Simply Roots: Chef Joe Barza

Welcome to my Blog! Ahlan wa sahlan!

I have been roaming through Lebanon for years documenting the food I eat, the people I meet, and the adventures I live through on a vast culinary journey. Traveling remains one of my favorite things to do in life. I often travel to delve into the food cultures of other countries too, which define clearly their culture and heritage. I am always equipped with a notepad and a camera to transmit all the feelings and joy (sometimes the sorrow). I write cookbooks to document our Lebanese culinary heritage and work as an activist to give a voice to those less fortunate through food stories and photography.

Forever Beirut: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Lebanon

Man'oushe : Inside the Street Corner Lebanese Bakery

Winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Award. “Despite the dislocation caused by its civil war and the continuing conflict with its neighbor to the south, Israel, Lebanon has managed to nurture its justly admired culinary traditions. Among these institutions are the city’s bakeries, each unique to its neighborhood and serving deliciously fragrant breads and pastries. Massaad’s book celebrates these bakeries and teaches how to replicate their products in a contemporary American kitchen. Specifically, man’oushé refers to breakfast bread, a disc of flat bread perfumed with sesame and wild thyme. Working from just several basic yeast doughs, Massaad shows how to form and bake a host of Lebanese breads and meat pies. A reasonably adept home baker will find Massaad’s recipes easy to follow, and thanks to the Internet, assembling ingredients is not a burdensome challenge. The book’s full-color photographs bring into focus not just the foods but also the lively characters who constitute a remarkably diverse nation. Especially useful for libraries with significant Middle Eastern immigrant populations.” —Booklist

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