1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:05,760 As a cook and writer, 2 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:09,920 I've long been intrigued by the flavours and fragrances 3 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:12,000 of Middle Eastern cooking, 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:16,960 one of the oldest and most influential cuisines in the world. 5 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:18,840 Now I want to find out more. 6 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,200 You know, there really is only one true way 7 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:26,440 to get to know a region's food, and that's to go there, 8 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:31,160 to eat the food amongst the people who cook it and eat it every day. 9 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:34,920 That way it's seasoned with a sense of place - 10 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:37,760 the landscape, the culture and the traditions. 11 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:40,160 That's incredible. 12 00:00:40,160 --> 00:00:42,600 So join me on my journey... 13 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:44,800 Can I have a look in your cupboard? 14 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:49,360 ..to discover ingredients and recipes that define three countries 15 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:51,840 with truly exciting food stories. 16 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:54,040 Cheese and roses. It shouldn't work. 17 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:57,960 Places considered to be the key pillars of Middle Eastern cuisine. 18 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,320 My adventure takes me across northern Iran 19 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:06,320 to taste Persian dishes with a rich heritage, 20 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:10,480 to Lebanon with its Arab-influenced flavours of the Levant, 21 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:15,240 and to Turkey, where the recipes, born of a diverse landscape, 22 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:17,160 have travelled the world. 23 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:20,320 Did the date pattern. Should've done the walnut pattern. 24 00:01:20,320 --> 00:01:22,320 My appetite for new flavours 25 00:01:22,320 --> 00:01:25,560 takes me through ancient and beguiling lands 26 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,360 but, more importantly, into people's homes. 27 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:31,640 I absolutely loved it, and I can't thank you enough. 28 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:34,920 This is my chance to learn new techniques and recipes 29 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:39,160 that aren't in books but have been handed down through generations... 30 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:40,720 How long does it take you? 31 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:42,240 Five minutes. Five minutes? Yeah. 32 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:44,440 Yeah, well, I'd better get a move on, then. 33 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:47,080 ..and I'll share the secrets I discover 34 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:49,960 by cooking recipes inspired by my journey. 35 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:55,240 An adventure that starts with both the modern and ancient expression 36 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,960 of Arab cuisine, in the fertile, spirited lands of Lebanon. 37 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:09,800 HORNS BEEP 38 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:20,200 I've wanted to come to Lebanon for so long. 39 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:22,240 I mean, yes, it is the Middle East 40 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,320 but it's also very much the Mediterranean. 41 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:27,280 For someone who likes to eat and cook... 42 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,640 ..this is a very exciting place to be. 43 00:02:31,640 --> 00:02:33,840 I can't wait to discover its secrets. 44 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:45,040 The cuisine of Lebanon is as rich and varied as its landscapes. 45 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,240 It's counted as the healthiest in the Middle East. 46 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:55,360 Pulses, grains and vegetables form its nourishing heart, 47 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,000 and meat used sparingly to great effect. 48 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:05,840 I'll be celebrating the flamboyance of festival food... 49 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:07,680 I've never seen so much on one table. 50 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,240 It's the generosity, it's just never-ending. 51 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:13,880 ..the simplicity of rustic staples... 52 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:15,760 I'd love it, I'd love this for breakfast. 53 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:17,720 I'd love this for breakfast every day. 54 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,640 ..and the joys of preserves infused with floral fragrance. 55 00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:31,680 CALL TO PRAYER 56 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,360 Just half the size of Wales, 57 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,400 this is a small country with a big reputation. 58 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:47,760 It's been ravaged by decades of war, 59 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:49,800 yet remains one of the most relaxed 60 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,120 and liberal corners of the Arab world... 61 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:55,480 ..and my journey starts here, 62 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:58,480 in the eternally resilient capital, Beirut. 63 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:15,880 Beiruti native Nour Matraji will be my guide and translator in Lebanon. 64 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:19,560 I'm very excited about this trip. You're going to love it. 65 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:21,960 The city was known as the Paris of the East, 66 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:25,040 not least for its vibrant nightlife and party vibe... 67 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:29,640 ..but tonight, the streets are busy for a different reason. 68 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:34,920 Just over half the country's population is Muslim. 69 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:39,840 And I've arrived during Ramadan, 70 00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:42,520 a month of daylight fasting for the devout. 71 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:47,440 I'm getting the feeling that there are certain foods that you only see 72 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:49,640 during Ramadan. Yes, exactly. 73 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:52,800 And, like, for example, this stand over here that we're going to pass, 74 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:54,320 they have kallaj Ramadan - 75 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:58,240 kallaj of Ramadan, so it's basically like a dough. 76 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:00,640 It's like kind of a pastry, wrapped, 77 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:03,120 then stuffed in cream and then fried 78 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:05,600 and then dipped in sugar syrup. 79 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:10,440 Then splash pistachio over it, and it's heaven. 80 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:11,640 You're making me very happy. 81 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:14,160 And this is just a Ramadan thing. 82 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:16,400 Sure. So, in, like, a few days this is gone. 83 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,160 The kallaj dough is filled with ashta, 84 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:22,840 made from skimming the thick skin from simmered milk. 85 00:05:22,840 --> 00:05:26,480 Unlike clotted cream, it doesn't melt when warmed. 86 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:30,440 The deep-fried pastry parcels are trickled with rose water 87 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:34,880 or orange blossom syrup and then showered with chopped pistachios. 88 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:36,080 Wow. 89 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:37,400 You want to try some? 90 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:39,760 I... I'd love to. Yes. I'd love to. 91 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:41,400 SHE SPEAKS ARABIC 92 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:45,720 Thank you. Shukran. Thank you. 93 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:46,920 Here goes. 94 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:51,080 So good. 95 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:52,760 It's really crisp on the outside... 96 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,560 ..and you get that little hint of rose water. 97 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:58,560 I can't believe I'm eating fried cream. 98 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:01,640 This is so good. 99 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:06,640 We're going to a place now 100 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:10,960 that is usually very well known for its breakfast, but during Ramadan 101 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:12,560 they switch their hours, 102 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:17,960 so instead of opening from 7am till 2pm, they open from 10pm till 3am. 103 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:20,960 So for part of the year 104 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:24,080 their day is just turned completely on its head. 105 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:27,040 The hours are just completely different. Exactly. 