Beirut Local Custom Tips by miso80

All of us! For our Country, for our Flag and Glory!

Our valor and our writings are the envy of the ages.

Our mountains and our valleys, they bring forth stalwart men.

And to Perfection all our efforts we devote.

All of us! For our Country, for our Flag and Glory!

Our Elders and our children, they await our Country's call,

And on the Day of Crisis they are as Lions of the Jungle.

The heart of our East is ever Lebanon,

May God preserve her until end of time?

All of us! For our Country, for our Flag and Glory!

The Gems of the East are her land and sea.

Throughout the world her good deeds flow from pole to pole.

And her name is her glory since time began.

Immortality's Symbol--the Cedar--is her Pride.

All of us! For our Country, for our Flag and Glory!

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The Lebanese currency is the Lebanese Pound (LBP) or as it is called in arabic the 'Lira'.
Both the LBP and the US dollar are used interchangeably in Lebanon, and the value of
1 USD is equivalent to 1500 LBP

If you do go to have a currency exchange you may realise that there may be a very slight difference to this - 1 USD may be 1507 LBP..but the difference is very slight in general.

Just to give you the value of LBP, some common examples would be:
500 ml of water = 500 LBP = 33 cents
Can of pepsi = 750 or 1000 LBP = 45-66 cents

We have bank notes for the values of: 1000, 5000, 10000, 20000, 50000, 100000 LBP.
There are also coins for: 50 LBP and 100 LBP (which you will always lose and no one will ever want to accept ;-) ) and there are 250 and 500 LBP coins which will come in handy, and are accepted :)

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There are so many different names for this unique smoking device. Some call it a argileh, nargileh, hookah, water-pipe, shisha, etc. The Argileh (NARGILE as it is known in the Middle East) has been the standard of smoking for centuries in the middle east and originated in Turkey over 500 years ago. HUBBLY BUBBLY smoking is quite common at restaurants and cafes all across the middle east.

This unique smoking experience is rapidly growing in popularity all over the world. Many people love the smooth, flavorful, and cool taste of the smoke. The Shisha) pipes filter the flavored smoke with cool water making each puff oh so sweet!!

Tobacco mixed with fruit molasses and honey is used when smoking out of a shisha. Other names for this include: tabac, tombak, tumbak, gouza, guza, moassel etc. Specifically, the tobacco is a grounded up mixture of dried fruit pulp, flavored molasses, and fresh tobacco leaves. My personal favourite is called 'Two Applies', and is made up of the dried pulp of red and green apples. The tobacco comes in a variety of flavors including apple, apricot, strawberry, mixed fruit, mint, cherry, grape, and the list just goes on and on.

Nargileh's are usually lavishly decorated and can make for a great conversation piece in your home. And it makes for a delightful experience.

Although all smoking is bad for your health, and you should avoid becoming addicted to it but I think it should be an interesting experience to try one :o)

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Zaatar (Thyme & sesame seeds), Gibnee (Cheese - Halloumi or Mozarella), Vegetables or a mix...The manouche, mankouche or manqouche is the Lebanese pizza!!

The dough is made up of flour, yeast, sugar..and it can be topped with:
- thym, sesame seeds and olive oil
- Cheese (according to choice)
- Cocktail (which is usually a mix of cheese & zaatar (half of the rounded piece of dough has cheese, the other has zaatar, when it is folded in half, you get a taste of both!
- Vegetables (this is less common)
- Kishek ( a form of dried yoghurt that is mixed with onions and other ingredients) ..i know it sounds weird, but some people simply LOVE it..and there are others who don't..so ;)
- meat (but this has a different name..it is called lahm bi ajeen = meat and bread.

Although the ingredients are quite simple..believe me the taste is delicious!! I have so many non-lebanese friends who have fallen in love with it, that they've tried to find bakeries in their countries that make it..and others who've tried to make it at home. BUT..believe me, if you're in lebanon, try it..and you're realise, not everyone can make it the same way ;)

See my Restaurant tip on Faysal's and Pizza Hiba

I've listed a website below that has recipes for manoushes and pictures of different manoushes so you can have a clearer idea of what it is, and how its made!

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Website: http://www.mankoushe.com/index.html