During my search for the best Man2oushe in Beirut, the name Ghattas kept popping out. Many have asked me if the Ghattas of Gemmayze is the same as the one that sells mini Lebanese bites. Wondering who this other Ghattas is and what the little bites are all about – of course I was intrigued.

I found out that Ghattas is located in Achrafieh, just a few meters away from Tabaris and the SNA roundabout. It has been known for the last couple of decades for their unique bites all Lebanese crave for: Pizza, manakish, cheese, pizza, kebbe, Fatayer and more all in small sizes, prepared with the utmost perfection.

To my happy surprise, I received a box of mini bites from Ghattas and I think I have found one of the tastiest Spinach Fatayer available in Lebanon.

Inside a beautiful blue box with the Ghattas’s name on, a number of triangular creations are just waiting to be eaten. I grabbed one and started feeling the details. A golden pyramid of 7 centimeters in diameter constituted of short crust pastry dough and filled with cooked spinach. Crusty and crunchy like that of a sablé dough followed by a soft and tender inner filling, the bite is simply addictive. You will discover a light taste with crunchy borders of unique dough.

Fatayer or Fitiir is an Arab meat pie pastry that can alternatively be stuffed with spinach (sabaneq), or cheese (jibnah). It is part of Arab cuisine and is eaten in Kuwait, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and other Arab countries in the region.

A light flavour with a lemony after taste without the harsh acidic feel that comes from your average fatayer, passes through your palate forcing you to say: Yumm!

Bizarrely, the box has no address but simply a phone number, which I’m going to share with you. Deciding to taste these Fatayer or anything else, keep us posted with your opinion.

My journey around town continues and I am always on the look out to discover new tasty things found in different parts of our rich country. While shopping at Black Pepper in Rabieh I spotted a cylindrical transparent box of Manakish. A box? Manakish? Served cold? I knew I have stumbled on something interesting…

On the bakery counter, two boxes were just waiting to be bought. A large one for 17,000L.L and another smaller one for 8,000L.L, each filled with mouthwatering UFO-like shaped Manakish. Each box contains a dozen of these tasty appetizers. Thin like paper and richly covered with fresh Zaatar (local wild thyme), these crunchy crispy flat bread pieces are to die for.

The box: “bi Bickfaya” by Abou Roland. A nice simple “b” logo along with a sketch of a Lebanese man with his mustache and a phone number.

Calling the number (+961-3-639659), Mr. Jean Sayyah answers me with ultimate professionalism and answers each of my questions without even asking the reason. Abou Roland, who owns a shop in Bickfaya produces these Manakeesh among other things. He told me about thin Lahme Bi Aajine, other Lebanese bites as well as other breakfast items, but it has been known for this particular man2oushe, which can last up to a month in its box. This product has been brought down from the mountains to be enjoyed by the city’s connoisseurs and is now sold at Black Pepper, ABC Dbayeh, Black Pepper Rabieh and Ginette Gemmayze.

Mr. Sayyah, personally cleans the Zaatar with his own hands every morning after being hand picked from the forests of Bickfaya. This type of zaatar is nowhere to be found elsewhere.

Grab one, bite into it and feel the ultimate taste that lies behind every crunchy piece. With every crunch comes a strong and rich taste of Zaatar. Clean Zaatar, crushed in tiny small bits smaller than sand, mixed with olive oil and sesame seeds to create a soft paste that caresses your palatal mucosa. A great point to mention here: They didn’t give me a heartburn!

Enjoy them alone or with labneh, these manakish are addictive. If you are on a diet stay a hundred kilometers away from them because when you start you cannot stop until the box is totally devoured!