106 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:32,560 Sohur is eaten as close to dawn as possible. 107 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:37,120 It needs to sustain those who fast right through the day until sunset. 108 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:43,960 Cafe Al-Soussi is reputed to serve the best breakfast in town 109 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:46,880 and is hugely popular during Ramadan. 110 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:50,760 Muhammad and his cousin Ahmed serve the same simple menu 111 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:54,840 as their grandfather, who started the business 125 years ago. 112 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:59,720 Unbelievably, they serve up to 300 people a night 113 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:01,760 using this one simple stove. 114 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:04,800 I just love the fact he doesn't even turn his flame down. 115 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:06,520 No, no. It's like... And this is... 116 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:08,560 It's all or nothing, isn't it? 117 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:09,840 Exactly. 118 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:14,280 They say Beirutis live every day as if it's their last - 119 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:17,680 and Muhammad's rather adventurous take on health and safety 120 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:19,080 appears to back this up. 121 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:25,520 The menu's designed as a selection of sharing plates. 122 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:29,960 Starting with the all-familiar hummus. 123 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:33,560 Extra smooth here as the skins are removed from the chickpeas 124 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:35,640 before pounding. 125 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:38,920 Tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil are added. 126 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:43,440 Look at that. Just look at that. 127 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:47,840 The Arab classic, sawda djej, 128 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:51,760 chicken livers cooked with sweet-sour pomegranate molasses, 129 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:53,520 garlic and cumin, 130 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:56,680 served for breakfast, or as an appetiser. 131 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:59,040 People come from miles for this. Yeah. 132 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:02,080 And the dish I'm looking forward to most, fatteh. 133 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:07,360 There are many types of fatteh and in this one, 134 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:12,120 Muhammad tops pieces of toasted pita with steaming chickpeas. 135 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:14,440 He then smothers it with labneh, 136 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:18,600 the Arab staple of soft cream cheese made from strained yoghurt... 137 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:21,920 ..and the best is yet to come. 138 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:25,640 The dish is finished off with toasted pine nuts 139 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:30,160 fried with awarma, a star of the Lebanese store cupboard, 140 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:34,320 lamb morsels preserved in dripping and used throughout the year 141 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:35,440 to flavour dishes. 142 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:38,920 Smell that. Exactly, it's amazing. It's incredible. Amazing. 143 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:42,520 The dripping-laden fatteh cannot arrive quickly enough. 144 00:08:51,560 --> 00:08:53,080 Mmm! 145 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:57,240 Gorgeous. It's really good. 146 00:08:57,240 --> 00:08:58,800 This is very gentle food. 147 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:00,920 It is. There's no what I call... 148 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:05,440 ..big flavours. There's nothing shouty. It's very, very mild. 149 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:07,640 It's a very gentle flavour. 150 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:08,840 So this has got to last, 151 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:11,280 would actually have to last me the whole day. Exactly... 152 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:13,360 Because you can't drink, either. Exactly. 153 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:15,680 This is what I can't get my head around. Exactly. 154 00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:18,920 So, you know sometimes you have something, like at night, 155 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:21,640 and then the next day it just makes you super thirsty. 156 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:23,040 Yes. This is a no-no. 157 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:26,640 This is something everybody who fasts tries to avoid. 158 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:30,360 So you're trying to eat foods that have a bit of, like... 159 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:33,760 ..water kind of content in them. Yeah. Yeah. Hence all the salad 160 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:36,440 and the tomatoes and things like that? Yes, exactly. Exactly. 161 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:44,080 You know, I love this place. 162 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:49,120 The fact that it's midnight and it's only really just opened. 163 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:51,640 They'll be going till three o'clock in the morning - 164 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:54,880 and they're basically eating something very sustaining 165 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:57,160 and yet quite gentle to see them through. 166 00:09:57,160 --> 00:10:01,600 The really special thing for me was finding something here 167 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:02,760 that is, hand on heart, 168 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:05,280 one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. 169 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:09,440 That fatteh with the yoghurts and the pine nuts... 170 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:14,800 ..and with what was basically roast juices and dripping on top 171 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:16,360 and little bits of lamb... 172 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:17,920 It is, it's home cooking. 173 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:21,560 It's comfort cooking, it's about making yourself feel good 174 00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:23,440 and keeping yourself going - 175 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:24,560 and I love it. 176 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:39,640 It's a beautiful morning on the Corniche, 177 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:41,960 Beirut's iconic seaside promenade. 178 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:45,840 The country's shoreline 179 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:49,120 stretches almost 200 kilometres along the Mediterranean. 180 00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:57,520 My culinary adventure will take me south to the arid hills of Nabatieh 181 00:10:57,520 --> 00:10:59,080 by the Israeli border, 182 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:02,840 before heading east to the country's rural heartland, 183 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:04,080 the Bekaa Valley - 184 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:08,360 but first I'm travelling to the bountiful slopes of Mount Sannine, 185 00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:10,680 just 40 kilometres from Beirut... 186 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:16,720 ..but before leaving Beirut there's just enough time for a pit stop 187 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:19,640 at a very unassuming local landmark, 188 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:22,800 the ice cream shop, Hanna Mitri, 189 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:26,320 in the historically Christian area of Achrafieh. 190 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:28,000 Hello. Hello. 191 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:30,480 Can I have a little, a little taster of some of the...? 192 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:32,480 You may, you may have whatever you like. 193 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:35,280 The sorbet, you have strawberry, 194 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:38,040 you have apricot, rose water and lemon. 195 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:40,240 So, gentle early summer flavours? 196 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:41,720 Yeah. Could I have some rose water? 197 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:43,920 I'd love to taste the rose water. Some rose water? Yes. 198 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:45,120 OK, I'll give you some rose. 199 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:47,560 Yes. And all the roses are out, so it feels... 200 00:11:47,560 --> 00:11:49,600 The rose water here in the shop is white. 201 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:53,760 Thank you. We don't add the colour, we don't add anything. 202 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:55,960 It's natural. Everything is natural. 203 00:11:57,080 --> 00:11:59,040 Amazing. 204 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:01,400 It's so fragrant. It tastes... 205 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:05,800 It's refreshing. It tastes of the smell of a rose. Of course. 206 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:08,280 So, how long have you been here? Not for long. 207 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:09,560 Since 1949. 