Black rice photo courtesy of Flickr user Ann@74

Black rice is in the spotlight, based on a new study that found it’s even higher in antioxidants compared to blueberries.  Now everyone seems to be talking about black rice, which is also known as “Forbidden Rice.” The dark-hued grain got that moniker because according to Chinese legend, black rice was so coveted that only the emperors were allowed to eat it.

I’ve been on the black rice bandwagon for awhile — writing about the benefits and growing popularity of several black foods in my article three years ago for the Chicago Tribune Is Black the New Black?  I previously posted about the trend of black garlic.

Black-colored foods are a signal of health in some parts of the world, and it may be the next big nutrition trend in this country. The black food craze is red-hot in Asia, particularly Japan, and it may be poised to jump West, according to Simone Baroke, health and wellness analyst for Euromonitor International, a global market research firm.

Paul Yamaguchi, a New York-based analyst of the functional-foods market in Japan, said that black foods have always played a prominent role in Japanese cuisine, but now they’ve reached new heights due to the health claims made by these products.

“Black foods have been eaten for hundreds of years in Japan for their rich taste, but now people are buying them for their nutritional value,” he said.

My article featured black beans, black carrots, black raspberries, black soybeans, black vinegar, black mushrooms, black sesame seeds and yes, black rice — which just got a major boost with this new research.  The recent  press release – and much of the news coverage – positioned black rice as an economical substitute for berries.

Health conscious consumers who hesitate at the price of fresh blueberries and blackberries, fruits renowned for high levels of healthful antioxidants, now have an economical alternative, scientists reported at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). “Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants,” said Zhimin Xu, Associate Professor at the Department of Food Science at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge, La., who reported on the research. “If berries are used to boost health, why not black rice and black rice bran? Especially, black rice bran would be a unique and economical material to increase consumption of health promoting antioxidants.”

I don’t really care for the “move over blueberries, now you can eat black rice” approach. We shouldn’t be looking at this as a substitute.  Fruits contain additionally nutrients not found in grains.  And the sugar in berries is natural, so don’t criticize them for that.  But I do like the idea of elevating black rice and giving people more reasons to try it — especially instead of white rice.

Blueberries, cherries and other blue/red fruits contain anthocyanins — and that’s the same natural compound found in black rice.  This phytonutrient has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, benefits to the brain and anti-inflammation.

According to the press release, brown rice is the most widely produced rice variety worldwide. Rice millers remove only the outer husks, or “chaff,” from each rice grain to produce brown rice. If they process the rice further, removing the underlying nutrient rich “bran,” it becomes white rice. Xu noted that many consumers have heard that brown rice is more nutritious than white rice. The reason is that the bran of brown rice contains higher levels of gamma-tocotrienol, one of the vitamin E compounds, and gamma-oryzanol antioxidants, which are lipid-soluble antioxidants. Numerous studies showed that these antioxidants can reduce blood levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) — so called “bad” cholesterol — and may help fight heart disease. Xu and colleagues analyzed samples of black rice bran from rice grown in the southern United States. In addition, the lipid soluble antioxidants they found in black rice bran possess higher level of anthocyanins, which are water-soluble antioxidants. Thus, black rice bran may be even healthier than brown rice bran, suggested Dr. Xu.

Food manufacturers could potentially use black rice bran or the bran extracts to boost the health value of breakfast cereals, beverages, cakes, cookies, and other foods, Xu and colleagues suggested.  The pigments in black rice bran extracts can produce a variety of different colors, ranging from pink to black, which the scientists said could provide a healthier alternative to artificial food colors that manufacturers add to some foods and beverages.

It’s not easy to find black rice.  Whole Foods is probably your best bet, in addition to Asian markets. Xu is hopeful that this new research will encourage farmers in Louisiana to grow black rice and will get more people in the country to embrace its use.  I’m hopeful too, but so many people won’t even make the switch to brown rice.  I love the nuttier, chewier  taste of brown and black rice.

Have you made black rice?  Here are a few recipes to tempt you.  I sure like the idea of the first one from Martha Rose Shulman, why not marry black rice with blueberries!

Forbidden Rice Pudding With Blueberries from New York Times
Black Rice Pudding from Epicurious
Thai Forbidden Rice Salad from Barefoot Kitchen Witch
Forbidden Rice and Beans from Whole Foods

What’s hot in flavors and ingredients?  What will we be tasting more on restaurant menus and in packaged goods?

Here’s what a couple of trend trackers are predicting.

First, Mintel identified six flavor trends for 2010…

Cardamom – Known to be intensely aromatic with a strong, unique taste, cardamom will find a home in more than just ethnic fare. Think of cardamom as the new cinnamon. Cosmic Chocolate recently launched a chocolate bar flavored with cardamom and oranges.