Is it spelled man’oushe, mankouche or manqoushe? Multiple ways of spelling for one great result: spread dough topped with specially mixed thyme, a la Libanaise, baked and served hot. However you decide to spell this piece of Lebanese culture, the end result is the same – a product which is deeply rooted in Lebanon’s history, loved and craved by children and adults alike on a daily basis…

This past weekend, I went on a venture to search for the best man’oushe, or should I say,  one of the best, since  man’oushe bakeries are everywhere in Lebanon, in every corner and in every neighborhood. Tasting all bakeries around Lebanon in a day would be impossible. I had to focus on one region this week (and will do the others in due time).

A 12 hour ‘man’oushe hunt’, which started at 6am on a calm Saturday morning and ended at 6pm.  Together with Chef Marc Abed, my friends Shady and Elie we toured Greater Beirut area, visiting and tasting 16 places.

We tried a variety of places – the small artisan bakeries, the more modernized ones, the commercial spots… a bit of each, to help us see and feel the difference…

The process:

1. Asking NGNO’s readers to suggest their favorite man’oushe bakery
   
2. Researching some renowned ones online
3. Planning a tour that would cover most of Beirut’s cities
4. Creating a table of criteria and gradings
5. Tasting and comparing only the zaatar (Thyme) man’oushe
6. Focusing only on the oven baked man’oushe, and not the ones made on Saj
7. Asking each place to serve us with their specialty preparation

The Grading:

The grading was divided into two main categories. 100 points for the taste and another 100 for the overall preparation and details

• Overall look of the place
• Hygiene: Place and staff
• Variety of proposed choices
• Timing of the order
• Freshness of the ingredients used and how they look
• Portion size
• Oil quantity used
• Proportionality between dough and zaatar
• Dough cooking perfection
• Value for money

The bakeries visited (Furn Manakeesh)

1. Na-Geo, Gemayze main street
2. Ghattas Bakery, Gemmayze main street
3. Afran Loubnan, Mar Mikhael
4. Furn el Hayek, Achrafieh
5. Hamadeh, Hamra
6. Ghalaiyne, Hamra
7. Barbar, Hamra
8. Abdel Aziz, Hamra
9. Atyab Chi, Mazraa
10. Al Jazira, Mazraa
11. Al Balad, Cola
12. Barbar, Spears
13. Lourdes, Badaro
14. Al Charek, Furn El Chebbak
15. Breakfast 2 Breakfast, Achrafieh Sassine
16. Zaatar W Zeit, Sodeco Achrafieh

Na-Geo, Gemayze main street

Na-Geo is located in the heart of Gemmayze, we arrived and met with the owner, who’s brother has a bakery with the same name in Canada. A wide choice of preparations displayed on a back-lit box without the prices. Another carton displays the menu with prices. I think they change prices according to the market’s flour price.

My Impressions:

• The place is badly lit
• It needs cleaning
• A place upscale and maintenance is required

The Man’oushe:

• The dough is nice. Soft and tenderly spongy
• The zaatar is too strong for my taste
• I didn’t feel anything special about this man’oushe, nothing that will make me want to come back again

Ghattas Bakery, Gemmayze main street

Ghattas Bakery, owned and managed by Mr. Robert Ghattas has been around for some time now. Reach the very end of  Gemmayze street and you will discover a little hole in the wall with a green sign board. Inside, a couple of workers, supervised by the owner himself, are producing fine pieces of bakery. Mr. Robert, a generous and welcoming person, did everything to make our visit memorable. He offered us his signature three cheese man’oushe and a couple of mini fatayers. Telling us the story of the family business, we really enjoyed one of the best man’oushe in Beirut.

My Impressions:

• The place is very small, just order and leave
• The owners are very welcoming
• The choices are good, all printed on a flyer
• You feel a welcoming spirit in the air
• Mr. Robert offered us the man’oushes free of charged and insisted we try his signature three cheese

The Man’oushe:

• The dough is nice. Soft and thin without being crunchy
• The zaatar is perfectly mixed, not strong and easy to swallow
• The proportion of zaatar and dough is adequately measures
• I loved its tender feel, softness and taste
• Ghattas’ man’oushe is one of the top 3 in Beirut

Afran Loubnan, Mar Mikhael

Afran Loubnan in Mar Mikhael is a new place to open on the strip. Owned and managed by Elie, Afran Loubnan is an average bakery where you go and eat a regular and simple piece of man’oushe. Nothing super special about it. You would have to stand out on the street to order, so preferably stay away from it on windy winter days.