208 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:12,400 My father had, 20 years old. 209 00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:17,160 Really? And we didn't close, even in the war. 210 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:23,920 In the war, maybe two or three days when they hit the area here... 211 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:26,040 It was a big hit. 212 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:28,360 And you stayed open...? We stayed here. 213 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:30,240 And we have this to remember - 214 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:32,840 it was a big shell who hit here. 215 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:35,800 We keep it. We didn't change it, 216 00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:39,000 to let us remember, a little bit, these times. 217 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:40,960 You want to taste another thing? 218 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:42,760 Oh... The lemon. 219 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:45,280 Please. Lemon, fantastic. You'll like the lemon. Yes. OK. 220 00:12:46,560 --> 00:12:47,680 Thank you. 221 00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:53,280 We bring the lemon, we wash it, squeeze it, handmade, 222 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:54,720 we put everything in it. 223 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:56,960 I love it because it's not at all sweet. 224 00:12:56,960 --> 00:12:58,880 No. It's so refreshing. 225 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:00,640 It's good with some vodka. 226 00:13:01,680 --> 00:13:03,360 To digest at the end. 227 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,280 It's a little early. I'm telling you about me. 228 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:08,000 I love it. 229 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:09,240 I'm a very happy man. 230 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:20,080 Well, that was one of the most difficult decisions ever, 231 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:23,880 and I've ended up with rose, because it feels right. 232 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:25,720 Rose water is of this place. 233 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:31,440 What is so extraordinary is learning that this place stayed open 234 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:33,080 right the way through the war. 235 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:34,840 People came here for ice cream. 236 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:36,480 It says so much about this place. 237 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:44,360 I'm off to find out more about the source of these flavours. 238 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:52,400 Lebanon's fertile land produces a rich harvest of fruits, 239 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:56,280 vegetables and flowers, many of which are bottled and preserved. 240 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:00,480 A long-standing tradition called mouneh, 241 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:03,120 one of the cornerstones of Lebanese cuisine. 242 00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:10,320 I'm meeting Amine, who quit his job as a banker in London 243 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:14,040 to help run his family's preserves and pickling business 244 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:16,000 in the village of Ain el Kabou. 245 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:19,200 I can't imagine why. 246 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:23,560 We start in February with the citrus 247 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:30,120 and our little workshop is fully focused on producing 248 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:33,200 all the citrus products. So orange, lemon... 249 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:35,800 And bitter orange. Bitter orange. 250 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,360 And then, we follow the seasons. 251 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:43,000 After the citrus, we start with the roses. Yes, the early roses. 252 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:45,160 And then, the strawberries, 253 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:48,640 the apricots, the mulberries, then the figs, 254 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:50,880 and we cover the whole year this way. 255 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:55,840 I'm just thinking, everything that I love about this cuisine - 256 00:14:55,840 --> 00:15:01,560 the fragrance of it, the fruits, the sourness - it's all here, 257 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:04,280 in these slopes, in these landscapes. 258 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:07,600 I feel, this must be like the job... 259 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:09,600 It's like a gift from the gods, working here. 260 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:11,160 AMINE LAUGHS 261 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:14,200 A fact I'm sure Amine appreciates every day. 262 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:20,520 This time of year, the family makes rose preserves 263 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:25,160 using an exceptionally fragrant variety, the centifolia. 264 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:27,800 We usually pick it early in the morning, 265 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:31,280 before the sun hits it and takes the flavour out. 266 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:34,440 So, usually, by 9am, we're done with the picking. 267 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:44,680 I know roses smell differently, according to what variety they are. 268 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:50,600 But this is... It is sweet, but it's also refreshing. 269 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:55,520 It is. It's a clean smell, because sometimes rose can be very rich, 270 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:59,480 very sweet and almost a little bit cloying and soapy - 271 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:02,000 but this has a freshness to it. 272 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:03,520 It has other virtues. 273 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:06,120 The colour - 274 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:09,240 when you cook it, it doesn't turn into black... 275 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:11,320 Yeah. ..like other varieties. 276 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:15,680 And the nicest thing about this variety of rose 277 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:18,640 is the texture of the petals. 278 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:22,120 Because depending on which variety you use for preserves... 279 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:24,680 Yes. ..some of them are very chewy. 280 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:26,280 Right. Very chewy. Yeah. 281 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:28,160 This one will just melt in your mouth. 282 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:34,480 The petals are cooked with sugar and lemon. 283 00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:36,960 The lemon not only counteracts the sweetness, 284 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:39,800 but also preserves naturally for up to two years. 285 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:43,200 Good colours. Yeah. Yeah. 286 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:46,080 This is like a table of sort of jewels. 287 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:47,360 I mean, just shining. 288 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:52,760 This is my every morning breakfast. 289 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,880 Amine's mother, Youmna, and her sister, Leila, 290 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:57,600 are the founders of the business. 291 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:02,040 I'm intrigued as to why we've got cheese on the table. 292 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:05,200 Yeah, this is the local version of ricotta. 293 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:06,840 And in the tradition, 294 00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:12,520 they used to have this with this fruits-in-syrup over. 295 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:14,960 Just try them together. 296 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:20,400 Mmm... 297 00:17:22,360 --> 00:17:24,360 It shouldn't work. 298 00:17:24,360 --> 00:17:26,640 It shouldn't work, should it? 299 00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:28,360 Cheese and roses, it shouldn't work. 300 00:17:28,360 --> 00:17:29,880 THEY LAUGH 301 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:31,080 But it so does. 302 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:34,760 Everything I'm eating, 303 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:38,520 of course, it's about the flavour, but it's also about the fragrance, 304 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:41,240 it's about the smell. It's just... 305 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:45,080 ..hovering over the landscape and over the table and over my plate. 306 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:47,520 It's just here. It's just engulfing. 307 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:48,760 Yeah, absolutely. 308 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:57,320 The family's boutique set-up has won numerous awards for its preserves 309 00:17:57,320 --> 00:18:00,400 that lock up the sense of season in a jar. 310 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:06,080 It may now export to high-end delis all over the world, 311 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:09,280 but its roots were humble and born of necessity. 312 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:14,240 It started in '89, 1989. 313 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:17,080 We still had war in Lebanon. 