Sweet Potato – Candied, fried, baked or boiled…sweet potatoes are one of the most diversely prepared vegetables. Aside from being a delicious snack or side dish, Mintel predicts they’ll become known as the new functional food since sweet potatoes are rich in dietary  fiber, beta carotene and vitamins C and B6.

Hibiscus – Expect to see the floral flavor become a common ingredient in the beverage market, especially teas.   Donald Trump has gotten into the tea business (hey, at least not more supplements!).  One of the varieties of Trump Tea contains organic hibiscus.  Premium Essence Water from Hint now offers Hibiscus flavored water.  

Cupuaçu – The taste of the Amazon Rainforest, cupuaçu is in the running to be next big superfruit.  The Brazilian fruit is starting to appear in juices and energy drinks, and Musselmans launched a lime and cupuaçu flavored apple sauce showcasing this unique flavor.

Rose water – Rose water is no longer just a fragrance. You can look forward to finding it as a common flavor in beverages and ethnic foods, especially desserts (like I just experienced in Lebanon, along with orange blossom water).

Latin – Latin spices will be heating up our palates next year, and you won’t have to dine out to get these exciting flavors.  Mintel predicts that Peruvian and Argentinean will be especially hot Latin flavors. Whole Foods Market now offers a Mayan Ceviche. Icelandic Salsa Shrimp Cocktail features a spice packet loaded with the popular Latin flavor of cilantro.

I recently attended an excellent webinar on wellness trends that was conducted by the Hartman Group.  I especially enjoyed this slide that looked at healthful ingredients — what’s trendy here and now and what will be hot around the bend.

Was so happy to see the spice sumac on the emerging list.  I do agree that sumac may be the next big spice to breakthrough.  I sure love the tart taste of sumac and hope it will soon be more widely available.   Here’s a look at fresh sumac that grows wild in all parts of Lebanon.

Monica Bhide wrote a great piece on sumac in the Washington Post:

I turned to the one and only person I know who could write an encyclopedia entry on sumac and still have something more to share: Paula Wolfert, guru of Mediterranean cooking and author of numerous acclaimed books on the subject.

“I love the taste of sumac,” she tells me during our phone interview. “It is bitter, tangy, sweet, salt. In all very intriguing.”

Sumac, a berry, has been used in the Middle East as a souring agent for centuries. I asked Paula if lemon juice or vinegar were substitutes, and the answer was an emphatic no. “Sumac adds another dimension that lemon juice does not,” she said. It also adds a lovely red ting to a dish.

Sumac is sold as dried berries and ground. Please be aware that you need to buy this from a store and must not pick the sumac growing on the roadside in places as some of those varieties are poisonous. Paula advises storing the berries in the freezer and the ground sumac in the fridge.

This spice is a fantastic tabletop condiment, to be sprinkled on such dishes as salads, baked chicken, hummus, boiled eggs and more to provide that extra zing. Sumac goes well with chicken and fish. Even though lemon or vinegar can’t be substituted for it effectively, the reverse substitution — sumac instead of lemon or vinegar — can work wonders in kebabs, broiled chicken, fish, stews, salad dressing and more. Sumac can be used during the cooking process and then also sprinkled on top of the final dish.

And of course, sumac is the signature spice in fattoush, which I recently wrote about during my trip to Lebanon.

I was thrilled to be included in Health Castle’s list of Top Food and Nutrition Blogs for 2010.

I was the winner under the category of  ”Top Trendspotter,” which I especially appreciated.  Here’s what they said:

WHY WE LOVE THIS BLOG:

Chicago-based dietitian Janet Helm has definitely cooked up a top-notch nutrition blog! Her blog is well-known for covering the hottest food topics in the country – discussing trendy new foods, new diet reviews, food crazes and fads, and more. What we like most about Janet’s blog is that she’s not afraid to bring forward controversy for further discussion. For the science junkies, this blog is loaded with good, solid facts and information. But Janet doesn’t tell you what not to eat. Instead, she brings science to the table so readers can sniff out the quackery themselves.

Check out the other winning blogs:

Top Policy Heads-Upper  Food Insight

Top Made -From-Scratcher  Simply Scratch

Top Nature Hunter  Georgia Pellegrini

Top Mouth-Waterer  Steamy Kitchen

Top Kid Pleaser Weelicious

Top Herbivore  Herbivoracious

Top Gluten-Free Insider  ATX Gluten-Free

I was also so happy to be listed by blogs.com as one of the Top 10 Blogs for the Balanced Foodie.  Here’s what they had to say:

I’m a Nutrition Unplugged junkie because it’s a great place to get all kinds of myth debunking and nutritional news in one place. Written by a dietitian, the blog includes nutrition articles that have been featured in media outlets from the LA Times to New York Newsday.