My Impressions:

• No signboard is installed. It will be hard for you to find Afran Loubnan
• The place is very small, just order and leave
• It is dirty as well. Hygiene standards are not respected much
• The owner keeps on joking. A type of humor not everyone appreciates
• The menu is cheap looking and full of spelling mistakes, prices are changed with a blue pen

The Man’oushe:

• The man’oushe is smaller than the competitors and for the same price
• Its taste is very average
• We tasted the special tomato and cheese man’oushe that’s too spicy for a morning meal

Furn el Hayek, Achrafieh

A region called after this bakery! Why? Is it that special? We went to taste Furn El Hayek to get the story behind the name, with no luck. Unfortunately I was not impressed at all. Nothing special and their man’oushe is not even tasty.

My Impressions:

• The place is small and dirty
• Dirt is stacked in all corners
• We waited too long for a simple man’oushe
• I was hoping to meet Mr. Hayek who never showed up

The Man’oushe:

• The man’oushe is too oily
• The dough is not fresh and hard to chew
• Nothing exceptional will make you want to order it again

Hamadeh, Hamra

Hamadeh, has been around for the past 50 years. One of the first bakeries in Hamra, Hamade offers a “close to perfection” piece of dough. A tasty, crunchy, thick man’oushe which can be described as an oriental pizza with crunchy rolled up sides. Hamadeh, located at the beginning of Hamra street, has survived this long for a reason, don’t you think?

My Impressions:

• Clean kitchen
• A very welcoming staff
• A super wide choice for all tastes and moods

The Man’oushe:

• Perfectly rounded
• Crunchy on the sides
• Non oily
• Premium zaatar is used

Ghalaiyne, Hamra

Ghalayine, Barbar’s main competitor, is one of the places that do mass production serving Hamra’s busy streets. A very wide choice of everything imaginable layered on a dough and prepared in industrial quantities. We tasted their man’oushe, the least expensive in town for only 750L.L and a chicken fajita mix.

My Impressions:

• Even though it’s produced in large quantities, the place is clean
• The staff is professional and working like a bee colony

The Man’oushe:

• The zaatar is premium and the dough is very tasty
• Their special fajita is really unique
• Good quality ingredients are used
• It’s a place I recommend

Barbar, Hamra

Many say their man’oushe is tasty while others are scared of eating at Barbar. Scared? I didn’t see anything unusual or unhealthy to scared off, but I can assure you that it’s not tasty. Barbar is more of a factory. Production is their motto. It’s one of the least places I liked.

My Impressions:

• A beautiful place
• Valet parking
• Nice decoration
• Professional management
• It’s a fast food chain and not an authentic small eatery

The Man’oushe:

• Too commercial
• Too oily
• A dough that I didn’t like much
• Too small for its price

Abdel Aziz, Hamra

Located on the corner of a street leading to Bliss, Abdel Aziz might look cheap and dirty but believe me the owner is trying his best to provide the area with a decent upscale man’oushe. We had the chance to meet with him, where he explained about the way he prepares his dough.

My Impressions:

• A very normal place under the road
• Dozens of man’oushes displayed and ready to be devoured
• The same pizza like style found around the Hamra area
• More like an industry, order, pay and leave

The Man’oushe:

• It looks commercial until you taste it
• It’s way too oily but didn’t cause heart burn
• The zaatar is not strong and gentle on the stomach
• No salt is used in the dough which which makes it look spongier, and gives it a tastier longer lasting feel

Atyab Chi, Mazraa

On our way to Al Jazira bakery, we stopped in front of Atyab Chi, few meters away. Atyab Chi is fresh and new owned and managed by Rabih, a funny guy who really took care of us as we have been friends for years. He insisted on offering us three man’oushes.

