Lebanese Cuisine

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Lebanese food, which is why I bought this book. So far I've made a number of recipes from this book, and all except one have been disasters. The one that turned out was just okay, but nothing more than okay. My Lebanese friend was horrified, even though we followed the recipes to the letter. I've just wasted time in the kitchen tonight with a recipe that turned out horribly. Before anyone thinks I'm a klutz in the kitchen, I've been cooking for years and think of myself as a bloody good cook and everything I try for the first time turns out well. But my Lebanese friend (with good cooking experience) couldn't even make these recipes work.

Doesn't do justice to a great cuisine (9/9 people found this helpful)

This book fell short of my expectations. I have tried many of the recipes and doubt that I would make any of them again. Some recipes don't work at all. Both the Pomegranate Syrup Sauce and Candied Apricot Ice Cream sounded interesting but yielded results that were virtually inedible. Also, there are no recipes for basic items such as pita and marqouq bread or for many favorite preparations like artichokes in olive oil, grilled or fried trout, maqloubi, roast lamb, stuffed turkey (a Christmas tradition in Lebanon), pine nut sauce, khoushaf, and barazik.

Readers cannot gain an overview of Lebanese cuisine from this book. There is no information on daily meals and no menus. In her discussion of appetizers, Ms. Helou doesn't explain the philosophy behind the partaking of mezze or that it is customarily accompanied with araq in Christian communities. Although the author includes recipes for fried and scrambled eggs as well as a recipe for an Arab omelet, she says nothing about hard-cooked or poached eggs or the local version of the French omelet, all of which are prepared in delicious and unusual ways. She also neglects to explain how the Arab omelet differs from the French one. In her chapter on fish, Ms. Helou fails to mention the varieties of saltwater fish favored by the Lebanese, for example Sultan Ibrahim (red mullet). Nor is there any mention of the much-prized flat lobsters. There is also nothing said about the country's freshwater fish (such as trout) or about frogs' legs, snails, or batarekh (boutargue). In her discussion of desserts, the author neglects to mention that Tripoli has long been celebrated for its sweets, that nammoura is a specialty of Zahleh, and that Sidon is famous for sanyoura and barazik.

There is little or no information on such ingredients as pomegranates and pomegranate molasses or syrup, grape molasses, fresh nuts in season (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios), fresh green chickpeas, fava (broad) beans, skinless whole-grain wheat, phyllo pastry, soapwort, and sumac juice. Furthermore, some of the ingredient information is incorrect. For instance, habbat el-barakeh (nigella) is wrongly identified as black cumin (a common error), shirsh el-halaweh (soapwort) as bois de Panama, and very fine bulgur (sreyseerah) is more than once referred to as f'reyfeerah.

There are other inaccuracies. For example, Ms. Helou writes that stuffed vegetables are always served with a bowl of yogurt. Actually, those that contain a vegetarian stuffing based on rice and olive oil are not customarily accompanied with it. A recipe for potato pie, which contains no bulgur and has nothing to do with potato kibbeh, is wrongly identified as Kibbet Batatah!

Don't be misled by the jacket reviews of this book. Regrettably, it is neither "fully comprehensive" nor a "major work".

Offers practical information and traditional recipes (1/1 people found this helpful)

With its emphasis on grains, dried legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, and olive oil, the Lebanese diet is a nutritious one that provides the health-conscious cook with many appealing choices. This book presents recipes for wholesome and satisfying traditional dishes adapted for the modern kitchen. They cover all courses of the meal and range from rustic to elegant. Some of the dishes, as to be expected, are complicated and labour intensive, but the majority are simple to prepare and demand no special culinary skills. Most of the ingredients are available in supermarkets, and the food is not expensive.

Also recommended: "Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen: A Culinary Journey through Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan," by Sonia Uvezian. This landmark volume features hundreds of exceptional recipes and is by far the most authoritative guide to the region's cuisine.

Anissa Helou

Reader Reviews:

Bad. Bad bad bad. (2/3 people found this helpful)

Doesn't do justice to a great cuisine (9/9 people found this helpful)

Offers practical information and traditional recipes (1/1 people found this helpful)

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