I was in great company with this list, which included some of my favorite blogs:

Amateur Gourmet

Balanced Health and Nutrition

Chocolate and Zucchini

Chubby Hubby

Diet Blog

Diet Food Reviews

Fooducate

Serious Eats

The Foodinista

Looking for additional food and nutrition blogs?  Be sure to check out the Nutrition Blog Network.  This is a site that I helped create that features blogs written by registered dietitians.  You’ll find a directory of blogs under different categories — sports nutrition, gluten-free, weight management and more.  Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to find reliable nutrition information online.  I hope this new network will make it easier. You can also grab a widget to add to your own blog that features the latest posts from the 100+ RD bloggers. Maybe you’ll find some new favorites.  Hope  you’ll check it out.

Happy day.

Maybe we’ll finally get rid of all the deceptive Internet ads for acai berry supplements featuring phony endorsements attributed to Oprah and Rachael Ray.   Maybe people will save their money and not put their faith in a tiny purple Brazilian berry.

The Federal Trade Commission announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Central Coast Nutraceuticals, a Phoenix-based company that markets acai berry weight loss supplements and colon cleansers.   The agency announced the lawsuit in Chicago today and a U.S. district court has  ordered a temporary halt on the Internet sales scheme that allegedly scammed consumers out of $30 million or more in 2009 alone through deceptive advertising and unfair billing practices. The FTC will seek a permanent prohibition.

Since 2007, victimized consumers have flooded law enforcement agencies and the Better Business Bureau with more than 2,800 complaints about the company, according to the FTC.  Last year, the Better Business Bureau named fake “free” trial offers – including those for acai supplements offered by the defendants in this case – as one of the “Top 10 Scams and Rip Offs of 2009.”

“Too many ‘free’ offers come with strings attached,” said David Vladeck, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “In this case, the defendants promised buyers a ‘risk free’ trial and then illegally billed their credit cards again and again – and again. We estimate that about a million people have fallen victim to this scam. As if that weren’t enough, there were fake endorsements from celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Rachael Ray for a product that didn’t work in the first place.”

The FTC charged Central Coast Nutraceuticals, Inc. two individuals (Graham D. Gibson and Michael McKenzy)  and four related companies with multiple violations, including deceptively advertising AcaiPure, an acai berry supplement, as a weight-loss product, and Colopure, a colon cleansing supplement, as an aid for preventing cancer.  The companies affiliated with Central Coast Nutraceuticals are iLife Health and Wellness LLC; Simply Naturals LLC; Health and Beauty Solutions LLC and Fit for Life LLC.

The FTC complaint alleges that to sell AcaiPure, the marketers made dramatic claims on their website, including:

“WARNING! AcaiPure Is Fast Weight Loss That Works. It Was Not Created For Those People Who Only Want To Lose A Few Measly Pounds. AcaiPure was created to help you achieve the incredible body you have always wanted …USE WITH CAUTION! Major weight loss in short periods of time may occur.”

In pitching Colopure, the defendants cited frightening statistics about colon cancer, while promising that their product would get rid of consumers’ “excess weight and toxic buildup.”

The marketers also deceived consumers about their purported “free” or “risk free” trial offers, and about the charges and refund terms consumers could expect, according to the FTC’s complaint. The FTC also alleges that the marketers made numerous additional unauthorized charges to consumers’ credit and debit card accounts.

The alleged deceptive practices include:

• Falsely claiming that using AcaiPure could lead to rapid and substantial weight loss. Consumers were told that “[m]ost consumers taking AcaiPure report weight loss anywhere from 10-25 pounds in the first month.”
• Making unproven claims that AcaiPure’s weight-loss claims are backed by “double-blind, placebo-controlled weight loss studies.”
• Deceptively claiming that Colopure could help prevent colon cancer because it would “cleanse your entire system,” “detoxify your organs,” and break down and remove “toxic waste matter which may have been stuck in the folds and wrinkles of your digestive system for years and years.”
• Falsely claiming that celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Rachael Ray have endorsed products marketed by Central Coast Nutraceuticals, Inc. In marketing AcaiPure, the defendants declared on their homepage, “Acai Berry rated #1 SUPERFOOD by Rachael Ray.” A photo of Oprah appeared on the homepage, next to a quote that read in part, “Studies have shown that this little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world!” In fact, in declarations to the FTC, both celebrities denied endorsing AcaiPure.
• Deceptively claiming that the marketers will provide full refunds to all consumers who request them, and that consumers who paid a nominal fee for a “free” trial supply of supplements would incur no risks or obligations. In fact, many consumers found it all but impossible to avoid paying full price for the products, typically $39.95 to $59.95.
• Failing to adequately disclose that consumers would be automatically enrolled in a membership program and charged for additional monthly supplies of a product.
• Failing to adequately disclose that consumers would be automatically charged for items other than the trial product unless they opted out.
• Failing to adequately disclose the terms and conditions of trial programs, membership programs, and additional charges.
• Making numerous unauthorized charges to consumers’ credit and debit card accounts.
• Debiting consumers’ bank accounts on an automatic, recurring basis, without obtaining proper preauthorization. The unauthorized debits violated the FTC Act as well as the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Regulation E, according to the complaint.

