Lebanon

Lebanon’s food is built around mezze capital of the Levant: bright salads, dips, grilled meats and arak, eaten leisurely and always shared. Look for Hummus (silky chickpea-tahini dip pooled with olive oil, scooped with pita), Tabbouleh (parsley-dominant salad with bulgur, mint, tomato and lemon) and Kibbeh (national dish of pounded bulgur and lamb, fried, baked or raw). Chickpea and tahini purée recorded in thirteenth-century Arabic cookbooks; Lebanon and Israel have staged rival record-breaking platters since 2009. This atlas has 53 Lebanon dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.