Souk el-tayeb was the first organized farmer’s market in Lebanon and the brainchild of Kamal Mouzawak; this Sunday, it took place in Hammana, a beautiful village nestled in the valley and surrounded by mountains and cliffs at an altitude of 3500 feet, about 20 miles from Beirut.
Hammana’s cherry festival took place today.
A chance for folks in Hammana to sell cherries from their gardens and orchards and for producers all over to display and sell their organic foodstuffs.
The market started around noon (Lebanese are not early risers) and ended Lebanese-style, with people dancing the traditional dabké and singing in the townsquare.
Gave us a chance to sample Hammana’s unique fassoulia (bean) dishes; fresh country-style flatbread called markook, fattoush, kibbe, and many other foods and discover the surrounding area with its old churches, ottoman-era homes, cascades, cliffs, mountains and valley.
63 Comments
OH, look at those cherries, loads of them
Do you find a variety of cherries there?
Look at those cherries! They’re huge! I’d love to get my hands on some of those. Do you know what variety they are?
love the photographs! wish i could have been a part of this. what’s the man making? it looks like a bread we make in india. fantastic concept!
Oh my..what great looking cherries!
The Oval shaped bulgar wheat, i believe is what we call here Kipes. I have the recipe in my blog, it one of favorite all times snacks. Kipes Recipe
These photos are fantastic! I am so excited seeing all this! Love the olives in the hands, the man in the dark blue, and the t-shirt that says NO MONEY, NO HONEY is funny!!
That was not enough! Where is the rest! The cherries look amazing and your photos are only whetting my taste bud and curiosity. I LOVE outdoor markets.
Valerie
This farmers market looks to be a true culinary adventure. Delights at every turn. What a wonderful time you must be having.
Fantastic! Thanks for taking me with you.
Mimi
This is great!!!
Those cherries are to die for! even the ones here do not look that deep red! lovely food there in Lebanon it seems!
Thanks for the visit to the Souk-el-tayeb, it looks like a great stop to make on a trip to Lebanon, I appreciate your post, I don’t know if I’ll ever visit the market but I can always dream of travels to exotic places, thanks for sharing!
Magnifiques fruits!! et quelle couleur ! leur taille est équivalente à la taille du coeur des libanais.Et si le libanais n’est pas un lève-tôt alors j’ai enfin trouvé le pays oû je devrais vivre! Rien ne m’agace plus que le fameux proverbe français:” le monde est à ceux qui se lèvent tôt”.Merci à toi Joumana pour la petite visite. à bientôt.Soraya
One Trackback
[...] cake made with a handful of these Hammana cherries, some labneh or Greek yogurt, ground almonds, eggs, butter, flour and flavorings; can be [...]