NOTE: The Commission files a complaint when it has reason to believe that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendants have actually violated the law.

I’ve been concerned about the aggressive, misleading acai ads for quite some time.  Maybe you remember my previous posts, including Dirty Dealings of a Brazilian Berry. So I was thrilled to see this action today by the FTC.  It’s a drop in the bucket — so many other supplements are making outrageous claims.  But it was a little victory and I’ll take that.

At the recent Institute of Food Technologists meeting in Chicago, Mintel hosted the Global New Products Pavilion and showcased the latest food and beverage trends from around the world.  Mintel’s new product experts, Lynn Dornblaser and David Jago, identified three macro trends and asked attendees to taste and vote on their favorite products in each category.

Here’s a look at the outcome:

1.  Baby Boomers: a generation in search of new products

“With baby boomers comprising 26% of the population, it only makes sense that manufacturers are positioning products just for them,” Dornblaser said. “The trick is to position these products with the needs of baby boomers in mind, without making the consumer feel like they have ailments or are aging.”

Smartfood Popcorn Clusters from the U.S. took first place in the boomer category. While being an indulgent snack, it also touts calcium and fiber.

Tripl3 O Antiox Green Tea with Honey from Colombia came in second.

Kellogg’s All-Bran Buds Singles from Canada took third place.

2.   Satiety: the next big thing in weight management

With rising obesity rates and an increase in chronic ailments, wellness is a trend we’ll be seeing a lot of in the next few years and satiety fits right in.

IFT attendees chose the EcoSlim Dark Chocolate Bars from Portugal as their favorite product for staying fuller longer.

Kellogg’s Special K Sustain Breakfast Cereal from the U.K. came in second.

Barilla Mulino Bianco Grancereale Fiber Biscuits from Italy took third place.

3.  Simple ingredient statements:  clear language for confused consumers

“Natural” and “additive-free” have become part of the consumer’s health and wellness vocabulary, according to Dornblasher.

People are attracted to clean labels and are taking great measures to avoid over-processed foods.

It was a tight race in the simple category. Pepsi Raw Natural Born Cola (U.K.) came in first place with its natural plant extracts and new pack design.

Yoplait Simply Gogurt Portable Lowfat Yogurt from the U.S. came in second place.

Planet Lunch Squeezable Fruit from the U.K. was the third place winner.  The portable fruit in a bag touts 100% natural ingredients.

It was Suzanne Doueihy’s turn to take to the stoves at Tawlet.  This unique cooperative-style restaurant in Beirut not only showcases regional Lebanese cuisine, it honors the cook behind the meal.

At Tawlet (”kitchen table” in Arabic), women from various villages in Lebanon are invited to cook traditional foods from their region. Every day it’s a different cook, a different region, a different meal, a different story.

The restaurant is the brainchild of Kamal Mouzawak, the founder of Lebanon’s first farmer’s market Souk el Tayeb — which supports local farmers, artisan food producers and the culture of sustainable agriculture in Lebanon. The New York Times described Kamal as Lebanon’s answer to Alice Waters.  Kamal told The Daily Star:  ”The idea of the market is to remind shoppers that other fellow human beings are behind the production of the food they eat. If you cannot go to the land anymore, at least you can have a link to the producer … so people are not just buying lettuce, they are buying Abu Rabieh’s lettuce.”

This one-time TV chef, food writer and former board member of the Slow Food movement has become a local food hero in Lebanon and his growing celebrity status was evident by the attention he drew in Tawlet’s charming dining room — which by no accident features communal tables where Muslims and Christians unite over the sharing of a home-inspired meal that was prepared with love.  Kamal’s basic message is to “make food, not war.”    He believes that in a country that’s been divided along ethnic and religious lines for decades of conflict, the common act of shopping and enjoying the same foods begins to erase those invisible barriers.  “Nothing can bring people together as much as the land and food,” he said.

