A FOOD TRADITION

Beqaa cuisine

Beqaa cuisine comes from Lebanon’s inland agricultural valley, where wheat, bulgur, legumes, potatoes, dairy, grapes and livestock have long shaped household cooking. The colder climate and rural foodways encourage drying, pickling, preserving fruit, making kishk, and preparing substantial baked or simmered dishes. Lamb and goat are commonly combined with grains, yogurt and aromatic herbs, while village breads and simple grain dishes remain important. Recognizable examples include kibbeh bil laban, a bulgur-and-meat preparation cooked in yogurt; shish barak, meat-filled dumplings in yogurt sauce; and harissa, a slow-cooked wheat and meat porridge. These foods also connect the Beqaa to wider Syrian and Levantine traditions.

Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.