But what does the Mediterranean diet actually contain to make it so special?
Well, apart from the welcome news that you can still enjoy wine with dinner and delicious cheeses, the Mediterranean / Lebanese diet is packed full of vegetables , fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, grains, fish, meat and poultry. So far so balanced, right?
Dishes made with fresh vegetables, fruit, dairy products, fish, nuts and seeds are the foundation of Lebanese cuisine. olive oil finds a place in many recipes. The most common meat in Lebanon’s cuisine is lamb, with poultry as a popular alternate.
If you are a strict vegan or vegetarian you can still enjoy Lebanese food ,for example chickpeas are high-fiber, low-fat legumes. They are the main ingredient in two of Lebanon’s most widely eaten dishes. Hummus, a combination of sesame seed paste, mashed chickpeas and lemon juice, garlic and olive oil sprinkle with flat parsley and sometimes for that extra va va voom, toasted pine nuts, which appears on most tables for lunch and dinner. Fafalel is fried ground chickpea & broad beans balls stuffed into pita bread with generous portions of cabbage pickled turnip & cucumber, tomatoes, radish fresh mint & tahini sauce. Although fried, it is healthy, vegetarian snack.
Baba Ghanouj is another typical vegan dip made from smoked aubergine , peeled and mashed with tahini sauce , fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt and olive oil. Fattouch is another classic Lebanese salad made with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, radish, mint, rocket, lambs lettuce, spring onions, sumac, olive oil, fresh lemon juice and drizzle of pomegranate molasses .