I had read about Tawlet and was eager to experience it myself during our vacation in Lebanon.  I was thrilled to have a chance to sit down with Kamal and enjoy the amazing “producer’s buffet” prepared by Suzanne Doueihy, a Christian Maronite from Zgharta in Ehden, a mountain village in northern Lebanon that we passed through earlier in the week on our way to visit the famous Cedars of Lebanon — a forest of 2,000 year-old trees that have played a vital role in history. Her name and village topped the chalk board menu that outlined the day’s offerings.

One of the dishes that Suzanne prepared was stuffed grape leaves (Warak Trish bi Lahmeh).  She had spent hours rolling these Lebanese delicacies at home prior to the final preparations in the restaurant.

I was fortunate to get a taste from Suzanne just as she was putting the completed dish on the buffet table.

Suzanne’s mountainside village is known for its kibbeh and she prepared two versions, Kibbeh Nayeh (raw) and Kibbeh bi Labneh (with yogurt).  The Kibbeh Nayeh is similar to a pate in texture and steak tartare in flavor.

Suzanne and her husband proudly served the Kibbeh Nayeh to the eager restaurant patrons — adding a drizzle of olive oil, a sprig of fresh mint and a wedge of white onion to the plates.  I was so touched by their immense sense of pride and the obvious joy they felt when sharing their food, telling their stories.  

Kibbeh bi Labneh was something new to me.  This traditional dish of ground lamb was filled with a layer of yogurt and pine nuts.  It was baked in a large bread oven that gets extremely hot to help the top layer of meat get brown and crispy. The individual portions are cut into diagonal shapes.

Lucky for me, the buffet also featured freekeh — an amazing green wheat that’s been picked young in the field and then roasted.  I love the smoky taste of freekeh and I’m convinced that it will be the next big whole grain in the U.S. (see my previous post  Freekeh, The New Quinoa?). Freekeh is sold crushed or whole (bags of the grain were available for purchase at the restaurant, along with other artisan food products). Our dish was made with whole freekeh that had been stewed for hours with meat and carrots.

The buffet also featured savory vegetable pies Fatayer Homayda that were filled with a variety of seasonal greens.  Suzanne’s village is known for folding the dough in this particular way that’s become a signature shape of the region.

I also tried Mujadara, a hearty mountain meal of rice, lentils and caramelized onions.

Nestled among the buffet items was a beautiful combination of lebneh (yogurt) topped with olive oil, white cheese and tomato jam.

And there was a stunning dessert table with Othmaliye, a layered dessert topped with rose petals and crushed pistachios…

And a spiced rice pudding called Meghli, which is traditionally made to serve well wishers after the birth of a child.

The ambitious display of food was aided by Tawlet’s chef Garo who  prepares about half of the items on the day’s menu (typically the salads and other core items).  The featured villager or producer is in charge of the rest — often preparing foods from their own farms. 

Garo also works with the designated cook of the day to plan the menu (which changes daily) and ensures that the home cooks follow strict food safety guidelines.  As you can imagine, there’s a lot of planning  and coordination to pull off this authentic farm-to-table, rural-to-urban dining experience.

Tawlet is not like any Lebanese restaurant you may visit in the states.  This is home-style Lebanese food, not the flagship hummus and tabbouleh that most people know.  This is Teta or grandmother food, it’s rural or village food.  And it’s about  family recipes that are at  risk of being lost in modern-day Lebanon, which is not immune to the popularity of fast food and other Western influences. Kamal is helping to reconnect the Lebanese with their increasingly neglected cultural heritage.  He’s championing authentic “home made” Lebanese dishes and he’s making it trendy.  He’s helping to preserve Lebanese food traditions and honoring the contributions of Tetas every where.  To me, this is the ultimate celebration of the home cook.

Kamal told me Tawlet is much more than a restaurant — it’s a human development project. He’s lifting the image of a farmer as a artisan producer. He’s helping to support small food producers throughout the country and offering new venues for them to make a living (including teaching cooking lessons that are offered at the restaurant in the afternoon).  The rural producers make a significant daily wage for their work and have new opportunities to sell their food to city dwellers.  But beyond the financial rewards, I can tell that they gain so much more.  They’re helping to safeguard Lebanon’s culinary heritage.  They’re proud of the contributions they’re making to the next generation.

What are we doing to preserve culinary traditions in the U.S. ? Yes, we’ve embraced the concept of farmer’s markets (and I even wrote about how farmers are the new celebrity chefs).  But what are we doing to preserve home cooking?  How are we honoring the contributions of American home cooks?   We may not have centuries-old recipes, but what are we doing to keep regional food traditions alive?  Are we losing the art of a home-baked pie?  Are we not passing on our grandmother’s recipes?  Something to think about.

