I love Lebanon! Not I love Lebanon!
Francois Couplan
(Travel an ethnobotanist, a world of wild plants in Lebanon )
Attention to Lebanon can be dangerous! But this warning is not meant to be taken where you could hear it. If the political situation remains volatile in the region, there lies not the most serious risk. In my opinion, it is primarily the result of an addiction stay, however brief, to the land of cedars that may prove painful ... Hospitality, which remains in the West a very vague concept, is here put into practice daily. The Lebanese are deeply pleased to introduce their guests to their country and their traditions, and share moments with them friendlier for the simple pleasure of being together.
The beauty of the country is not one of his lesser strengths. The Lebanon is a mountainous country. From the coast, the altitude increases rapidly along the slopes of the mountains of Lebanon that reach over 3000 meters north of the chain. The ridges and terraces of this coastline are dotted with innumerable villages that grow haphazardly. But the majority of the population is concentrated in coastal cities: Trablous (Tripoli), Jbeil (Byblos), Saida (Sidon), Sour (Tyre), and especially the chaotic city of Beirut, arguably the most vibrant city the Middle East.
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East of the first string spreads the wide plain of the Bekaa since grown millennia, since this region was part of the "fertile crescent" where agriculture was born. Some of the wild grasses and legumes are among the first plants to be domesticated are still living in the wild in Lebanon. Farther east lies the Anti-Lebanon, which rises to about 2600 m at Mount Hermon and the border with Syria.
The nature and men Natural environments are therefore of extraordinary variety. The coast and lower mountain belong to the warmer Mediterranean, where grow carob, pistachio and myrtle. Rise in tiers above the pines, evergreen oaks and deciduous cousins, accompanied by a varied procession of bushes, shrubs and herbaceous plants. The famous cedars of Lebanon are only found from an altitude of 1400 m in some areas well delineated. With them, and higher still, grow a variety of plants adapted to extreme conditions of these environments, frozen in winter and extremely dry in summer. The north-eastern Bekaa Valley, which receives only 200 mm of water per year, against more than one meter on the western slopes of the mountains, is covered with steppe vegetation, the first fruits of the "desert" in Syria.
These diverse environments and in particular the Mediterranean mountain environment are the cause of the remarkable variety of Lebanese flora. This small country of 10,452 square kilometers there are now more than 2600 plant species, whereas we do counts as 1600 in Britain, 30 times larger, and 4200 in France, some 55 times larger than Lebanon. .. And some of these plants are found nowhere else in the world: there are 73 endemic to the country.
But all is not rosy for the nature of Lebanon, far from it! The famous cedar trees, valued for their timber since antiquity, had almost completely disappeared. The Phoenicians built their boats and served to build the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. New forests were planted, but it will be several centuries in order to assess these cedars in all the majesty that still possess the rare copies thousand year old, perhaps, who meet here and there.
In general, the Lebanese forests were devastated. So that almost all of Lebanon was formerly covered with a thick mantle of pines, oaks, maples and junipers, only 13% of the country are always present. And yet most of these forests are they not natural. Thus the great forest of pines of Bkassine near Jezzine in the south, she was planted by the Ottomans in the nineteenth century for the production of pine nuts - delicious, it is true. The oaks that composed the original are reduced to stunted shrubs in the name of "sound management" of the forest.
But it gets worse. The coastline is fully covered with concrete and banana plantations. The villages continue to expand at the expense of olive groves and scrubland, beautifully tender flowers in spring. Everywhere, the landscape is unfortunate moth cement cubes scrapped and pompous neoclassical pediments villas which are springing up like mushrooms sad in the most unexpected places. Bulldozers needed to trace the routes linking them to an already dense road network and take the opportunity to shake up an already well proven nature. Almost all rivers are polluted and are no longer around cities as cesspools nauseating!
Let us, consciousness Ecological Lebanon is still in the bud ... It must be said that the past wars and insecurity about the future drive more to live day by day to think about preserving the environment. All vegetables and fruits are produced with a lot of fertilizer and pesticides, and pollution is extreme, but everyone gets enough to eat. Shopping malls flourish and the frantic race for consumption is comparable to what is happening elsewhere in the world.
