Discover a hidden corner of Lebanon and the ancient story behind a dish that once saved lives. In this video, I visit Tawlet Bakish in Qanat Bakish, between the Keserwan and Meten Mountain ranges, to cook and taste Kibbet Laa’tin (pumpkin kibbeh), a meatless kibbeh created under Roman rule to help some of the world’s first, early Christians hide their faith.
Alongside a local cook from Souk el Tayeb’s farmer’s kitchen, I explore regional food heritage, share my own Zgharta upbringing with traditional kibbeh variations, and dive into the farm-to-table movement reshaping Lebanese cuisine today.
Learn about:
– Qanat Bakish and the mountain village setting
– Souk el Tayeb’s mission and Tawlet Bakish’s farm-to-table concept
– The legend of pumpkin kibbeh (Kibbet Laa’tin) and Roman-era Christian persecution
– My Zgharta kibbeh traditions and related survival dishes (Kebbet Raheb, 2raysa)
– Step-by-step cooking process with a local Tawlet cook
-The communal buffet: Exploring home-cooked Lebanese mezza and local favourites such as Warak Arish (Stuffed Vineleaves), Fwerigh (stuffed lamb intestines), Kebab, Tawouk & traditional desserts
– Reflections on how food, faith, and architecture (stone/cave churches) connect Lebanon’s past and present
If you love Lebanese food, the Middle East, or cultural history, this farm-to-table cooking experience reveals the layers of meaning behind every bite.
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Filming Location & Credits:
I filmed everything myself at Tawlet Bakish by Souk el Tayeb in Qanat Bakish, Keserwan, Lebanon. Special thanks to the local cooks and community members for sharing recipes and stories.
kibi Kibi Kiban Ross but what about pumpkin kib this vegetarian dish was literally invented to save lives today I’m taking you to Ket Bakish this high alitude town is located between Kisadwan and the Mutton in the Mount Lebanon region made of mesmerizing views and mountains of faith this is Tet Bakkesh a mountaintop farmer’s kitchen run by S where traditional food isn’t just preserved it’s practiced on arrival we were greeted with a traditional Lebanese breakfast lebanese coffee and fresh juices i had the classic Lebanese breakfast manish a thin pastry cooked on a domed metal s topped with cheese zat and kishik all while soaking in the nature around us and easing into the calm before the day began today we’re going to be enjoying the full tolet bakish experience while also learning how to make a kissed traditional favorite pumpkin kibbe i had the honor to personally meet today’s chef Lauren before we started our cooking class she shared with me the amazing story behind pumpkin kibby and how it was invented but before I share that story with you I wanted to speak to Laura and let her tell us a little bit about to be and the concept that is changing Lebanese hospitality and you really do feel like you are in a family environment with the beautiful women and people serving cooking smiling and sharing their stories with you and what a beautiful experience to be out in nature sharing a traditional Lebanese home-cooked meal while supporting an initiative that uplifts local talented home cooks who might not have had the platform to share their craft otherwise whilst learning about the initiative was super interesting the thing that stuck in my mind was the story behind Pumpkin Kid that I never knew until today the story behind Pumpkin Kibit is very similar to the reason why Lebanon has so many stone and cave churches early Christians in Lebanon some of the first Christian communities in the world had to hide their faith from multiple invasions and civilizations in particular under the Roman Empire soldiers would raid homes to see who was abstaining from eating meat during Lent this was how Roman soldiers identified Christians and persecuted them so a decoy was made that looked smelt and even tasted like meat this is the same reason why so many of Lebanon’s churches are built into caves and mountains so that they could practice their faith without being seen by invading civilizations while pumpkin kibi is believed to have been founded in Cassidan throughout the country there are different types of vegetarian kibby that are often eaten throughout Lent and on Good Friday i think sometimes we forget how much of our culture is embedded in thousands of years of history it’s so important to know these stories so that we can pass them on to future generations and so today I’m going to be making pumpkin kibbe with Chef L for the first time in my life foreign speech foreign okay okay to be honest I got the hang of it pretty quickly i used to watch my grandmother when I was a child as she’d make meat kib but I had never really tried it before actually mine was so good everyone thought that I was cheating and that I was a proper chef i was pretty proud of my efforts but Harley was doing okay too i did think his needed to be a little bit bigger oh I used to watch my grandmother i used to watch her yes i’m looking for this weird looking seriously yeah well shaped this is Ali’s look at mine i’m used to making uh kibir with my grandmother i used to watch her make kibir but never with pumpkin this is my first time making it with pumpkin so I’m looking forward to trying these uh after they fry them and see how they taste and obviously we’re going to enjoy the rest of the buffet by Tolet Pakisha as well she says they’re good but they’re squashed oh look at that mercy okay let’s see let’s have a look so this is the ultimate taste test we’ve just fried them and made them ourselves now as you know I’m from the north ina we’re famous for the which is the meat version with fat in the side is from which type of kib you eat mostly in the Okay no yeah well I’m gonna try now so Ali says it’s really good so I’m just going to I want to look at that it’s really crispy on the outside you actually almost think it’s meat on the inside you can see it’s got I think spinach it’s spinach yes spinach and hummus it’s delicious isn’t it actually it it tastes like I’m eating meat now I can understand how they were able to fool them back in the old days into thinking they were eating meat because even if you tasted it and you didn’t know it was pumpkin you you could think you’re eating meat m yeah delicious now the kibi was just the starter in true Lebanese form it was now time to try the buffet they had everything from cold mea fa there was a fried station making fal and fried zatar i had never tried fried zata before but there were many familiar favorites such as kibi with laban kafta guanib and even ferik a traditional dish made from stuffed intestines and the best part about it it’s all completely homemade purely by the locals which is a great way to try local specialties this isn’t just a buffet this is a culinary road trip back in history without even leaving the mountains i chose chose okay now we have to try the kibay to see if it’s better than my mom’s okay let’s see it’s pretty good i’m not going to say it’s better than my mom’s but it’s good and here we got kibla that’s really good almost as good as the pumpkin kibi we made earlier and what an is my favorite it’s like homemade i guess everything here is homemade so it really does taste like you’re eating it at home as if your grandmother your mother your auntie as someone’s made it for you so if you haven’t tried it make sure you do and of course we needed something to wash that down with what better choice than Lebanon’s national drink i think I am drinking it too fast it’s so smooth i’m drinking it like like water there’s nothing like homegrown Lebanese produce and homemade Lebanese products and especially And it certainly didn’t stop there dessert was also made to impress with chocolate crepes kit arishi fresh fruits and local delicacies here we are in front of the dessert buffet and you know this experience really feels more like a family lunch or a village wedding there’s no one serving you but instead it feels like everyone’s inviting you to experience the culture and the home-cooked food and the really traditional beautiful Lebanese mountain experience if you want to understand Lebanon don’t watch the headlines come here eat here listen to the beautiful sound of nature and don’t forget to subscribe as I take you on more beautiful journeys across the country