The Vegans Crave Lebanese!

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For those of you who may not know me, I am not a fan of vegetables. My dinner plate consists of mostly meat and ten percent veggies. However, on my food truck journey I learned of a culture who’s cuisine is naturally vegetarian/vegan and it twisted my mind. The first food truck I visited was TOUM, an authentic Lebanese cuisine food truck.

Lebanon is located in the Middle East, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea. It shares many cultural characteristics with its Arab neighbors but, ethnically, Lebanese cuisine is composed of a distinguished mixture; Phoenician, Greek and Armenian. Over the course of history, the culinary knowledge from the different ethnic groups were used in Lebanese cuisine. Lebanese dishes are extremely healthy. They use simple ingredients, such as olive oil, bulgur, garlic, parsley and mint.

My first-time tasting Lebanese cuisine was on a Food Truck. Baba Ghanoush (spelled “Babaghanouj”) is on the menu. It’s a must-try! It reminded me of Hummus but with a distinct smoky flavor. It is a dish made with Tahini lemon sauce and grilled eggplants, drizzled with olive oil and sometimes topped with pomegranate, served with pita bread. I must admit I had more bites than I needed to for the show. I like to have everything with a side of meat, but THIS! did not need it. I dare you to try! If you don’t like it, you can always have humus. The truck sells both.

Tabbouleh! As my older brother Max would say, “Only horses eat grass!”– and me, “This is for the birds!” Boy, was I wrong. Now I am saying, “I NEED MORE GREENS IN MY LIFE!” This hearty-healthy salad is amazingly delicious and nutritious; finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, minced onion, and bulgur tossed with lemon, salt, sumac and olive oil. You can wrap it with lettuce or pita bread. For people like me, at one time, who was not familiar with Bulgur, it is a form of whole wheat with a nutty flavor and chewy texture. It is fat and cholesterol free and full with fiber, iron, and protein. Yes, Protein! (Yippee!) The one thing my body craves. There are so many more healthy dishes from the Lebanese culture. Let me know if I piqued your curiosity!

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5 thoughts on “The Vegans Crave Lebanese!”

  2. I’m not a veggie person either but you make this sound really good! I definitely want to try Lebanese food now. Thanks for showing us something new Daphnée!

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  3. Vegan Lebanese?! I love that you are so diverse. I absolutely love GREENS… this blog was a treat for me and now I must go to the Lebanese food try and try it out!!

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