“Make food Not War” through Lebanese cuisine recipes

In its issue of December 3, L’Orient Le Jour daily reviewed the new cook book entitled: ‘The Lebanese House Cuisine’ by Kamal Mzawaq, founder of the Souk El Yayyib and Tawleh rural culinary project. In commenting his work, Mzawaq said that it is not only his book; but that of his mother, neighbor and all women customers of Souk El Tayyeb and Tawleh. As for choosing to write in English, Mzawaq explained that he wanted to address the Western mindset in a different language than that of war and hostility for which the region is characterized. His slogan ‘Make Food Not War’ reflected well the spirit of the book. Each recipe tells a story of one area of the country, while attempting to introduce the reader to traditional gastronomy including kibbeh, tabbooleh, stuffed vegetables, tanoor bread, mankoosheh of thyme, qarisheh made from cream, honey or molasses, and other cookery. (L’Orient Le Jour, December 3, 2015)