If it is here the contrasts are striking. The poor peasants of southern Lebanon, whose villages were again devastated during the offensive 2006 Israeli and rich Beirutis the insolent opulence comes in two completely different worlds. Besides, the country's cultural diversity, one of the largest in the world, is both its strength and weakness.
Cooking Last but not least, the Lebanese food! That may be where the addiction will be the largest and that lack will be most felt in return from the trip ... Lebanon is a haven for foodies, especially for vegetarians. The "meze" is supposed to represent an introduction to the meat dish, in fact constitute a meal in itself.
The famous tabbouleh is a salad of parsley and tomato, and fattouch - cucumber, radishes, green onions, tomatoes, peppers, etc. - a classic salad, but just as refreshing. My favorite is probably the salad zaatar, a term that is often translated as "thyme", but called it the savory or cultivated several species of wild oregano. What flavor! A thousand miles of tasteless lettuce trade ... Still include the salad of arugula, roka, or purslane, Baqll with onions, lemon and sumac berries sprayed red, acidic like lemon various forms of hummus, creams made from chickpeas and tahini or sesame paste, and the preparations of eggplant, as the moutabbal, creamy flavor of smoke, or makdous consisting of eggplant stuffed with walnuts, garlic and pomegranate ; vine leaves stuffed with rice, often flavored with cinnamon, the chanklisch, granular cheese to taste or told the haloumi, compact, often served grilled, beans, foul, or lupins, termouss; vegetables cooked in oil with onions and tomatoes, for example green beans, Loubieh, or Bamieh, fruit of a slimy texture Malvaceae (okra Africa), chicory, hendbeh, cultivated or wild, boiled and served with olive oil and lemon cucumbers and turnips lacto-fermented, yogurt with garlic and olive oil, regular or fat, choice; the Kibbe, bulgur croquettes stuffed with onions, meat or fish, lentils, aaddas, and rice, rezz, onions, potatoes with fresh coriander leaves ... The list is far from complete.
For a quick snack, Lebanese cuisine is also raised as an example with manakeesh, plural mancoucheh, Lebanese pizzas. This is fine paste cakes covered with zaatar, sumac and sesame seeds, or cheese, meat or keshk, a mixture of bourghol (bulgur) and dried yoghurt and finely ground - Special! They are served hot from the oven of the baker: a treat at any time, especially popular for breakfast. You may propose a "sandwich": it is a Lebanese bread, flat, round, hollow, split, with one brush each half fat yoghurt, labneh, or a mixture of zaatar, sesame, sumac and olive oil. Best known are the falafel, made with beans and chickpeas, whose side "frying" is slightly offset by the abundant garnish with parsley, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers and turnips lacto-fermented.
A dessert? The list would not be charitable, because they would want too ... Simply include knéfeh a crust overlying bourghol end a slice of cheese, all sweetened with a syrup of orange blossom water, ma'-zaher. The production of the latter is often conducted at the family level and in full swing in March. The flower buds of the bitter orange, button-Sfeir, are picked just before they hatch and distilled in pot stills fortune. It also prepares the rosewater, ma'-Wared to flavor other desserts.
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And if black coffee excites you, order a "white coffee" kahwa Bayda, water diluted orange flowers and sweet. If your religion allows it, you can also taste the wine of Lebanon, rather good, and arak, a grape spirit flavored with anise.
Vegetables wild edible wild plants in the countryside still hold an important place. One of the most popular and famous of all is the kors Aanii a panicaut (Eryngium creticum) which are harvested and eaten raw young tender leaves to the flavor of carrots before they harden themselves and lined with thorns. Two species of chicory (Cichorium intybus and pumilum) are harvested under the names and hendbeh aalet. They are cooked and served with olive oil and lemon. Wild leeks, korrat (Allium ampeloprasum) are also very supportive.
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We sometimes soup with young shoots of asparagus, hallioun (Asparagus aphyllus). The leaves of hommaïda (Rumex crispus), we prepare include slippers triangular appointed fatayer (singular fatira). The tabbouleh, commonly made with parsley, can also be done with the leaves of a wild aquatic korra (Helosciadium nodiflorum). In the same environment, we also picked watercress, or harf Herk (Nasturtium officinale). As with wild fennel, Choumara (Foeniculum vulgare), leaves and fragrant cut are particularly popular in omelette.
