Hamadeh - Everyday Lebanese cooking

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For my Mum

Published by Spring Hill, an imprint of How To Books Ltd.
Spring Hill House, Spring Hill Road, Begbroke, Oxford OX5 1RX United Kingdom
Tel: (01865) 375794
Fax: (01865) 379162
www.howtobooks.co.uk

First published 2013

How To Books greatly reduce the carbon footprint of their books by sourcing their typesetting and printing in the UK.

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or stored in an information retrieval system
(other than for purposes of review) without the express permission of the publisher in writing.

The right of Mona Hamadeh to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Text 2013 Mona Hamadeh

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978 1 905862 98 6

Produced for How To Books by Deer Park Productions, Tavistock, Devon
Designed and typeset by Mousemat Design Ltd
Edited by Wendy Hobson
Printed and bound by in Great Britain by Bell & Bain Ltd, Glasgow

E-Book production by www.mousematdesign.com
ebook ISBN 978 1 908974 17 4

NOTE: The material contained in this book is set out in good faith for general guidance and no liability can be accepted for loss or expense incurred as a result of relying in particular circumstances on statements made in the book. Laws and regulations are complex and liable to change, and readers should check the current position with relevant authorities before making personal arrangements.

Contents

Notes and Conversions

Introduction to Lebanese Hospitality and Culture

I was born in the Shouf mountains in a village called Gharifeh, south-east of Beirut. The Shouf is a beautiful part of Lebanon. Every family there owns their own land, where ancient olive trees grow. The people dont buy olives or olive oil but produce their own from their own trees; for the majority of people it used to be their major source of income.

My parents moved to Beirut with five young children where we could go to reasonable schools. But we couldnt wait for the school holidays so we could go up to the mountains and enjoy the freedom of the country wilderness that was the highlight of our childhood.

We loved the rural way of life, where hospitality and generosity are exceptional, and where many people still believe in growing their own vegetables, making bread, tomato pure and burghul (cracked wheat). My aunt, at the age of 92, still makes all these things and many more. Its a way of life that still continues, as it has for centuries, and for some people its the only way to live a healthy life. As everywhere else, however, some of the younger generation seem less keen on working the land.