My Impressions:

• A clean place
• A wide choice of possibilities
• A clean chef handling the furnace
• A nice printed leaflet

The Man’oushe:

• Thick yet tender at the same time
• Tasty zaatar is used
• Premium ingredients imported from Syria
• One of the most oily man’oushes we tasted today but the oil used is premium and doesn’t cause heart burns
• A tasty man’oushe it is

Al Jazira, Mazraa

Located in Mazraa, in Jazira center, this bakery is not one of best things you want to see. I compared it to Abou Arab; where it’s better to eat without seeing. Half the shop is on the walkway with man’oushes thrown here and there just a couple of meters away from the passing cars. Enjoy a new way of eating dust and pollution. On another hand, Al Jazira has one of the best man’oushes I’ve tasted today. A must try!

My Impressions:

• A dirty place
• An owner smoking next to the food
• The staff doesn’t look clean
• Half the materials are outside the shop on the walkway

The Man’oushe:

• One of the best
• Soft and tender
• Perfectly cooked
• Premium Zaatar
• Adequate thickness

Al Balad, Cola

Leaving AL Jazira, the owner asked us to pas by Al Balad. It wasn’t one of the best advice to take. Surely not the place you want to enjoy a tasty man’oushe.

My Impressions:

• The place is too dirty
• The furnace guy doesn’t look like a professional employee
• The fridge is full of previously prepared man’oushes covered in nylon which makes them look dirty and unprofessional

The Man’oushe:

• An average street man’oushe
• Nothing special about it that made want to take another bite

Barbar, Spears

Exactly like its little brother in Hamra, Barbar has a man’oushe that is not tasty. Dozens of employees are all working together producing hundreds of pieces of dough in a synchronized way. The manager didn’t accept that we take pictures, so we did so without his permission.

My Impressions:

• Professional and clean
• Nice and impressive decoration
• A complicated hierarchy
• More of an industrial factory than a bakery

The Man’oushe:

• Small
• Thick
• Hard to chew
• Oily
• Looks and feels industrial and cheap

Lourdes, Badaro

Lourdes is the place that has the most “Laisser Aller” among the places visited. Phones, pens, papers and cigarettes boxes are all on the working platform. The staff goes in and out without washing their hands. Cleaning towels here and there… You really don’t want to see this place. BUT as for its man’oushe. Yummy. It’s really close to perfection.

My Impressions:

• In couple of words, the place is not up to the standards of he man’oushe offered
• Prices are all changed, depending on the way a client looks
• An unappealing small kiosk
• Many residents of Badaro don’t know this place as it looks cheap and small

The Man’oushe:

• Awesome
• Delicious
• Fresh
• Generous
• The dough is exquisite
• The zaatar quality is premium

Al Charek, Furn El Chebbak

I have never tasted worse. Nothing’s good to have around here. A dirty place, an unpleasant staff and a cold man’oushe. We asked a lot before arriving to this place. I really wanted to know the story behind “Furn EL Chebbak”. A region that has a name of a bakery. The women led us here. Shocking!

My Impressions:

• A general bakery, mini market and a man’oushe shop at the same time
• Very dirty
• Nylon bags, papers… Everything that has nothing to do with a bakery
• Ministry of health should pay them a visit

The Man’oushe:

• Thick and chewy
• It was served cold
• Zaatar is close to being disgusting
• The grades reflect my feelings

Breakfast 2 Breakfast (B2B), Achrafieh Sassine

Now was time to move on to what is supposed to be the best. We went to B2B. With years of experience, dozens of staff members, a respect for the quality and service and a delivery army producing freshly baked good by the minute. When we arrived, the cashier had to shout:”Who’s turn is it?” Then someone came from outside, threw his cigarette and without washing his hands grabbed a previously prepared dough and threw it inside the oven. No hygiene respected, no professionalism, and the worst part not a premium taste.

