Food

Sweets

Tripoli is globally recognized for its special sweets.

The most famous names are:

-Abdul Rahman Al Hallab (Qasr al helo next to al tal square)

Famous for his halawet el jebn and mafroukeh

-Rafaat Al Hallab (next to al tal square)

Famous for his baklawa and barma

-Tom Sweets (Since 1919 in Dabbagha near Souk Haraj and Khan el Askar)

Famous for his special halawet el jebn, maamoul and halawet el rez

-Al Sabagh (Al mina street)

Famous for his namoura and kellej

-Al Amina sweets (Sahet Al Nour)

Famous for his znoud el seit

-Al Haddad (Abi Samra)

Famous for his halawet el chmayseh and karbouj

Arabic Ice Cream

Mainly located in Al Mina district,

Tripoli is famous for its Arabic ice as the ashta with pistachios or the Arabic mouchakal (Arabic mix):

-Orabi Ice cream -Al Balha Ice cream -Bachir Ice cream

Juice

Tripoli is famous for its special juice that you can drink in the souk al atarine, on al-tal square or on ambulant shops (mainly in front of mosques after Friday prayer)

-Souss

-Kharnoub

-Sahleb (winter)

-Lemonade

-Jallab

And all other fresh juice like carrots and orange.

Food

Tripoli is famous for its fish dish that you can eat next to al mina port: – Siyediyeh (Fish with rice and almond) – Spicy Fish in Tahina Sauce

You can find as well a different kind of Lahmeh bi Ajine inspired by Syrian made from Greande molasse, meat, pine and mint (Most famous one is Abdul-Rahman Al Hallab)

The Kaakeh bi Jebneh is as well diffent than the other in Lebanon. Indeed, The tripoli one is round and full of haloum cheese. (The most famous one is Al Cheikh in Abi Samra, more than 1h wait during Ramadan).

Lebanese Food was always one of the country’s principal attractions, and it has now largely passed the borders to become extremely popular in the West. Lebanese cuisine as a whole goes under the heading “health food”. It is mostly based on cereals, in the shape of bread, bourghoul (crushed wheat) and rice. A large and varied assortment of vegetables and milk products accompany the above, and meat plays a relatively small part.

Bread was and still is treasured; it is never thrown away. If it has become truly improper for consumption, it is kissed before being disposed of. Stale bread is grilled in the oven or fried so that it becomes dry and crunchy as cracker; such grilled bread is a tasty variant that enters the composition of several dishes.

Several foreign dishes, like couscous, French fries and spaghetti, have been imported into the cuisine and thoroughly modified to the point of rivaling the original recipes. They were adapted to the local ways to the extent of becoming a part of the traditional food.

One more thing should be said about the recipes you will find below: the proportions are merely indicative. Lebanese dishes are very free on that point, and every household adapts the dosage of the ingredients to taste. You too should tweak them until you are happy with the taste. Please note also that Lebanese vegetables are very flavored and very small (as an example, cucumbers are about 4 inches long) and that you may need to take this into consideration when getting the ingredients