This lovely mountain resort town is perched above the eastern end of
the beautiful Kadisha Gorge and at the foothills of the Cedars of Lebanon.
It is the brith place of Lebanon's most famous author
Khalil Gibran. It has a small museum which pays tribute to him.
Beiteddine palace was built over a period of thirty years by Emir Bechir Chehab II.
It's architecture reflects the typical oriental architecture of the 19th century Ottoman Era.
It is remarkable for its glamorous
arcades, multicolored mosaic floors, reception rooms, harems, hammams
and even by its guest house "Diyafa" where passing guests were lodged
(French poet Lamartine stayed once there).
Detail of the Sarcophagus of Ahiram, king of Byblos, seated
on a cherub throne, before an offering table, 13th century B.C (National Museum of Beirut).
Around 1200 B.C. the scribes of Byblos developed an alphabetic phonetic script, the precursor of our modern
alphabet. By 800 B.C., it had traveled to Greece, changing forever the way man communicated.
Located in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon, Baalbek is an ancient city
that has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Originally
Canaanite (3rd century BC), the Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines,
and Arabs successively occupied Ba'albek and left their imprints on the
place, often modifying what existed previously.
www.kaftoun.com
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Labneh has been a staple food for the people of the Levant (Near East) since 1000BC. It is essentially strained yogurt with part of the whey removed to give it a creamy cheese-like consistency. It is a great low calorie alternative to sour or cream cheese. Spread it on Arabic Bread (Pita) with a light sprinkle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (from Koura, Lebanon). It is very popular for breakfast in the Middle East.
| 1 1/2 hours from Whole Milk 5 minutes from Yogurt |
Ingredients:
| 2 one-liter containers (or any amount) |
| 7 oz. (200g) container |
| To taste |
| 1 tablespoon |
| Strainer Bowl Cheesecloth |
Directions - preparing yogurt (yoghurt) from milk:
- Heat the milk in a large pot, over a low fire, until it boils. Remove immediately from the fire and transfer to a clay or glass pot and cool until you can put your little finger (pinky finger) in the milk and count to ten. This indicates that the milk is now at the right temperature to receive the culture.
- Place 1/2 cup of the milk in a bowl, add 1/2 container of the yogurt culture (about 100g), stir, and add to the pot of milk stirring gently until completely dispersed.
- Cover the pot well, and wrap in a thick, heavy blanket. Leave for 6-8 hours in a warm place to let the bacteria do its work.
- Unwrap the pot containing the fresh yogurt and move to the refrigerator without stirring it. Keep the prepared yogurt refrigerated until ready to use.
To prepare the labneh:
- Place cotton cloth ,fine cheesecloth, or sheets of paper towels in a large strainer. Place the strainer in a large plastic bowl to hold the strained whey. Mix the yogurt with the salt and pour over the cloth.
- Transfer the bowl and strainer immediately to the refrigerator. Check the bowl every now and then and remove and discard the drained whey. The labneh will be ready in 10-12 hours.
- Transfer the labneh to a glass container with a lid and keep refrigerated until serving. Mix well before you serve.
Serving suggestions:
- Serve in a flat dish or small deep bowl. Garnish with a small amount of olive oil and serve with Arabic Bread (Pita).
- You can also mince one small clove of garlic and mix with labneh and serve the same as above with a drizzle of olive oil.
To prepare Tzatziki:
Add chopped fresh (or dried) mint and shredded cucumber to the garlic labneh above to obtain a tasty Tzatziki.
