Beirut, Lebanon

Lebanon

Beirut sits at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, a city of 2 million people pressed between the sea and the Lebanon Mountains. Its food culture draws from centuries of trade: Phoenician, Ottoman, French Mandate, and a Lebanese Christian tradition that kept wine and pork on the table through eras when neighboring regions did not. The mezze format — dozens of small dishes eaten communally — emerged here and spread outward. Butchers in Beirut's older neighborhoods still make makanek, kibbeh, and kofta from scratch, each shop with its own spice ratios guarded like a family secret. The city's street food culture runs 24 hours in certain districts, with sandwich shops and falafel counters that have operated continuously since the 1970s.

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Sausages from Beirut, Lebanon

Makanek

Beirut, Lebanon

Makanek are small Lebanese spiced sausages, stuffed into sheep casings and twisted into finger-length links of about 5 to 7 centimetres each. The meat is ground beef and lamb combined, with lamb tail fat or beef suet providing the 20 to 30 percent fat content that the recipe requires. The spice blend runs warm rather than hot: coriander, paprika, black and white pepper, nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon, sharpened with a splash of red vinegar. Pine nuts go in whole, not ground, so each sausage carries occasional pockets of sweetness. Makanek arrive at the table pan-fried, still sizzling, glazed with pomegranate molasses in a small copper or earthenware bowl. They are mezze food: eaten with Lebanese flatbread, alongside labneh, olives, and tomatoes.

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