“It didn’t ever feel like a ‘tour’, but more of a holiday with a friend who knew the area very well and the large quantities of food that were being offered each day!” Paul Richardson, September 2010 Edition
Taste Lebanon culinary tours are in conjunction with the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism
TASTE LEBANON 2nd edition dates are announced so hurry and book your seats! Tour kicks-off on April 28th, 2011 and ends on May 6th 2011!
It has always been my dream to showcase all that is wonderful and positive in Lebanon; the beauty of its landscape, the warm hospitality of its enduring people and of course, its delicious & wholesome food. Food is the best way for one to delve into the soul of a culture and learn more about its people, their customs & traditions. Sitting down and breaking bread with a total stranger is a beautifully unifying and enriching experience. It is our endeavor with this tour, to share this experience with you.
If you’ve always wanted to learn more about Lebanese food and experience first hand what it’s really like to enjoy an authentic, lavish Mediterranean spread then this is the tour for you. This seven-day culinary journey across Lebanon will leave you with a well-rounded taste of Lebanon and each of its region’s specialties. You will visit six different regions, savoring each local specialty and learning the process and technique that goes into making that certain dish that each area is renown for.
The tour will start on the eve of April 28th, 2011 and will end the morning of May 6th, 2011.
This will be a very personal tour and you will be invited into people’s homes across the country to learn the authentic techniques behind their specialties. This is an opportunity and a an authentic experience you would not have traveling on your own.
During the culinary journey across Lebanon we will visit Beirut, Byblos (seaside), Batroun (seaside), Tripoli, the North, Mount Lebanon, Baalbeck and the Beqaa. We will kick things off with a relaxing welcome cocktail dinner, poolside, overlooking the Mediterranean.
Included in the seven-day tour are some of the following activities (will vary according to season):
- Fish your own- boat trip (optional)
- Harvest your own- short discussion on local farming
- Demonstration on Arabic bread and the extra-thin mountain bread on Saj
- Demonstration on sujuk & basterma (Armenian sausage & cured meat)
- Demonstration on Kebbeh making (national dish)
- Demonstration on baklawa/and or halawet el jebn (Lebanese desserts)
- Kitchen Workshop on Lebanese mezza
- Visits to Souks- ancient and new
- Visit to a seven-story Middle Eastern sweets castle
- Visit to a dairy farm
- Visit to a butcher & bakery (watch process of sfiha, miniature minced lamb pies, from to start to finish)
- Visit to olive groves & olive oil pressing
- Visit to a vineyard with wine tasting
- Visit to a Arak distillery (Lebanon’s national drink, similar to ouzo and pastis)
- Visit to wild Za’atar fields
- Mouneh demonstrations; kishk, burghul, awarma, etc.
We have left one day on the tour towards the end, for everyone to do their own thing, relax, hit the beach, or in case they wished to revisit certain areas they really liked. However, depending on the general consensus we are prepared to arrange further tours for the day, if everyone is keen for more action.
Breakfast- breakfast is inclusive everyday at the hotel. Added to that are 4-specialty breakfast we will enjoy together.
Lunch- 6 Lunches will be provided that will range from lavish mezza spreads seaside, BBQ in the mountain, street food & home-cooked meals (tabikh).
Dinner- 5 dinners will be provided. These will range from dinner with a traditional belly dancing show, a trendy dinner in one of Beirut’s hotspots, sunset dinner, cocktail dinner and a cookery demonstration followed by dinner with a renown Lebanese culinary activist.
The cost of the tour is £1399 for double occupancy. The tour cost includes hotel, breakfast everyday, 6 lunches, 5 dinners, refreshments during the tour, culinary activities, transport to and from the airport as well as all locations on the tour itinerary, visa, and our English speaking services. This is a very competitive rate and is well priced in comparison to other culinary tours held around the Middle East. It is also good to bear in mind that Lebanon is one of the more expensive countries to visit in the Middle East.
Flight is not included. Currently, MEA is offering terrific offers from the UK to Beirut during the month of September.
If you have further questions you may contact me via email: [email protected]
We look forward to showing you the real Lebanon.
YUMMY
I’ve only just discovered the foodie network and as soon as I saw an advert for this blog totally excited. One of my clients (I’m a nutritionist) is in Doha but brought up in Lebanon. He said that his wife insists he eats English food as Lebanese food is not healthy.
I said WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY…you are FIRED. Not only is it healthy, its absolutely delicious.
I’ll be following your blog very closely.