Located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, Lebanon is rich in fertile land and traditions. Geographically located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe, it has contributed to the unique genetic makeup of Lebanon.

Professor Rami Zurayk’s book from the American University of Beirut, From ‘Akkar to Amel’, Lebanon’s Slow Food Trail, provides visual and comprehensive images for Lebanese and the international community interested in learning about the land, ancestry and the importance of maintaining traditional food production and culinary practices. as a means of preserving one’s cultural heritage. Traditionally, Lebanese foods are linked to the origin of the region. The interactions between people, their customs and habits directly impact the local harvest. From planting the seeds to reaping the benefits of the harvest and creating dishes, they all involve these innate rituals and traditions, passed down from generation to generation.

Zurayk takes the reader on a journey through the villages of Lebanon providing historical context of the land, production practices, an understanding of biodiversity, Lebanese climate, culinary habits, and social customs. One of the goals of the book was to bridge the gap between the often divided Lebanese, which is why he titled the book ‘Akkar to Amel’. The book was also meant to reintroduce traditional foods to a changing Lebanese society.

According to Zurayk, “Lebanon, being situated between the desert and the sea, home to both coastal traders and Bedouin nomads, has had a tumultuous history. Over the centuries, it has been repeatedly invaded and occupied. It is one of the nuclear countries. centers of genetics of species of wheat, barley, lentil and vetch, where its cultivation dates back more than 5,000 years, making it a pole of botanical biodiversity”.

“Books should not stay on the coffee table, but should act as guides in life,” adds Zurayk.

Community is always present in Lebanese cuisine through the ‘mezze’ style of eating, where everyone eats from the same plate and the table offers a variety of options. Even the process of planting seeds to reap the harvest involves community effort.

All of the information in the book has never been scientifically documented and Zurayk’s mission was to use his role as a researcher and writer to produce material of immediate relevance to Lebanese society, as well as to do justice to small producers and nature’s resources.

“The idea was also to encourage readers to visit these small farmers and share in the bounty of the land they produce their products from,” adds Zurayk.

One such producer is Nabeel el Ayyas, who produces ‘Asal al’arz (cedar honey), which is a molasses honey produced in the cedar forests of Lebanon. The production of this honey depends on three important insects: the aphid, the ant and the honey bee, all of which live in the cedar forests. Originally from Jahiliyyeh, a village located in the mid-elevations of the Shuf, El Ayyas produces several hundred kilograms of cedar honey each year, which he sells to visitors who tour the reserves.

Most small producers like El Ayyas still use manual mechanical extractors to extract their honey.

Lebanese cuisine is time consuming to prepare, but the process is what binds and sustains the community. The preparation of food is of vital importance for health because the preparer is responsible for the energy that is shared once the food is consumed.

In this era of globalization and the rise of ‘fast food’ culture, consumers can take advantage of the resources of the poor, which creates an abusive relationship with the resources of nature due to the consumption pattern of consumers.

Globalization is encouraging intense cultivation of exotic foods so that the products can then be shipped to the West so that consumers can enjoy a passion fruit in the dead of winter.

The Center for Nature Conservation for Sustainable Futures (IBSAR) at the American University of Beirut published the book with a grant from the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, which supports projects that defend agricultural biodiversity and gastronomic traditions.

The mission of the Slow Food Foundation is to help people rediscover the pleasure of eating and understand the importance of caring for where food comes from, who makes it and how it is made.

“The term slow food cannot be translated in many languages ​​and the idea is a western concept where, like in Lebanon and developing countries, slow food occurs naturally because it is part of our culture and traditions and a way of life,” says Zurayk. “This is a social, environmental and cultural approach that is deeply linked to societies that are still connected to nature.”