314 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:19,880 Yeah - and my sister, Leila, and myself, 315 00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:22,440 we began with an idea 316 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:26,840 to do something for the people in this area... Yeah. 317 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:30,520 ..who couldn't work because they couldn't reach their place of work 318 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:32,280 because of the war. 319 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:36,800 They had the idea of tapping into an already-established skill base. 320 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:42,200 Preserving seasonal ingredients, both savoury and sweet, 321 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:46,520 had, after all, been key to the way of life here for centuries. 322 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:49,840 They all do this in their homes for generations 323 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:52,240 because in summertime, 324 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:54,680 in the mountains here, 325 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:56,320 the nature is very generous. 326 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,840 It gives you so many fruits 327 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:01,040 and so many vegetables... 328 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:03,440 Herbs. ..and in wintertime, 329 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:06,640 it's all full of snow and they don't have anything any more. 330 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:08,480 Of course, you have snow, yeah. 331 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:14,920 So, they learnt how to preserve all what nature gives us in summer 332 00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:18,640 and keep it in their homes, in their pantry rooms. 333 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:20,760 If you haven't got it here, in your larder... 334 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:23,240 ..you don't eat. Yeah. 335 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:26,920 I can't think of another cuisine 336 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:30,440 that has so much in the way of preserves in it. 337 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:35,040 It's absolutely part of the essence of Lebanese food. Absolutely. 338 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:42,440 Youmna and Leila's preserves became so popular that the army 339 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:44,800 opened up snowbound mountain roads 340 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:47,400 to allow the products to reach Beirut. 341 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:53,600 Hard to imagine the same reverence being accorded to jams back home. 342 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:57,040 Sitting here, it's really difficult 343 00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:01,520 to think of what this terrain is like in the winter. 344 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:04,400 There's thick snow. The roads become impassable. 345 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:08,480 So you have to have a good store cupboard. 346 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:11,480 You've got to have an efficient way of providing food. 347 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:14,800 So, the long tradition... 348 00:20:16,120 --> 00:20:19,320 ..of packing stuff away in its season for later on... 349 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:22,320 ..it's not just... 350 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:29,360 ..a fanciful bit of joyful cooking, it's a necessity. 351 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:33,480 It's not just about making rows of jams and jellies 352 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:36,240 that look pretty on the shelf, 353 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,760 it is utterly crucial, and has been for centuries. 354 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:44,120 In peace times, in war times, it doesn't matter, 355 00:20:44,120 --> 00:20:46,400 you need to have something in your cupboard. 356 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:52,480 Fragrances of Mount Sannine have inspired me 357 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:55,000 to make a richly aromatic dessert. 358 00:21:00,120 --> 00:21:02,800 Creamed rice with apricots, 359 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:05,120 pistachios and rose petals. 360 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:12,000 Add 150g of pudding rice, 361 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,400 two tablespoonfuls of golden caster sugar, 362 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:19,320 250ml of milk, and the same of double cream, 363 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:20,360 to a pan. 364 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:25,120 Split a vanilla pod and add, before bringing to the boil. 365 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:30,600 Turn down to a simmer until the rice softens. 366 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:33,560 In a separate pan, boil dried apricots 367 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:37,560 with half a lemon and a cinnamon stick. 368 00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:40,120 Chop a generous handful of pistachios. 369 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:46,000 Trickle in a dash of rose and orange blossom waters. 370 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:49,680 Top with the apricots and pistachios 371 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:53,640 and finish with a sprinkle of dried rose petals. 372 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:57,520 A delightful, creamy and fragrant dessert. 373 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:02,640 The end of Ramadan is approaching 374 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:06,080 and Nour has invited me to her parents' home in Beirut 375 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:07,520 for Eid al-Fitr, 376 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:10,000 the celebration that marks the end of fasting. 377 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,400 Anticipating a deluge of generosity, 378 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:16,920 I'm keen not to turn up empty-handed, 379 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:19,760 so I'm visiting a kitchen-table enterprise 380 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:21,720 on the outskirts of Beirut, 381 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:23,920 which I'm hoping will provide a solution. 382 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:30,200 Salut. Hi. 383 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:32,560 Arabic is the national tongue of Lebanon, 384 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,960 but most people also speak either French or English 385 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:39,560 and it's not uncommon to greet people in all three languages. 386 00:22:44,120 --> 00:22:49,360 Mona Hashemi's delicately flavoured, exquisitely crafted ma'amoul 387 00:22:49,360 --> 00:22:51,360 are traditionally eaten at Eid 388 00:22:51,360 --> 00:22:54,960 and she's agreed to offer me a pastry-making masterclass. 389 00:22:57,320 --> 00:22:58,360 Hello. 390 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:02,840 So, these are the little treasures I've been hearing about. 391 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:10,440 Her delicate semolina-based dough is enriched with butter 392 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:14,680 and given a slightly chewy texture with the addition of mastic, 393 00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:16,400 a naturally-occurring resin. 394 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:21,560 Hidden away in there is a small pinch of mahlab, 395 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:24,520 the ground kernel of the sour cherry tree, 396 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:26,560 which adds a pleasingly bitter note 397 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:30,400 and works well with aromatic orange blossom and rose waters. 398 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:35,880 A sweet stuffing of either pistachio, walnuts or dates 399 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:37,640 is carefully encased in the centre... 400 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:41,400 ..but it is the handmade, intricate designs 401 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:45,160 that make these delicacies so charming. 402 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:47,600 How cute is that?! 403 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:49,720 So, the pattern that you're putting on... 404 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:53,080 ..it tells us what's inside - 405 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:55,000 or is it just the shape that tells us? 406 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:56,680 The dates are like daisies, 407 00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:59,120 the pattern, the design's like a daisy. 408 00:23:59,120 --> 00:24:03,360 Yeah. The walnuts is like a rose. 409 00:24:03,360 --> 00:24:07,560 And then the pistachios are like a leaf, you know. 410 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:10,280 Oh, yes, of course. Yeah. There it is. 411 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,560 It's obvious now! Yeah, makes it easier now to do them. 412 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:16,600 And that little tool that you're holding, this one... 413 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:19,600 ..is that just for these? 414 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:21,600 Do you do anything else with it? 415 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:23,720 THEY SPEAK ARABIC 416 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:25,920 Only for these? Only for ma'amoul. 417 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:31,840 You know, I would love to have a little go. 418 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:33,920 Would that be all right? 419 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:35,520 This is easier. OK. 420 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:37,640 You're getting the beginner's tools. 