Lebanon through ice cream
Before visiting Lebanon, I admit to having heard some rumours about how delicious the ice cream (gelato/glace) in the country was.
Beirut
My first stop was a savoury one: labneh☼, served the traditional way, with olive oil. I’ve tasted great savoury gelato, but this one was exquisite! Fine, with character, and filling!
Beirut
It was my most anticipated stop. I had ‘a little bit from everything’. While the chocolate, milk, and lemon flavours are extraordinary, the pistachio and apricot flavours are unbelievable. I’ve been running from the much-too-used and artificial flavour of strawberries in desserts for over a decade. However, this one tasted like real strawberries**, it fascinated me and it was one of my biggest wows in Lebanon.
Byblos
I reached it by chance. And what a surprise it was! Impromptuishly, I chose rose and ashta. I couldn’t have been more inspired. The rose* ice cream was one of the most flavourful I have ever had. Ashta came shyly but strongly to complete it. What a night!
Ghazir
As unexpected as this sweet stop was, it was worth it! My first avocado*** ice cream was stupendous; I couldn’t get enough of it [the avocados I tasted in Lebanon were the best I’ve had]. I paired it with coconut ice cream, which was full, rich, and flavourful.
Now I know that the rumours were not only true, but understatements. Lebanon has some of the most wonderful ice creams in the world. They’re different from what I’ve tasted so far.
Not even the stores/parlours – through their white environment and simplicity – will tell you of the treasures that can be found in those refrigerator cases.
All of the above flavours are unforgettable to me. Those I’ll be dreaming about are *, **, and ***. And the special mention is ☼.
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