
Mouneh: Preserving Foods for the Lebanese Pantry
Tom Verde
Barbara Abdeni Massaad
2018, Interlink Books, 978-1-56656-036-8, $50 hb.
Mouneh, “from the Arabic word mana, meaning ‘storing,’” is a custom that “continues to flourish in many parts of Lebanon,” writes Massaad, a Beirut native. Pickling, salting, sun-drying, sweetening with sugar or packing in oil—all these methods date back centuries in the region. They evoke memories of grandparents putting up fruit preserves and pickling garden vegetables. Massaad looks to this know-how, and history, in this expansive volume about how to preserve produce, from fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, wild thyme) to fruit jams (watermelon, fig, black sour cherry), to vegetables (stuffed eggplant in oil, red pepper paste) and cracked wheat and yogurt (kishk), a Bekaa Valley specialty. Reflecting the natural rhythms of food production, the book’s sections are arranged seasonally. Mastering many of these recipes will require time and practice. Yet the rewards of preserving one’s own food, Massad promises, can be gratifying.
You may also be interested in...
Drawing New Conclusions About the Status of Women in Ancient Egypt
Egyptologist Mariam F. Ayad that gender bias among historians accounts for an underrepresentation of women’s lives in historical studies of Egypt.Editor Challenges Readers To Witness Islamic History Sans the Modern Lens In New Book
In 1516, Ottoman Sultan Selim I entered Damascus clean-shaven. What followed changed Arab-Turkish relations for 400 years.