....or as we Lebanese say; Ahla w Sehla! 🙂
Here you'll find recipes collected from my Lebanese Mama, some regional classics and some secret family recipes.
My Teta (grandmother) was a legendary cook from Lebanon who could rustle up a feast out of nothing. My mother too is known for her many signature dishes and is always inventing and refining recipes she comes across.
I only started cooking until I moved out of home about ten years ago. Me and my five sisters would call up mum and spend hours on the phone as she would guide us through various recipes.
Over the years we started to write them down, experiment, perfect them, occasionally demolish them, harness them, and now the time has come to share them.
Zaatar and Zaytoun is not a home cooking blog for the faint hearted. Nothing is done by halves in our kitchen; there are standards to be maintained, there are food goals to be met.
None of this shoddy sloppy cutting corners for no good reason business. At the same time simplicity is key, unnecessary fussiness should be avoided at all costs, and Microwaves are most definitely Evil 😂.
Most of the recipes involve slow cooking, some are extremely long and complicated but as with any craft if you master the basics then you can hope to achieve stunning results.
Ultimately this blog is a celebration of home cooking; where the best food memories are made. I am always learning and improving and welcome your ideas and suggestions. On that note, make sure you follow us on Instagram, FB and Pinterest! 🙂
Always cook with generosity, patience and love, and if in doubt, squeeze a little lemon.
Z & Z