If you are wanting to eat as the Lebanese do, you’ll probably need to take a shopping trip.  Lebanon is notorious for being delicious and healthy.  Their diet consists of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish and seafood, poultry over red meat, and lots of olive oil and garlic.

You may have experienced dinner at a Lebanese bakery or had manakeesh catering at an event.  There is nothing quite like the unique flavors that you get with each bite of Levantine-style cooking.

Ready to get your manakeesh menu started?  Here are 4 foods you’ll definitely want to include on your Lebanese grocery list.

Lamb or Goat

If you are one who loves meat, lamb is definitely the meat of choice in Levantine-style eating.  Goat meat is used a lot too.  Include one or the other, lamb or goat, on your manakeesh menu shopping list to ensure your red meat craving is in keeping with the Lebanese diet.

Spice it Up

You’ll want to use Lebanese spices in your dishes.  You can get them pre-combined in an all-around, all-purpose Lebanese spice blend, or you can collect them individually.  Za’ atar is a favorite.  Paprika, coriander, clove, cinnamon, cardamom tog, nutmeg, cumin, and black pepper or among the most widely used spices for Lebanese bakery items and other manakeesh menu dishes as well.

Goat Cheese

If you’ve indulged at the goodies in a Lebanese bakery, you have most likely experienced goat cheese.  Light and creamy, goat cheese used on many Lebanese dishes, like manakeesh pizza, and even on breakfast foods.  A nice brand of authentic goat cheese is a must when eating a manakeesh menu diet.

Chickpeas

Chickpeas are a staple of Levantine-style cooking.  They can be used as a side dish or can serve as a protein to use in a manakeesh menu rather than meat.  Chickpeas are chalked full of manaeesh values such as being healthy, hearty, and promoting happiness within the taste buds.  They not only have plenty of protein packed into them, chickpeas contain folate, manganese, iron, potassium, zinc, and copper.  You’ll find chickpea stew, Lebanese foul moudammas with chickpeas, and many other manakish meals.

In addition to the above shopping items for your Lebanese food shopping list, you’ll want to make sure you have plenty of garlic and olive oil on hand.  The savory dishes are loaded in both garlic and olive oil or garlic and top-quality butter.

You can even find Lebanese food sold in other places besides the grocery store, like Lebanon bakeries and small ethnic shops.

With these top 4 shopping items, you’ll be able to get a good start on your Lebanese cooking.  But why stop at just four when you might as well go all out and load up?  After all, Lebanese food… ouf shu taybe (it tastes good!).