421 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:41,280 Oh, I'm... OK, I'm on the nursery slopes. 422 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:43,520 OK. You and me. 423 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:45,320 OK. 424 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:47,520 Oh, you have to be quite careful, don't you? 425 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:51,160 Cos the nuts are actually only just below the surface. 426 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:52,480 Exactly. 427 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:55,640 Look at the speed you're doing it at! 428 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:58,080 It's not brilliant, is it? 429 00:24:58,080 --> 00:24:59,680 SHE SPEAKS FRENCH 430 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:01,200 Ah, so... 431 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:02,720 SHE SPEAKS FRENCH 432 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:05,480 So you did the date pattern, 433 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:07,800 you should have done the walnut pattern. 434 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:09,360 Did the date pattern! 435 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:12,560 Should have done the walnut pattern. 436 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:22,760 Ah! 437 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:26,880 So it doesn't fall off... Yes. 438 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:30,280 It lies in the ridges and the furrows and the folds. 439 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,320 Yes. Exactly. We make it like this. 440 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:36,520 It's a work of art. 441 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:38,120 So beautiful. 442 00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:39,160 Better. 443 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:40,200 THEY LAUGH 444 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:43,880 Perfect. 445 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:45,760 I wouldn't say "perfect". 446 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:47,760 It's better than my first one. 447 00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:53,040 It's the sort of thing I just love doing. 448 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:57,280 You could sit all afternoon, quite happily, 449 00:25:57,280 --> 00:25:59,640 with this amazing little tool, 450 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:01,040 just decorating cookies. 451 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:06,560 The ma'amoul go into the oven at 180 degrees. 452 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:14,480 20 minutes later, the coffee is on, the ma'amoul are ready, and so am I. 453 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:23,200 This is lovely. 454 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:25,880 I just can't get over these. They're so fragile, 455 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:27,720 they are so fragrant. 456 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:44,160 So, the... Oh, it's going to become tougher. Yes. So is it only Eid? 457 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:46,240 Are they made at any other time of year? 458 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:51,720 So, Easter for Christians, and Eid, during Ramadan, for Muslims. 459 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:53,080 Now. 460 00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:54,840 I'm surprised about the Christian thing. 461 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:57,640 I didn't realise that it was something for everyone. 462 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:03,680 Ma'amoul are enjoyed throughout the Arab world, 463 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:07,320 and most countries have their twist on these delicate pastries. 464 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:13,640 Here, they are a beautiful example of a shared culinary heritage. 465 00:27:25,360 --> 00:27:28,000 Back in Beirut, and the big day has come. 466 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:32,120 For some, it's the end of 30 days' fasting. 467 00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:35,560 For those of a more liberal persuasion, including Nour's family, 468 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:38,080 an excuse to bring everyone together. 469 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:43,240 Amazing. You had no idea about the food? No...! 470 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:46,520 Lebanon is known for its relaxed attitudes. 471 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:50,720 Many Muslims here, particularly in urban areas, drink alcohol, 472 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:53,480 including the Levantine tipple arak, 473 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:57,000 made from fermented grapes and aniseed. 474 00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:58,600 Nour's mother, Maya, 475 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:02,320 has been preparing dishes for the past four days. 476 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:03,800 So, this is dough, 477 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:08,800 fried dough stuffed with meat and then soaked in yoghurt. 478 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:11,880 Fried dough, stuffed with meat... 479 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:13,680 ..soaked in yoghurt. 480 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:15,480 I'm liking the sound of this. 481 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:18,360 There's all this, as well! Yes. 482 00:28:18,360 --> 00:28:20,560 Oh, look at those. 483 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:23,800 There is... 484 00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:26,640 ..aubergine, stuffed with meat... 485 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:28,280 MAYA SPEAKS ARABIC 486 00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:30,920 ..and onions. And tomato, OK. 487 00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:32,680 So much food! 488 00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:34,720 And there's still work to be done. 489 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:43,240 Freekeh, a roasted green wheat with a distinct nutty flavour, 490 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,040 is widely used in Arab cuisine. 491 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:51,360 Here, it is topped with ground lamb, roasted almonds, pistachios, 492 00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:54,520 pine nuts and finally chicken. 493 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:56,680 This is magnificent! 494 00:28:56,680 --> 00:28:58,120 It's utterly magnificent. 495 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:03,160 Maya has also made Nour's childhood favourite, 496 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:07,800 a distinctly Arab dish called mulukhiyah, made of chicken, 497 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:11,880 cinnamon spiced onions, bay leaves, and mallow, 498 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:15,760 an astringent, leafy vegetable often compared to cooked okra 499 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:19,160 and made popular by the ancient Egyptians. 500 00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:21,360 This is a completely new smell to me. 501 00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:23,960 I don't know this smell. Really? And I know most cooking smells. 502 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:26,040 Yes. But I don't know this one. 503 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:29,040 I've noticed that some people who are not from the Middle East 504 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:31,680 either love it, or hate it. So we're going to see. 505 00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:33,720 I think it's a mark of the best food, actually. 506 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:37,080 The food that polarises people... Yeah. ..tends to be the best. 507 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:38,760 Exactly! 508 00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:42,040 But Maya has left her speciality until last - 509 00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:44,360 and with very good reason. 510 00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:48,360 Kibbeh, which uses a base of bulgur wheat and ground meat, 511 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:51,560 is hailed as one of Lebanon's national dishes, 512 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:54,840 and there are literally dozens of regional variations. 513 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:57,280 Maya, who is from south Lebanon, 514 00:29:57,280 --> 00:30:00,760 is cooking her local version, kibbeh nayyeh, 515 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:03,960 where the ground meat is actually served raw. 516 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:05,720 Ah! 517 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:09,240 Maya adds water to tenderise the bulgur wheat, 518 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:11,840 another widely used cereal here. 519 00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:15,000 The bulgur will lend the dish a lovely, nutty hue. 520 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:20,360 Ice is also added, to keep the bulgur cool. 521 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:33,720 This makes total sense! 522 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:43,760 The raw minced meat, in this case lamb, is added to the chilled wheat. 523 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:47,000 Time for Maya's special southern flourish. 524 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:49,920 This is the magic, basically. 525 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:54,040 And what is the magic? OK. The magic is... 526 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:58,120 ..cumin, and dried wild flowers. 527 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:00,000 Yes. Red pepper. 