My Impressions:

• A total disappointment.
• Nobody even asked me why I am taking pictures
• A staff moving on slow motion

The Man’oushe:

• Below average
• Oily with a strong taste of zaatar
• Undercooked
• Very commercial

Zaatar W Zeit, Sodeco Achrafieh

For the ones who were expecting to see ZWZ’s man’oushe at number one, they will be disappointment. ZWZ man’oushe is the only one out of the 16 that contains sugar. It’s sweeter than being a savory breakfast. That feel of sweetness covers other premium ingredients and negative things. It’s zaatar content is too little and the dough is thin to an extent of being transparent.

My Impressions:

• The cleanest place you can imagine
• It’s not your usual man’oushe place, you’ll feel like you’re sitting in a dream park
• Beautiful decoration
• A perfect setup

The Man’oushe:

• Super thin
• Unjustifiably the most expensive of all
• Zaatar is too little
• It’s too crunchy and breaks into little pieces
• It comes cut in slices even though we didn’t ask for that. I and many others like to see it in one piece, maybe roll it to eat

Conclusions and Discoveries:

• All man’oushes have an average price of 1000/1250 in Hamra and 1250/1500 in Achrafieh (LL)
• Hamra has a special way of making a man’oushe, just like an American Pizza, with thick crunchy rounded sides. While in Achrafieh all of them are thinner with the same homogeneous thickness and the dough is not perfectly rounded. It’s kept as prepared, more like an oval shape
• Preparing the dough without salt is better as the yeast gets to work adequately with the flour making the dough fluffier. This man’oushe will last longer
• Adding sugar is trying to be tricky, trying to make the man’oushe more addictive. It doesn’t always work
• Almost all bakery owners were very responsive, answering all the questions and allowing us to take pictures of every single detail
• A special thank you to those who invited us

Incident of the day:

Out of the 17 bakeries visited, yes we actually went to 17 places that day and one place didn’t welcome us. The owner didn’t let us take pictures or even try to explain what we are trying to do. An incident worth describing.

Mankouche Xpress in Achrafieh facing Hotel Alexandre was very aggressive and impolite. He shouted telling us not to take pictures. When I tried explaining to him what we are trying to do: searching for the best man’oushe and all I need is to buy one order to taste, he answered: “I’m not interested, remove the camera now”. He had something to hide that’s for sure. I definitely won’t even try eating in this dirty place…

The Final three winners:

• The overall preparation winner: Hamadeh, Ghalaniye, Atyab Chi, Zaatar W Zeit
• The tastiest man’oushe winner: Al Jazira, Lourdes, Ghattas
• Big winner of all /200: Hamadeh, Ghattas, Atyab Chi

Stay tuned, more reviews and other regions will be coming your way soon.

After visiting Zaatar W Zeit Zalka with my family last week, I decided to give this place another try before drawing any conclusions. As a small recap, my last experience was unacceptable.  I headed down to another branch just to see how the experience will turn out; I loved it. ZWZ is not a bakery anymore but a revisited diner – a full-fledged restaurant with new expectations. This only means that the actual problem is having an inconsistency in service and attitude between branches… Pay attention guys… don’t let such things affect the reasons why people come to you…

The last time, I decided not to give it a full review and wrote:

So, our day started at Zaatar W Zeit Zalka. I thought, well this could be a cool place to take my daughter. A place where a variety of foods that children enjoy are served. I discovered for the first time the new wide menu while dining in-house, which I enjoyed. The menu, the variety, the images on the menu, this place has become more restaurant than just a mankoushe spot. Sadly the place was not a cheerful one. It was like Christmas Scrooge passed by here recently; No music, the staff were grim and down, unwelcoming – not a smile was seen. They saw that a kid was with us, but no reaction. No one even gave her some coloring pencils until I asked for some and ended up with one that included used pencils.