Read about what other people had to say about  Tawlet, which is a must stop if you’re traveling to Lebanon:

Anthony Bourdain
Taste of Beirut
New York Times
My Culinary Journey Through Lebanon

• Most people think of tabbouleh when you mention Lebanese salads.  It’s true, this parsley-bulgur combination is a classic (you can find a recipe in a previous post).  However, fattoush is my favorite. It may be lesser known in the U.S., but this bright-tasting bread salad is standard fare in Lebanon and we’ve enjoyed several different versions during our visit.
•  

• 
• The defining taste of fattoush is from the sumac and pomegranate molasses — a sweet-sour syrup that you can find back home in Middle Eastern markets (or try making your own via Simply Recipes). I see a lot of U.S. recipes for fattoush that don’t include pomegranate molasses, but you won’t achieve the same results without it.  To me, that’s the best part.  The vegetables should be glistening from the molasses and thoroughly spotted with specks of the sumac.
• 
• Sumac is increasingly available in American supermarkets (not sure why it’s not more mainstream).  It’s a wonderful tart spice that comes from a small red berry that grows wild throughout Lebanon.  There are several bushes of sumac on the land surrounding my father-in-law’s house.  I love this spice and I plan to take a big bag back with me to Chicago.  I can find it in the Middle Eastern section of my supermarket (and some spice sections of specialty stores), but it doesn’t compare to buying it here in Lebanon.
• 
• Fattoush is derived from an Arabic word that means “small crumbs.”  Its name describes the bits of toasted pita bread that are tossed throughout the salad that give it the signature  crunch — like a Middle Eastern crouton.
• 
• All of the other ingredients are evenly sliced or diced to resemble an American chopped salad.  The major components include purslane (baqleh in Arabic) – a slightly lemony micro-green that you can find seasonally at farmer’s markets or specialty stores in the U.S. (sometimes referred to as mache).   It provides a tremendous freshness when combined with the romaine lettuce.  If you can’t find it use arugula or watercress instead, or simply stick with the romaine.

The other featured ingredients in fattoush include cucumbers.  In Lebanon, you can find these wonderful small seedless cucumbers that have a soft, tender peeling.  The best substitutes are English seedless cucumbers that are now widely available in U.S. grocery stores,  or small cucumbers that are used to make pickles.

Additional fattoush ingredients include tomatoes, onions, green pepper, radish, fresh parsley and fresh mint.  The sumac is sprinkled over the salad and used in the dressing, which is typically made with lemon juice, olive oil and pomegranate syrup.  In some regions of Lebanon, the fattoush dressing is made with red vinegar instead of lemon juice, or a combination of lemon juice and red vinegar — along with the olive oil and pomegranate syrup.

Salad ingredients

1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces or coarsely chopped
1 cup purslane (or arugula)
1 large or 2 small cucumbers, halved lengthwise and chopped (peeled, if desired)
2 large tomatoes, diced (or cherry tomatoes can be used)
4 green onions, chopped (or 1/2 cup thinly sliced red or yellow onion)
1/2 green pepper, seeded and thinly sliced or chopped
3 small radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon sumac

2 pita breads, split, toasted or fried and torn into bite-size pieces

• Dressing
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice from 2 lemons
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (or to taste)
  2 teaspoons sumac
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Combine all salad ingredients except the bread into a large bowl.  When you’re ready to serve, whisk the dressing ingredients together and toss the salad.  (However, most people in Lebanon will likely squeeze the lemon directly on the dressing and then add the additional ingredients.)  Mix in the toasted or fried bread (which can be drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sumac when toasting in the oven).

Below is a version of fattoush we enjoyed in a restaurant in Byblos.  It arrived with the all the fried bread arranged on top that we broke up into smaller pieces and tossed.  Certainly it’s healthier to toast the bread instead of fry, but this fried bread with a drizzle of pomegranate syrup on top was amazing!

Look who else is making fattoush:

Kalyn’s Kitchen
Taste of Beirut
Food & Wine
Tony Tahhan
Hommos & Tabbouli

We went back in time when we set out to visit the historic section of Tripoli — Lebanon’s second largest city.  My husband’s cousin Lina took us to an old neighborhood in Tripoli to experience a traditional Lebanese breakfast.

It was a small restaurant, with an arched stone ceiling that held elaborate chandeliers.  No menus, everyone  just knew what they offered.

Our classic Lebanese breakfast was a celebration of beans — chickpeas and fava beans, served simply with bread, fresh mint leaves, onion, tomatoes, romaine leaves, and a big pile of cumin (along with quite a bit of olive oil).