528 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:03,440 Basil, onions, mint, and that's it. 529 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:05,920 I want to know what those wild flowers are. 530 00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:08,200 It's spring flowers that are, like, harvested, 531 00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:11,520 and just dried and made specially for this. 532 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:13,280 For just this one recipe? 533 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:15,880 Yes. And everything... The wild flowers are here. 534 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:20,120 You know, meat always has a certain smell sometimes, 535 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:21,360 that is not really pleasant. 536 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:23,600 Particularly lamb, particularly lamb. Exactly. 537 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:24,960 And when you have, like... 538 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:28,880 ..and sometimes when you cook it, it goes away, but you're eating raw... 539 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:30,280 Yes. ..mince. 540 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:32,880 Not mince, like, raw pureed meat. 541 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:34,680 You know? So... 542 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:36,880 To just give it that beautiful smell. 543 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:39,120 These wild flowers are there to do that. 544 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:40,360 Yes, take a little bite. 545 00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:44,280 You taste hers, and she's going to taste yours. 546 00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:45,600 Oh! OK. 547 00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:49,720 OK, so, just a little bit? No, eat it all. 548 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:51,840 Really? Yeah. Mm. 549 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:54,480 Raw meat's kind of a slightly odd thing for us to eat, but... 550 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:57,360 Mm-hm. 551 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:00,560 Mmm! How delicious. 552 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:03,280 So good. 553 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:04,680 It's smooth, isn't it? 554 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:06,200 It just goes down easily - 555 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:09,760 and it's these spices and this mix that just brings that... 556 00:32:09,760 --> 00:32:11,920 I'm not even sure I knew it was raw, 557 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:15,080 if you know what I mean. Exactly, that's the thing. 558 00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:18,080 When you're not sure that it's raw, and you don't know, 559 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:19,840 this means the kibbeh was done right. 560 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:22,840 Great! 561 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:25,360 Eating raw meat can be harmful, 562 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:29,280 but Maya follows a family recipe, sources her meat carefully, 563 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:33,680 and keeps it chilled as near to the point of serving as possible. 564 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:35,800 And now... 565 00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:37,160 OK. Begin. 566 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:41,640 You can do whatever shape you want. 567 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:44,840 Finally, the kibbeh is shaped... 568 00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:50,600 ..and lavishly doused with olive oil. 569 00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:00,560 You have a lot of food! 570 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:01,600 Mm-hm. 571 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:09,200 From stuffed vine leaves to an array of lamb and vegetable dishes, 572 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:10,600 it just keeps coming. 573 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:15,600 I've never seen so much food on one table. 574 00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:19,880 It's this generosity, it's just never-ending. 575 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:34,080 This is such a delight, to see so many people eating at once. 576 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:38,040 Yes. It's really important, the sound of people... 577 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:40,920 "Yes, I want to socialise, I want to talk, but actually..." 578 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:43,080 Everybody's focused on the sound of food, yes. 579 00:33:43,080 --> 00:33:46,080 I know. It's lovely, isn't it? Yes. Yes. 580 00:33:46,080 --> 00:33:47,680 Family gathers, and food. 581 00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:50,760 You think all of them would be here if there wasn't food? 582 00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:00,200 It's such an honour to be here. 583 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:02,640 Such a privilege to be invited, 584 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:06,440 to cook, and to be with the family to eat with them. 585 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:09,160 It's wonderful, it's a big, social occasion, 586 00:34:09,160 --> 00:34:11,920 and being part of it is very, very special. 587 00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:18,680 It's when that food goes on the table. 588 00:34:18,680 --> 00:34:21,840 It's like the catalyst that just starts everything off. 589 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:24,960 All the conversation, all the movement, all the fun, 590 00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:27,760 all the life that is around that table. 591 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:29,320 It starts with the food. 592 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:46,240 One dish on Maya's table that particularly caught my imagination, 593 00:34:46,240 --> 00:34:49,520 was the classic Middle Eastern salad fattoush. 594 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:57,720 For my version, peel, halve and seed two cucumbers. 595 00:34:57,720 --> 00:35:01,280 Cut into half moons and add to a bowl. 596 00:35:02,520 --> 00:35:06,040 Quarter a handful of tomatoes and radishes. 597 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:09,360 Chop a small lettuce 598 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:11,280 and a bunch of spring onions. 599 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:13,840 Tear in parsley 600 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:17,320 and a few of the smallest mint leaves. 601 00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:21,200 Shallow-fry a whole pita bread in olive oil. 602 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:24,320 Blend olives and parsley with olive oil and lemon. 603 00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:29,000 Spread the paste on the toasted bread. 604 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:33,360 Dress the salad with a mixture of pomegranate molasses, 605 00:35:33,360 --> 00:35:35,920 olive oil, and sumac. 606 00:35:35,920 --> 00:35:38,040 It's a fresh and exciting salad 607 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:40,960 that will always take me back to Lebanon. 608 00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:49,600 My journey through Lebanese cuisine now takes me inland and southwards, 609 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:52,120 from the shores of the Mediterranean 610 00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:54,320 to the dusty slopes of Nabatieh, 611 00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:57,400 just ten miles from the Israeli border. 612 00:35:57,400 --> 00:35:59,920 It's here I plan to unravel a mystery 613 00:35:59,920 --> 00:36:03,120 that has stumped me since long before I arrived. 614 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:09,040 I'm on a bit of a personal mission for something that's puzzled me, 615 00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:10,600 a mystery, for a long time. 616 00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:15,160 I love the herb mix, za'atar, 617 00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:18,080 and I buy it from my local Lebanese grocer's - 618 00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:22,280 and I know that it's a mixture of thyme, of sesame seed, 619 00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:25,440 salt and very often sumac - 620 00:36:25,440 --> 00:36:27,000 and yet it's always puzzled me, 621 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:29,440 because it doesn't seem to actually smell of thyme. 622 00:36:32,160 --> 00:36:33,520 So I've come here 623 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:36,040 to unravel this little puzzle. 624 00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:40,680 What exactly is za'atar? 625 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:47,000 The herbal mix known as za'atar is a storeroom staple 626 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:48,960 throughout the Arab world - 627 00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:51,560 but it's also a herb in its own right. 628 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:56,920 Abu Kasim is a local farmer here in Nabatieh. 629 00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:01,160 He was one of the first farmers in the country to grow za'atar 630 00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:05,360 commercially, and I'm hoping he can solve my culinary conundrum. 631 00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:12,480 So what do you call this herb that you are growing? 632 00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:29,800 Yeah. This is oregano, it's got that beautiful sea-green... 633 00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:33,520 ..colour, it's very soft and velvety to touch. 634 00:37:54,040 --> 00:37:55,760 Mystery solved. 635 00:37:55,760 --> 00:38:00,720 It seems like the herb mix I buy uses oregano rather than thyme - 636 00:38:00,720 --> 00:38:02,560 but both herbs are related, 637 00:38:02,560 --> 00:38:05,120 and different varieties of both may be used. 638 00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:11,280 This personal quest has led to an unexpected revelation for me. 639 00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:15,160 Maybe it takes the right... 