Sabah el Nour

I'm not much of a morning person. I've never cared about eating breakfast or conversing as soon as I wake up, but seat me at a table full of people for a Lebanese breakfast and the storyteller in me awakens. As the first greeting of the day in Arabic, sabah el nour, suggests, it is a morning full of light.

I want to take you on a journey through Lebanon one bite at a time, which is ideal since an authentic Lebanese breakfast is best enjoyed when shared tapas-style. Now close your eyes and imagine the morning light shining through the window, a basket of fresh pita bread, a bowl of preserved labneh, some warm kishik soup, a plate of perfectly seasoned ful medames and a plethora of fresh herbs and vegetables laid out for you to enjoy. A smear of labneh on pita topped with an olive and mint leaf will take you on a drive along the coast of Beirut, but pair it with a bite of awarma and eggs, and you’re all of a sudden in a village in Mount Lebanon. Take a spoonful of warm kishik soup and you’re cruising through the Bekaa valley. Finally, you end your trip in my mother’s kitchen, welcomed by a relaxing and comforting bowl of her floral specialty, “haririyeh.”

So all that to say, a Lebanese breakfast spread is a feast and an adventure with which you can experiment to the beat of your own darbuka.