Tag Archives: drink

Dried lime tea (Chai noomi Basra)

This infusion is popular in Iraq; it is made by seeding the noomi Basra or dried limes and simmering the peels in water for 15 to 30 minutes; drain and sweeten. Apparently it helps with tummy aches and digestive issues.  I did not have the patience of seeding the limes, I simply poked each in [...]
9 Comments

Acorn coffee (Ahwet balloot)

  It has been my privilege to befriend Philippe and Saidé, people I consider Salt of the Earth: Seasoned farmers (for generations) in the Lebanese mountains.  They  raised six beautiful children, all grown and gone to live an urban life in Beirut or in North America. Here they are,  left with an intimate knowledge of nature and [...]
19 Comments

Nettle tea (Chai korrass)

Nettle is a wild herb that stings; it grows everywhere and people pretty much leave it alone. It has however extraordinary properties and in the Shouf region in Lebanon, people forage it and make a distilled water with the leaves to drink as a tea with some hot water and a sweetener. Taste is like [...]
1 Comment

Rose and chocolate shake

This is a simple shake, part dark chocolate, part rose ice-cream; no need to make your own rose ice-cream, just add some rose syrup to vanilla ice-cream until the taste feels right to you; I also added some rose petal jam which is usually available in any Middle-Eastern store. Question: Why does’n't milk shake become [...]
21 Comments

Sumac lemonade

The mysterious plant was indeed sumac, a Godsend for our forefathers and mothers who needed a lemony taste in their dishes but could not access lemons (either due to seasonal lack of availability or because they did not live in the coastal areas where citrus is grown). Sumac is dried and ground into a powder [...]
29 Comments