640 00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:19,640 ..plant in the right place, to make you rethink it, 641 00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:23,560 but oregano, to me, has always been slightly dusty, a little bit old. 642 00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:28,520 It's something I reserve, I suppose, to use dried, on pizza... 643 00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:33,560 ..and suddenly, holding a freshly-picked plant, 644 00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:38,880 something that I can feel, and it's velvety, it's soft and it's earthy, 645 00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:43,000 it's aromatic - but it's also got a very slight fruitiness to it. 646 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:46,600 It's a completely different herb from the one that I know, 647 00:38:46,600 --> 00:38:48,960 and have been barely using - 648 00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:52,240 and I want to know more, and I want to use it differently. 649 00:38:52,240 --> 00:38:54,760 Standing in these fields, 650 00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:58,800 I'm interested to know how Abu Kasim's business came about. 651 00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:02,000 So, I'm intrigued why you decided to grow it, 652 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:03,760 why you decided to farm it, 653 00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:06,480 when it actually grows quite naturally. 654 00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:41,240 With the potential for injury from unexploded cluster bombs, 655 00:39:41,240 --> 00:39:45,080 and the desire to protect the environment from excessive foraging, 656 00:39:45,080 --> 00:39:48,320 Abu Kasim was provided with the impetus 657 00:39:48,320 --> 00:39:50,240 for his now-successful business. 658 00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:54,640 I'm keen to find out how this plant is transformed 659 00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:57,200 into the herb mix I know and love. 660 00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:03,520 The plant is thrashed by farm hand Abu Ali, 661 00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:08,200 and any woody stems are removed by Abu Kasim's wife Fatima. 662 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:11,360 It's not surprising that this is such a happy scene, 663 00:40:11,360 --> 00:40:15,560 because with the warmth from the earth and the heat of the sun, 664 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:19,200 and all of the oregano dust that's flying around the air, 665 00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:22,520 this whole scene is just totally intoxicating. 666 00:40:33,440 --> 00:40:35,240 There is magic in this process. 667 00:40:40,320 --> 00:40:42,200 From how the leaves are sieved... 668 00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:50,520 ..to how Abu Kasim prepares the herb mix 669 00:40:50,520 --> 00:40:52,360 by toasting the sesame... 670 00:40:56,640 --> 00:40:59,920 ..and mixing with the tangy, lemony sumac... 671 00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:06,880 ..right through to how his sister-in-law makes saj, 672 00:41:06,880 --> 00:41:08,680 a Lebanese flatbread... 673 00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:19,480 ..and coats it with an olive oil and za'atar mix... 674 00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:23,960 ..to make the much-loved man'oushe. 675 00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:31,920 The trick is to cook the bread until it's crisp, 676 00:41:31,920 --> 00:41:34,200 but also soft enough to roll. 677 00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:37,760 Often served with cheese, labneh or ground meat, 678 00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:42,360 here, it is filled with tomatoes and cucumber. 679 00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:43,880 So good! 680 00:41:43,880 --> 00:41:45,280 Simplicity itself. 681 00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:18,800 And I'm not surprised - 682 00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:21,680 and it's just, the bread is so crisp, 683 00:42:21,680 --> 00:42:23,520 and so sort of crunchy, 684 00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:26,720 and then all the lovely, refreshing tomatoes and cucumber. 685 00:42:26,720 --> 00:42:29,080 I'd love this for breakfast. 686 00:42:29,080 --> 00:42:30,960 I'd love this for breakfast every day. 687 00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:33,920 SHE LAUGHS 688 00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:35,080 I would! 689 00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:38,200 I would be happy to eat this every morning. 690 00:42:40,760 --> 00:42:44,000 No wonder za'atar is a cornerstone of Lebanese cuisine. 691 00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:48,520 Its earthiness really elevates everyday dishes. 692 00:42:50,240 --> 00:42:53,880 My trip to the farm has inspired me to use it even more. 693 00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:01,560 Za'atar chicken and chickpeas. 694 00:43:08,760 --> 00:43:11,680 Mix three tablespoonfuls of za'atar 695 00:43:11,680 --> 00:43:13,600 with a glug of olive oil. 696 00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:19,080 Add chickpeas and six peeled garlic cloves 697 00:43:19,080 --> 00:43:20,400 to a large roasting tin. 698 00:43:21,960 --> 00:43:24,920 Brush four chicken thighs with the za'atar mix 699 00:43:24,920 --> 00:43:27,960 and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. 700 00:43:27,960 --> 00:43:31,840 Bake in a preheated 200-degree oven for 40 minutes. 701 00:43:33,480 --> 00:43:36,840 Remove the garlic, brush the chicken again, 702 00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:40,600 and return to the oven for a further 15 to 20 minutes. 703 00:43:42,960 --> 00:43:47,280 Pound the soft, roasted garlic, before adding thick yoghurt. 704 00:43:49,080 --> 00:43:52,360 Serve the chicken on a bed of chickpeas 705 00:43:52,360 --> 00:43:53,920 with the yoghurt 706 00:43:53,920 --> 00:43:55,880 and a few small mint leaves. 707 00:44:04,080 --> 00:44:08,400 The final leg of my journey takes me further inland and eastwards, 708 00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:11,800 to the Bekaa Valley, the rural heartland of Lebanon. 709 00:44:14,240 --> 00:44:17,600 It's the country's most important agricultural region, 710 00:44:17,600 --> 00:44:19,680 and, I'm hoping, the ideal place 711 00:44:19,680 --> 00:44:22,680 to learn more about traditional home cooking. 712 00:44:23,720 --> 00:44:25,640 So I'm out into the Bekaa Valley, 713 00:44:25,640 --> 00:44:30,120 which is, I guess, about ten miles from the Syrian border - 714 00:44:30,120 --> 00:44:33,800 and, immediately, you can see it's incredibly lush. 715 00:44:37,160 --> 00:44:39,560 This is very different, it feels very different, 716 00:44:39,560 --> 00:44:42,600 and I suspect that the cooking will be different here, too. 717 00:44:44,680 --> 00:44:48,280 Situated between two parallel mountain ranges, 718 00:44:48,280 --> 00:44:50,240 this fertile plateau is home 719 00:44:50,240 --> 00:44:53,400 to almost half of Lebanon's cultivated land. 720 00:44:56,200 --> 00:45:00,200 First, I'm off to discover a simple but essential routine 721 00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:03,560 that has been part of domestic life, not only here, 722 00:45:03,560 --> 00:45:06,600 but across most of the Middle East, for centuries. 723 00:45:11,920 --> 00:45:16,240 Ibrahim Abu Eid lives in Haouch Snaid 724 00:45:16,240 --> 00:45:21,480 with his wife Aziza and their three children, Hamoud, Maria and Zara. 725 00:45:23,160 --> 00:45:26,040 Ibrahim is showing me how to make labneh, 726 00:45:26,040 --> 00:45:28,720 the soft, white cheese that to this day 727 00:45:28,720 --> 00:45:31,520 forms a staple part of the Arab diet. 728 00:45:33,240 --> 00:45:35,480 This is a world away from Beirut... 729 00:45:36,680 --> 00:45:38,280 ..but before we start, 730 00:45:38,280 --> 00:45:41,120 I must meet another very special member of the family. 731 00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:42,720 COW LOWS 732 00:45:57,640 --> 00:45:59,960 That's a good yield. Yes. 733 00:45:59,960 --> 00:46:02,960 Whilst many rural people buy their labneh 734 00:46:02,960 --> 00:46:05,520 from small-scale local producers, 735 00:46:05,520 --> 00:46:08,920 this single cow provides Ibrahim and his family 736 00:46:08,920 --> 00:46:10,960 with all the dairy they need. 737 00:46:12,360 --> 00:46:17,600 Made into balls and placed in oil, labneh can last two to three months. 738 00:46:19,200 --> 00:46:21,760 And now we have the milk - on with the cooking. 739 00:46:24,600 --> 00:46:27,200 Ten litres of milk we've collected 740 00:46:27,200 --> 00:46:31,600 will be reduced to about two kilos of labneh. 741 00:46:31,600 --> 00:46:34,560 The first step is to heat the milk. 742 00:46:38,200 --> 00:46:40,280 Yes, you get that... It's like a skin. 743 00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:42,720 Yes. It forms at the bottom. Yes. Yes, I know. 744 00:46:42,720 --> 00:46:44,960 Made using only yoghurt and milk, 745 00:46:44,960 --> 00:46:48,760 labneh is healthier than similar foods like cream cheese, 746 00:46:48,760 --> 00:46:51,320 and can be served with meats and meze, 747 00:46:51,320 --> 00:46:53,680 but is most popular at breakfast. 748 00:46:53,680 --> 00:46:56,480 But it is just the best breakfast, 749 00:46:56,480 --> 00:46:59,480 because it's a real kick to start the day, 750 00:46:59,480 --> 00:47:01,520 cos it's got that hit of acidity, 751 00:47:01,520 --> 00:47:02,960 that little bit of sharpness, 752 00:47:02,960 --> 00:47:04,800 that little bite first thing in the morning. 753 00:47:04,800 --> 00:47:06,080 So it really wakes you up - 754 00:47:06,080 --> 00:47:09,000 but at the same time, it's quite gentle because of its creaminess. 755 00:47:10,800 --> 00:47:15,160 Once cooled to the right temperature, the yoghurt is added. 756 00:47:15,160 --> 00:47:17,560 Not so much cooking, as alchemy. 757 00:47:23,000 --> 00:47:25,200 45 degrees. OK, so it comes up... Yes. 758 00:47:25,200 --> 00:47:26,880 ..to boil, then down to 45. 759 00:47:31,040 --> 00:47:33,800 At 45? Yeah. 760 00:47:41,480 --> 00:47:43,360 It is this thing where simple things 761 00:47:43,360 --> 00:47:45,600 are often not as simple as they look. 762 00:47:46,760 --> 00:47:48,240 This is one of those things. 