Afterwards was ordering time. A kid, sorry but she doesn’t even deserve the title of waitress, approached us for the order. So unpleasant and so unprofessional she was moving her head and mimicking the way spoiled kids talk with their parents. Minutes later, we received the food. I liked and enjoyed the Zaatar light with no oil as well as the turkey and cheese sandwich. On another hand the Lahme Beajine and the cheese and ham were tasteless. It’s unacceptable to serve food on chipped plates. The labneh plate is chipped from all sides like in old Lebanese restaurants.

Anyway the food was not the main issue today but the bad service and unwelcoming ambiance and attitude towards kids. More so, the place was dirty. The floor is covered with breadcrumbs, hair all over the floor and dirt stuffed in the corners, then left searching for something else that will make Enya smile and maybe a coffee for us since we still didn’t have anything to drink.

I went down to their Byblos branch where I enjoyed a nice breakfast with my friend Zeina. I ordered a lot, so just imagine I was there with a bunch of friends. Breakfast on the last day of the year was nice in this stand-alone location where positive vibes seem to naturally flow in the air. 

The place is superb:

• A stand alone building on the Byblos-Tripoli highway
• The floor leading to the restaurant is covered with old Lebanese tiles. A great impression
• Expect to be amazed as you walk inside. A large square space with high ceiling. The use of wood, metal, fabrics, leather, and stainless are here and there to decorate the place. All blend in together beautifully
• The floor is covered with grey vinyl on one side and wood parquet on the other
• The walls are all painted in grey
• White and black lights pending from the ceiling add a touch of style
• The place is decorated with three pictures covering a large portion of the wall
• Facing the dining area, a rectangular wall displays food related messages with an interesting typography
• Facing the entrance you will find a long bar with quick ready made sandwiches to go – “Pret a Manger” style
• Filling the space are dozens of light wood tables surrounded with wood and white-metallic chairs
• Two, nicely designed silver chairs add a difference to the mix
• Facing the highway, a Starbucks style area welcomes you to relax on a few couches
• The best part are the high glass facades that allows the needed amount of natural light into the place
• Stainless ducts add an industrial touch

Zaatar W Zeit new menu:

• Breakfast (TO share, Manakeesh)
• Salads
• Platters
• Teazers
• Pizzas
• Specialty wraps
• Redefining light
• Desserts
• Beverages

We tried today:

• Halloum w Bacon: (Halloumi cheese and bacon topped with tomatoes and mayo served on sun-dried tomato dough) the one and only sun-dried tomato filled with grilled halloumi cheese. The halloum’s crunchiness and the richness followed by the juiciness of the sauce and freshness of tomatoes is simply superb. My favorite sandwich is now for 11,000L.L

• Traditional Pizza: (Tomato sauce with mozzarella cheese, ham and fresh mushrooms) Lebanese style spread of spongy dough with basic pizza ingredients, like most local bakeries. Good for what it is

• Labneh Aarouss: (Traditional cream cheese spread on sun-dried tomato dough. Served with tapenade, tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh mint leaves) WOW! A labneh sandwich like no other. As you crunch into the sandwich all the freshness burst into your mouth makes you smile. Smooth labneh, thin sliced cucumbers, mint and olive tapenade with olive oil. Really amazing for a simple labneh sandwich. A hint of sweetness is enjoyed with a mix of ingredients spread on my favorite sun dried tomato mix dough

• Oil Free Zaatar: (The same great taste without the guilt. Delicious dried thyme mixed with water and a bit of sesame topped with cucumbers, tomatoes, mint, purslane and rocca) I ordered it again and will do so again and again. Even though without oil and baked on brown dough, this sandwich is juicy and the Zaatar does not give any heartburn. I loved it: healthy and light

• Low Cal Turkey and Cheese: (A classic combination of melted cheese topped with slices of turkey, pickles, lettuce and tomatoes seasoned with our light mustard sauce)  A subtle taste of cheese and turkey, delicious sauce and fresh and crunchy vegetables, this meal is great for those looking to enjoy a tasty yet light meal.

