanon and 3 moreLevantine flatbread topped with za'atar, cheese, or meat Bread, Breakfast, Lunch MakdousVeganالمكدوس 🇸🇾 Syria and 3 moreSmall eggplants packed with walnuts, red pepper, garlic and cured in olive oil Sauce, pickle or ferment, Breakfast, Dinner Fattehفتّة 🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreBread layered with yogurt, chickpeas and toppings, served warm across the Arab world Main dish, Breakfast, Lunch Shanklish 🇸🇾 Syria and 1 moreAged cheese balls from cow or sheep milk, often coated in herbs or spices Cheese or dairy food, Breakfast, Snacks

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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