763 00:47:49,360 --> 00:47:51,520 Something tells me that Ibrahim 764 00:47:51,520 --> 00:47:54,600 has never needed a written recipe for labneh... 765 00:47:55,640 --> 00:47:57,440 ..and I suspect neither will his children. 766 00:47:59,200 --> 00:48:01,640 Who taught you to make labneh? 767 00:48:18,880 --> 00:48:21,640 Once strained, salt is added, 768 00:48:21,640 --> 00:48:24,440 and then it is left to ripen for 24 hours. 769 00:48:37,320 --> 00:48:39,440 Mmm! 770 00:48:39,440 --> 00:48:42,920 So, good? It's so good. Thanks. 771 00:48:42,920 --> 00:48:46,600 It does coat your mouth, but deliciously so. 772 00:48:46,600 --> 00:48:51,160 Not in a horrible, sweet, cloying way, in a very refreshing way. 773 00:48:51,160 --> 00:48:54,600 That was great! Fantastic. Thank you. 774 00:48:54,600 --> 00:48:58,280 Labneh is widely believed to have originated with nomads, 775 00:48:58,280 --> 00:49:00,400 as a way to preserve milk - 776 00:49:00,400 --> 00:49:03,600 but it clearly has a permanent home in modern Lebanese life. 777 00:49:09,520 --> 00:49:13,080 As well as dairy, ingredients such as grains and pulses 778 00:49:13,080 --> 00:49:15,640 are a mainstay of daily meals. 779 00:49:15,640 --> 00:49:19,680 Whether combined with fresh produce or judicious amounts of meat. 780 00:49:22,280 --> 00:49:24,360 I'm curious to find out more about 781 00:49:24,360 --> 00:49:28,280 this affordable and healthy food culture. 782 00:49:28,280 --> 00:49:30,920 So I'm travelling to the village of Ammiq, 783 00:49:30,920 --> 00:49:35,080 on the western edge of the Bekaa Valley, to meet Rima Jabbour, 784 00:49:35,080 --> 00:49:38,160 a cook whose vegetable and grain-laden dishes 785 00:49:38,160 --> 00:49:39,920 are stuff of local legend. 786 00:49:44,080 --> 00:49:46,520 I was just thinking these look fabulous tomatoes... 787 00:49:48,360 --> 00:49:51,360 Where do you...? Where do you get most of your fruit and veg from? 788 00:49:54,840 --> 00:49:56,640 You grow your own. 789 00:49:56,640 --> 00:49:58,520 Ah! It's always the best. 790 00:49:58,520 --> 00:50:00,040 SHE REPLIES IN ARABIC 791 00:50:00,040 --> 00:50:01,200 It's always the best. 792 00:50:02,640 --> 00:50:04,840 Traditionally, meat was expensive, 793 00:50:04,840 --> 00:50:08,000 so people relied heavily on what they had at their fingertips - 794 00:50:08,000 --> 00:50:11,360 fresh vegetables in the summer, and grains throughout the year. 795 00:50:14,560 --> 00:50:17,440 Would you say that what you are cooking now, 796 00:50:17,440 --> 00:50:22,240 is this very much what most families would cook for dinner? 797 00:50:48,520 --> 00:50:53,600 Today, Rima is cooking a vegetarian dish, burghul banadoura. 798 00:50:53,600 --> 00:50:55,520 Its main ingredient, bulgur wheat, 799 00:50:55,520 --> 00:50:58,400 is a healthy source of plant-based protein. 800 00:50:58,400 --> 00:50:59,440 Oh, look at that! 801 00:51:00,600 --> 00:51:01,640 Velvety. 802 00:51:02,760 --> 00:51:06,160 Once soaked, it's added to the pan of chopped tomatoes, 803 00:51:06,160 --> 00:51:08,080 onions and sweet peppers, 804 00:51:08,080 --> 00:51:12,400 and just a sparing touch of Rima's very special secret ingredient. 805 00:51:13,360 --> 00:51:15,760 So this is home-made tomato puree? 806 00:51:15,760 --> 00:51:18,120 Ah, that's a good load. 807 00:51:18,120 --> 00:51:20,200 You make it with your own tomatoes - 808 00:51:20,200 --> 00:51:23,600 and do you do a lot at once, do you do a big store? 809 00:51:35,840 --> 00:51:38,480 50 kilos?! 810 00:51:38,480 --> 00:51:42,200 Industrial quantities of tomato puree are not the only thing 811 00:51:42,200 --> 00:51:44,280 Rima stores in her larder. 812 00:51:44,280 --> 00:51:47,720 Thrifty housekeeping means dried grains and pulses 813 00:51:47,720 --> 00:51:49,360 are also bought in bulk. 814 00:51:59,480 --> 00:52:01,400 That's a lot of lentils! 815 00:52:01,400 --> 00:52:03,160 THEY LAUGH 816 00:52:03,160 --> 00:52:07,760 So with all your ingredients that are dry and they're stored, 817 00:52:07,760 --> 00:52:10,080 I wonder how long you could go without going to the shops. 818 00:52:10,080 --> 00:52:11,480 Just cooking every day. 819 00:52:14,240 --> 00:52:15,560 Really? 820 00:52:16,560 --> 00:52:18,760 I can barely go a week. 821 00:52:18,760 --> 00:52:20,200 Can I have a look in your cupboard? 822 00:52:21,400 --> 00:52:22,760 It's this fascination 823 00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:25,760 with what other people make their daily meal with. 824 00:52:25,760 --> 00:52:27,040 Not nosy or anything... 825 00:52:32,000 --> 00:52:33,080 Ooh! 826 00:52:40,120 --> 00:52:42,160 Ah, so cassia bark... 827 00:52:43,240 --> 00:52:45,320 It has very much the same effect as cinnamon, 828 00:52:45,320 --> 00:52:47,640 but it is a slightly cheaper version. 829 00:52:49,560 --> 00:52:50,880 What's this? 830 00:52:53,360 --> 00:52:54,840 Oh, my word! 831 00:53:02,480 --> 00:53:06,800 A mixture of exotic flavours such as fenugreek, cloves and nutmeg, 832 00:53:06,800 --> 00:53:10,440 seven spice is an incredibly useful spice blend, 833 00:53:10,440 --> 00:53:13,840 and found throughout the Arab world, and beyond - 834 00:53:13,840 --> 00:53:16,440 and no two jars are exactly the same. 835 00:53:16,440 --> 00:53:19,880 This is a little magical mystery tour of spice mixtures. 836 00:53:19,880 --> 00:53:21,240 I mean, I'm getting the hint, 837 00:53:21,240 --> 00:53:24,640 some of them are clearly very soft and gentle. 838 00:53:24,640 --> 00:53:28,240 These mixtures seem very warm and earthy. 839 00:53:28,240 --> 00:53:31,600 They are not hot, I'm not getting any notes of chilli. 840 00:53:31,600 --> 00:53:35,120 They are just very fragrant, and... 841 00:53:35,120 --> 00:53:37,360 ..I mean, quite peppery. 842 00:53:37,360 --> 00:53:39,200 Do you make your own spices? 843 00:53:39,200 --> 00:53:42,400 So, do you buy that, or do you mix it? 844 00:53:52,800 --> 00:53:54,640 Ah, you see, I love that way of shopping. 845 00:54:01,320 --> 00:54:05,360 These dishes of cheap and filling ingredients may be simple, 846 00:54:05,360 --> 00:54:07,880 but such considered use of flavourings mean 847 00:54:07,880 --> 00:54:09,040 they're never boring. 848 00:54:14,320 --> 00:54:16,000 It's absolutely delicious. 849 00:54:16,000 --> 00:54:18,000 It's delicious. 850 00:54:18,000 --> 00:54:21,400 I think the secret is your home-made tomato puree. 851 00:54:21,400 --> 00:54:25,000 That's what the secret is. It's completely natural - 852 00:54:25,000 --> 00:54:27,320 and I think it makes such a difference, I really do. 853 00:54:28,720 --> 00:54:30,680 It's delicious. 854 00:54:30,680 --> 00:54:33,040 You know, it always feels a privilege 855 00:54:33,040 --> 00:54:35,400 to cook and eat someone's home food - 856 00:54:35,400 --> 00:54:37,440 but, fortunately, in this case, 857 00:54:37,440 --> 00:54:41,320 I'm not the only one who gets to taste Rima's incredible cooking. 858 00:54:52,400 --> 00:54:55,320 Rima works at a rather special restaurant, 859 00:54:55,320 --> 00:54:59,200 hidden away above the fields and pastures of the Bekaa Valley. 860 00:55:01,160 --> 00:55:04,120 Tawlet Ammiq is a restaurant with a difference... 861 00:55:05,520 --> 00:55:07,560 ..and I'm not just talking about the view. 862 00:55:12,240 --> 00:55:15,840 You feel as if you could reach out and touch Syria, you are so close... 863 00:55:17,640 --> 00:55:20,920 ..but actually, what you come here for is what's happening inside. 864 00:55:21,960 --> 00:55:24,200 This is a very, very special restaurant. 865 00:55:26,800 --> 00:55:30,040 The menu celebrates local food traditions 866 00:55:30,040 --> 00:55:33,160 by employing a small army of home cooks 867 00:55:33,160 --> 00:55:36,960 to showcase their age-old recipes and techniques. 868 00:55:36,960 --> 00:55:38,640 People from all over Lebanon 869 00:55:38,640 --> 00:55:41,200 think nothing of driving hours to get here. 870 00:55:44,080 --> 00:55:47,800 The buffet is an A-Z of Lebanese home cooking. 871 00:55:49,520 --> 00:55:52,640 Fattoush, in all its fresh glory - 872 00:55:52,640 --> 00:55:56,120 and, of course, all the ingredients are grown locally... 873 00:56:03,680 --> 00:56:05,160 ..and, there's tabbouleh - 874 00:56:05,160 --> 00:56:09,760 heavy on the parsley, and lighter on the wheat, around here. 875 00:56:09,760 --> 00:56:12,360 Got feta and olives. 876 00:56:12,360 --> 00:56:14,040 Got a cucumber sweetcorn salad. 877 00:56:15,120 --> 00:56:16,680 Stuffed courgette. 878 00:56:16,680 --> 00:56:18,440 Yoghurt dips. 879 00:56:18,440 --> 00:56:21,080 Kibbeh, kibbeh nayyeh, 880 00:56:21,080 --> 00:56:24,240 and numerous one-pot, home-style stews, 881 00:56:24,240 --> 00:56:26,800 known collectively as tabkhat. 882 00:56:28,760 --> 00:56:30,680 SHE SPEAKS ARABIC 883 00:56:30,680 --> 00:56:32,560 OK... 884 00:56:34,680 --> 00:56:38,920 I've never seen nuts used this way, just handfuls of them. 885 00:56:41,240 --> 00:56:42,440 Look at these kebabs. 886 00:56:45,200 --> 00:56:46,600 Vegetable kebabs. 887 00:56:46,600 --> 00:56:48,400 Got cauliflower, got tomato... 888 00:56:49,800 --> 00:56:54,840 Everything cooked here by local cooks, people who live in this area. 889 00:56:54,840 --> 00:56:57,320 People come for miles to eat this. 890 00:56:59,320 --> 00:57:01,760 There's not one single thing here 891 00:57:01,760 --> 00:57:03,840 that I don't want to sit down and eat. 892 00:57:03,840 --> 00:57:06,720 It's just...dazzling! 893 00:57:10,960 --> 00:57:13,080 Oh, garlic, basil! 894 00:57:14,360 --> 00:57:16,320 Roast potatoes. Mm. 895 00:57:16,320 --> 00:57:17,520 Perfect. 896 00:57:24,320 --> 00:57:28,560 Beiruti socialites, tourists and expats 897 00:57:28,560 --> 00:57:31,000 sit beside local families here, 898 00:57:31,000 --> 00:57:33,960 all drawn to quality ingredients, 899 00:57:33,960 --> 00:57:36,240 prepared with passion and love. 900 00:57:37,960 --> 00:57:42,480 This, to me, captures what Lebanese cuisine is all about - 901 00:57:42,480 --> 00:57:47,120 shared tables, shared heritage and shared food... 902 00:57:48,200 --> 00:57:51,240 ..and I leave with a sense that there is a bright future 903 00:57:51,240 --> 00:57:54,840 for that most precious element, home cooking. 904 00:57:54,840 --> 00:57:57,680 I'm so glad that I came here to the Bekaa Valley. 905 00:57:57,680 --> 00:58:02,520 Coming here has allowed me to do something very special, 906 00:58:02,520 --> 00:58:06,680 and really is the essence of why I came here, 907 00:58:06,680 --> 00:58:10,280 which is to see what people are actually doing in their own home - 908 00:58:10,280 --> 00:58:13,560 how they're eating, how they're cooking, 909 00:58:13,560 --> 00:58:15,560 what they're doing with their food. 910 00:58:15,560 --> 00:58:18,600 It's not just a peep in somebody's larder, 911 00:58:18,600 --> 00:58:20,560 it's a peep inside their life. 912 00:58:21,600 --> 00:58:22,760 That's what it is.