The bowls kept coming, starting with fattee (pronounced fuh tea), a warm garlicky yogurt mixture that was studded with chickpeas, toasted bread and pine nuts.  This dish in Lebanon is also a main course served with meat on top, but this was a vegetarian version for breakfast.

Next was the balila, a chickpea dish similar to hummus but without the tahini.

Next was the foul moudammas, dried fava beans in oil that was topped with a creamy tahini sauce. Click here for a recipe for foul (pronounced fool) from Tripoli.  I often use canned beans at home, you can’t beat the convenience.  But I don’t think I could match the character of these dishes unless I started with dried beans.  There’s no comparison.  So I will definitely be buying dried chickpeas and fava beans when I try these recipes at home (and I think I’ll use a little less olive oil!)

Then the most perfect basket of falafel was brought to our table.  The orbs were crunchy, yet moist and the insides were shaded green due to the amble amount of coriander used.

After our breakfast, we roamed the streets of this historic area before visiting a friend of Lina’s who was restoring an old home in the area.  We saw a man selling freshly squeezed carrot juice on the street.  I loved the elaborate stand that held his juice-making materials and the outdoor fan that kept him cool.

We passed by a store selling olives.

And two boys selling cactus fruit (or prickly pear) in a baby stroller.

The next stop was Hallab & Sons The Palace of Sweets, one of the largest stores specializing in traditional oriental sweets.  It’s supposedly the best spot for sweets in all of Lebanon and is one of Tripoli’s most renowned tourist sites.  People from around the world come here to experience the baklawa and other sweets.

Baklawa pistachio

This might have been the best dessert I’ve ever eaten.  It’s called Othmaliye, a traditional Middle Eastern dessert that’s made with two layers of deep-fried Kunafa dough filled with sweet cream flavored with orange blossom water.  Think of it as a Lebanese tiramisu.  The layered dessert was topped with rose petals and we drizzled it with sugar syrup at the table.  I hear it’s particularly popular during Ramadan.

I’ve seen the pre-prepared dough at Middle Eastern markets in the U.S., so it’s something I’d like to try at home.  Here are a few recipes for Othmaliye I found online:
Lifestyle Food
Arabic Food Recipes
Nestle

Stay tuned for more of my food adventures in Lebanon.

Greetings from Lebanon.

I’m here for the next few weeks, so expect to hear a lot about my food adventures.  If you’re  a regular visitor, then you know about my Lebanese connection.  My husband is originally from Lebanon and I’ve frequently written about my love of Lebanese food, including Ode to the Chickpea and Authentic Lebanese Tabbouleh.  I think it’s one of the healthiest cuisines in the world.

We had a fabulous first day here, enjoying a leisurely lunch with relatives at a restaurant in Amchit — a seaside town outside of Beirut that’s near my father-in-law’s house (and it happens to be the town of the current Lebanese president).

The restaurant we visited is called Mhanna Sur Mer and it sits elegantly on the side of a large clift on the Mediterranean.  We took a elevator down to the dining area that looks out over the water with spectacular views of rock formations.

Before I knew it, our table was filled with mezze:  an artful combination of hot and cold appetizers that included many of the Lebanese favorites that I’m sure you know, along with some foods that were new to me.  I actually learned a lot during our lunch.

Piles of warm, puffed up pita breads were delivered to the table that we dipped in smoky baba ghannouj (Moutabal) and creamy hummus garnished with whole chickpeas.

But the mezze included much more than these familiar dips. And our meal taught me a lot about the Lebanese culture.

That’s where the new lessons come in.  For starters, I learned that centuries old techniques have shaped the cuisine in Lebanon.

Mouneh is the celebrated tradition of preserving food in the winter.  In the mountain villages of Lebanon, most of the year’s labor was dedicated to the mouneh. Many years ago during the winter snows, the villagers would be cut off from the rest of the world without grocery stores or refrigerators. So the women in the villages would preserve food to last all winter.

Pickled vegetables are very popular in Lebanon and the origins are linked to the days of mouneh when the villagers would store vegetables in brine to prevent them from rotting during the winter months.  Our mezze included a pickled vegetable platter that featured cauliflower that was pickled in beet juice (a technique commonly used with turnip for lift), cabbage, broccoli, carrots, cucumber and ginger.

Chanklich or Shankleesh is another common dish of mouneh.  This is a unique fermented cheese made from cow’s or sheep’s milk yogurt (labneh).  For centuries, the Lebanese would pour yogurt into cloth bags and hang it so the water would drain from it.  This white cheese is then salted and rolled into balls.  They are sundried and sealed inside clay molds.  This would allow perishable dairy products to last in the winter without refrigeration.  After fermentation the cheese balls are covered in mold — somewhat like the original probiotic food.  The mold-ripened cheese is then rolled in dried thyme (zaatar).

