Lebanese Cuisine

Lebanese cuisine is one of the most celebrated and beloved in the world, the finest expression of Levantine and eastern Mediterranean cooking, prized for its freshness, variety, healthfulness and generosity. Its heart is the mezze, a lavish spread of many small dishes to share: creamy hummus and smoky baba ganoush, fresh, herb-packed tabbouleh and fattoush salads, kibbeh, stuffed vine leaves, labneh, and warm flatbread, followed by grilled meats and fish. The savoury manakish flatbreads are a beloved breakfast, and meals finish with honey-soaked sweets, fresh fruit, strong coffee and perhaps the anise spirit arak. Above all, food here is an expression of legendary Lebanese hospitality.

What you actually see

• The mezze - the lavish spread of small shared dishes.
• Hummus and baba ganoush - the creamy chickpea and smoky aubergine dips.
• Tabbouleh and kibbeh - the herb salad and the meat-and-bulgur dish.
• Manakish and sweets - the flatbreads and honeyed desserts.

When to go

Year-round; a leisurely mezze at a good restaurant, ideally shared among friends over many dishes and hours, is the definitive Lebanese dining experience, while bakeries serve fresh manakish and street food abounds. The Bekaa Valley is also a notable wine region, its ancient tradition producing good wines to accompany the food.

Honest expectations

Lebanese food is genuinely world-class, so its appeal needs little qualification, though the full mezze experience is best shared among a group to sample the wonderful variety, and the country's economic crisis has affected prices and some ingredients. As one of the world's truly great cuisines, though, fresh, healthy, endlessly varied and generous, from creamy hummus and vibrant tabbouleh to grilled meats and honeyed sweets, all served with legendary hospitality, Lebanese food is a genuine and delicious highlight in its own right.

Nearby

Beirut's restaurants, the bakeries and the Bekaa wineries are the places.