• Chocolate and Banana Wrap: (Melted hazelnut milk chocolate spread, topped with slices of banana) Nice overall taste but the dough is too chewy and the sandwich doesn’t look like the picture. I enjoyed the generosity and size of the nuts, the softness of the banana and use of Nutella but in order for this wrap to be perfect, a thinner layer of dough should be used and definitely serve it like the picture without cutting it in six pieces.

PS: Why are the prices going up so fast that high? The halloum and bacon, for example, was for 9,000L.L just nine months ago. Are we looking for 10$/sandwich by the end of 2014? Are they planning on serving only the rich?

My suggestion: Since the same team that trained Roadster’s staff help with the ZwZ one since you’re one company now. The difference in knowhow and savor faire is tremendous.

Zaatar W Zeit’s new concept, intertwining the best of all worlds into a “Lebanese style” cafe is a big success. You get a Starbucks ambiance, mixed with the Pret A Manger menu and concept, adding to it some unique Lebanese spells… you’ll get a recipe for success: “Zaatar W Zeit”.

I’ll be coming back for a lunch review soon.

Hummus has long been a mainstay among New York’s many, many street food options, but now a new trend has hit town: the manousheh.

From Beirut with Love

While the origin of hummus is a topic that continues to cause controversy between rival nations, the manousheh has indisputably Lebanese roots. Lebanese women would traditionally bake a batch of bread in a communal oven every morning, to provide their families with their daily needs. They would then prepare smaller portions of dough with different toppings for breakfast – the manousheh.

Twenty-nine year old Lebanese-New Yorker Ziyad Hermez has been spreading the manousheh revolution throughout the streets of Manhattan since the summer of 2013, when he opened his pop-up bakery ‘Manousheh NYC’. Situated in the Old Bowery between the Lower East Side, Nolita and in the midst of Soho, it’s a hip part of town.

Read the full article on Brownbook

On the occasion of the World Fair Trade Day and under the patronage of HE Mr Michel Pharaon, Minister of Tourism, Fair Trade Lebanon organized; for the third consecutive year; an awareness day aimed at promoting fair trade principles. The event took place Sunday, May 11, 2014, at Beirut Souks from 11:00am to 6:00pm.

This initiative is part of the global campaign coordinated by Fairtrade International, and relayed by Fair Trade organizations in more than 80 countries. Representatives from Fairtrade International, World Fair Trade Organization and other fair trade organizations (Germany, France, Kenya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco …) were present to encourage socially responsible consumption in Lebanon.

Fair Trade Lebanon, partner of Fairtrade International, works towards raising the awareness of the Lebanese public to the concept of fair trade: improving the living conditions of Lebanese farmers and producers in the rural villages of Lebanon and assists them in the certification of their products. Its main mission is to offer a viable economic model to farmers and women’s cooperatives by selling their products at a fair price on the local and international markets.

Fair Trade Lebanon Shop

As every true Lebanese knows, the Man’oushé has a reserved place on the country’s breakfast table. But every true Lebanese also knows that this cherished national pie has the ability to be worked into every meal of the day due to its unique simple versatility.

The man’oushé is the cherished national pie of Lebanon. It has a reserved place on the country’s breakfast table and has the unique ability to be worked into every meal of the day due to its simple versatility.

Barbara Abdeni Massaad’s cookbook is dedicated entirely to the art of creating the perfect man’oushé. With over 70 simple recipes, it offers you a way to enjoy these typical pies traditionally baked in street corner bakeries in the comfort of your own home.

Accompanied by Raymond Yazbeck, the author set out on a quest throughout the country in order to find every available recipe that the nation had to offer. On their journey, they fell upon people and stories that inspired Barbara to create a book that is more than just a cookbook, but a way to bring out the flavor of a country through the exploration of its people, through words and image.

Anyone who enjoys the simplicity of good food and appreciates a good story will love this book from cover to cover.

Order your copy online