Our Shankleesh arrived as a tennis-ball size lump served with finely chopped tomato, onion, green pepper and radish. The waiters tossed the mixture at the table and we ate the cheese-vegetable combination with bread.  Click here for a recipe for Shankleesh.

Lesson #2:  Vegetables have a starring role in Lebanese cuisine.  As Americans, we often start our meal with a single salad drenched in creamy dressing.  The Lebanese enjoy an array of salads as a first course that are made with some of the most nutritious greens you can eat.

We ate tabbouleh with parsley, sauteed chickory with carmelized onions, fresh rocca salad (similar to arugula) with beets and fattoush, one of my favorite Lebanese salads.

Then a plate of fried sardines arrived (Bezreh fish).  They were beautifully prepared and served at the table nestled between crispy bread and topped with a half of fresh lemon.  I was really proud that my daughter tried the sardines, even though her brother couldn’t quite do it.

Lesson #3:  Meat is enjoyed in small portions.You won’t see a big slab of meat dominating the plate.  Our mixed grill of chicken and lamb kebabs and lamb kafta was almost an afterthought once everyone enjoyed the vegetable-packed mezze.

Lesson #4: Why is fruit so over-looked in America? We just don’t seem to embrace fruit the same way as the Lebanese.  Our meal ended with a beautiful array of fresh fruits, which is the most popular dessert in Lebanon.  Wouldn’t it be great if that caught on in the U.S.?

Ok, so maybe we don’t have 3 hours for lunch. But it was the perfect reminder of how special it is to share a good meal with family and friends.

What’s the latest thing in food?  One of the best ways to find out what’s hot is to browse the aisles of the Fancy Food Show.  Organized by the National Association of the Specialty Food Trade, it’s the largest marketplace for specialty foods and beverages in the U.S.  I didn’t make it to New York last month to attend the 56th Summer Fancy Food Show, but here’s a look at what other trendspotters found: 

• Flavored vinegars –  Hibiscus, Walnut Champagne, Peach Balsamic, Lime Rice, Apple Ice Wine Vinegar and Ginger
• Indian products – Unexpected creations: Curry Ketchup, Cashews & Cream Cooking Sauce, Tandoori Chicken Naanwich, and Tikka Masala Marinara
• Grains, nuts and seeds– Sweet and savory items make up this category with Flax Seed Crackers, Oat and Corn Cakes, Pumpkin Palooza Nut Confections, Lentil Chips and Sunny Seed Drops (chocolate covered sunflower seeds, the new M& M’s?)
• Squash, pumpkin and sweet potato – These fall favorites are showcased in Pumpkin Salsa, Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce, Sweet Potato Butter, Butternut Squash Tart, and Sweet Potato Chocolate
• Handcrafted local heritage foods– Soups, pickles and sweets including Linekin Bay Lobster Corn Chowder, Brooklyn Pickles, Wild West Steak Rub and Sticky Toffee Pudding offer fresh takes on classics 
• Figs-  Including a Cabernet wine and fig preserve
• Healthier chips – Including Beanitos (bean-based chips)
• Flavored teas – Hibiscus Key Lime, Blackcurrant Cardamon, Turmeric 
• Specialty honeys- Chestnut, lime, pine and raspberry; eco-friendly honey
• Ginger — Including upscale ginger ales, ginger energy tonic,  ginger vinegar and chocolate infused with ginger root
• Exotic ketchups – Mild Indian Curry, Peppery Moroccan and Sweet Orange Chile
• Food kits - Do-it-yourself kits for churros, funnel cakes, soft pretzels, chewing gum and home pickling kits
• Chocolate -   Dagoba Chai hot chocolate is the first ever organic chai drinking chocolate.  The drink combines the flavors of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and peppercorn.  Hot chocolate sticks from Choc-o-lait are wooden sticks with 100 percent Belgian chocolate that melt in a cup of hot milk.  Skinny Bars from Tom & Sally’s.  These organic chocolate bars are not lower in calories compared to other chocolate.  They’re just called “skinny” because the bar is thin. Not too confusing, huh?  Unfortunately, people think “organic” means lower in calories, according to research conducted by Brian Wansink.  The bars contain 200 calories and feature trendy ingredients, (including acai berry and ginger) that adds to their health halo. 

Read more about the Summer Fancy Food Show:

Foodspring 
Epicurious 
Good Morning America 
NBC New York (slide show)
Friends Eat 
Chefdruck Musings