In knapweed, Dardar (Centaurea iberica), they are both young tender stems as large basal rosettes which are eaten.
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Mallow, khebaïzeh (Malva sylvestris), is eaten back to olive oil with onions and a little water. It also prepares the Lisaan 'hamal, or "lamb's tongue (Plantago lanceolata). The leaves and flower stalks of Cape oxalis invading groves, hmaïmida (Oxalis pes-caprae), are sucked for their tart flavor.
Often, wild plants are placed on the dough and baked manaïch. Those whose leaves are large enough can be stuffed with rice in the manner of vine leaves. Is used, for example, leaves of Lavatera, khatmiyé (Lavatera sp.) Beet matitime, Selek (Beta maritima) or cyclamen, skouka (Cyclamen persicum).
Among the wild fruits, those of azérolier, Zaarour (Crataegus azarolus)
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are just as welcome as the prickly, tina chawoki (Opuntia ficus-indica), covered with tiny spines which must be removed carefully. As for figs, Argentina (Ficus carica), we harvested both in the wild and in gardens.
wild vegetables are sold on the streets of cities or along roads by women who have picked the same morning, sorted and bagged. We do not find them at retailers who usually sell only fruits and vegetables. Only the commercially important zaatar, moreover increasingly cultivated to prevent its eradication in the wild by After picking abusive, sumac and mahleb, almond seeds of a small cherry tree, known in French under the name "Bois de Sainte Lucie" (Prunus mahaleb). And a special mountain plant, Akoub (Gundelia Tournefort), enjoys a great reputation and is sold throughout the Arab world. Its large fleshy shoots are harvested in May from 1200 m and are sold fresh or preserved in jars. We appreciate the nice texture and flavor of artichoke. But his qualities are dangerous and excessive harvesting led to its depletion.
In general, consumption of wild plants is declining. As was the case in Europe, harvesting becomes a symbol of poverty. The vegetables seem more desirable and everything that makes "modern" is valued. Meat, fries, cola attract much more than products of nature. Besides, the young no longer know how to recognize the wild, let alone cook. All this goes hand in hand with environmental destruction which becomes dramatic.
Some associations were created to develop the awareness necessary for a sustainable coexistence between man and nature.
Among them, "The house of lebanese environment", an association founded by Sheikh Nizam Bou
Khzeim Kfarhim is located in the Chouf, south-east of Beirut. She is currently setting up an ambitious but realistic, to reconnect people with their natural environment that is becoming increasingly tenuous. "Gaia's Gardens," will be a research center and induction-based renewable energy, nature conservation, organic farming and the discovery of wild edible plants. The land vested in the company covers over 10,000 sqm. The center will include accommodation built according to the authentic Lebanese architecture with houses with red tile roofs are typical of the region. Energy will be supplied by the sun, wind and water. An organic restaurant is also planned, as well as laboratory research and conservation, ecological pool, an aquatic ecosystem and gardens. Part of the land will be left to nature, where vegetables grow in abundance and wild medicinal plants. The NGO
Mawassem Khair (Harvest charity) founded by Ali Ibrahim El
.
http://fondation-elali.blogspot.com/ 
click on the photo to enlarge Today the project designers are looking for organizations and experts in renewable energy, agriculture and botany to start their project.
Traditions collection are important to maintain both the economic aspect for the health of populations. Indeed, the traditional Lebanese food, which come in many spontaneous plant, represents a remarkable nutritional balance close to the "Mediterranean diet". During my visit, some people in the community have expressed an interest to live and develop knowledge. It was therefore decided to hold cooking workshops wild for adults, youth and school children who no longer know much about nature ... They will be led by the primary contact,
Breich Fahima, which uses knowledge of the flora is remarkable.
It may also intervene in the region of Jezzine, South Lebanon, where a draft "eco smart" is being developed by Maroun Aziz, Bkassine. Again, it is important to collect the ancient traditions on plants within the community and make them live in younger. It will also train nature guides who will introduce visitors to the plants and their uses. By sharing these activities through various means, it will be possible to bring in people from Europe and America who can live in Lebanon exceptional moments, as I myself experienced.
http://www.couplan.com/
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