Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Update on Horeca - 1st Day

Lots of energy yesterday at Horeca. I was delighted to meet Miles Irving, English forager who sells edible plants and herbs to restaurants in England. He came to discover the rich forage we have in Lebanon. According to a source, university professor at USEK Marc Berouth, there are over 400 edible plants and herbs in Lebanon and only about 40 species are being used. I think that is amazing! I think a book on the subject is so important. Miles himself has written a book on foraging, based on English plants. The book also depicts interesting recipes from famous chefs in his country. Why can't we do the same? I am going to try to find a way of getting this done, somehow! I will need the help of specialists, it will happen... A special thanks to Souk el Tayeb producers Rima Massoud and Georgina Bayeh, they made us dishes using wild Lebanese edible plants. Their presence made it all the more special.

The second part of the event yesterday was with special guest, owner of Sultan Brahim Tony Rami and his team. It was amazing, hummus and chickpeas in all forms. I will write a post about this subject later when I have the video to show how each one is made. I was very impressed with his hummus made with filet of fish conserved in fat like awarma. Very innovative. Also, as you know, I am a huge fan of red pepper paste! Another variety I tasted was with a sauce poured on the hummus made with red pepper paste. A chef from Akkar invented the hummus "Akkarieh" with chopped pickled turnips, tomatoes, and parsley. Extraordinary! There is a lot to do with this team, I will do it! I'm very grateful for their enthusiasm and generosity. Good things ahead.

During the fair I got two marriage proposals too and one of my books was stolen, sad and disgusting! An old man screamed at me to give him hummus with a spoon.... I'm learning a lot about people every day. Mostly I am grateful to all my fans who came up to me, took photographs, and asked about my TV segment and my future shows. Don't worry I won't let you down. There are so many adventures ahead. I'm really excited!

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