Podcast Summary: "A Journey Through Lebanese Cuisine with Anissa Helou"

Podcast: All Of It
Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guest: Anissa Helou, cookbook author
Date: March 9, 2026
Episode Focus: A deep dive into Lebanese culinary traditions, regional food culture, and personal stories with Anissa Helou, celebrating her new cookbook, Lebanon Cooking: The Foods of My Homeland.

Episode Overview

In this episode, Alison Stewart speaks with acclaimed food writer and James Beard Award-winning author Anissa Helou about her latest cookbook documenting Lebanon’s diverse cuisine. Drawing from a two-year culinary journey across Lebanon, Helou shares the nuances of regional dishes, explores the impact of history and religion on food, and recounts personal memories of communal meals and family traditions. The conversation offers listeners an intimate guide to Lebanese food culture beyond familiar staples, highlighting both the country’s complexities and its shared culinary spirit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal & National Context (01:33–03:13)

• Family’s Well-being in Unrest: Anissa notes that while her family is mostly safe, many friends and collaborators in southern Lebanon face uncertainty due to the current unrest.
• Quote:
  "I have very little family left, but lots of friends. And for the time being, they're okay. But many of the people I worked with or met for the book are not okay because they're in the south." — Anissa Helou (02:47)

2. Culinary Journey Across Lebanon (03:13–05:52)

• Research Travels: Over two years, Helou and photographer Dalia Hamisi traveled every few months, crisscrossing Lebanon’s coastal, mountainous, and rural regions, discovering new dishes and traditions—even as a Beirut native.
• Surprising Discoveries: Helou was struck by the modern development of villages post-civil war and by the variety of bulgar wheat dishes.
• Quote:
  "Many, many places and dishes and people were kind of a revelation for me." — Anissa Helou (04:28)

3. Geography, Culture, and Religious Diversity (05:52–08:36)

• Geography’s Subtle Role: While the country's climate doesn’t vary much, regional food differences stem more from religious communities than geography.
  • Shia Muslims (south), Sunni Muslims (north), and Christian enclaves each have unique dishes and dietary customs.
• Historical Influences: Centuries of invasions (Roman, Ottoman, French) have layered Lebanese cuisine with external influences, especially outside the autonomous mountain regions.
• Quote:
  "It's within the communities that there is variety rather than in the geography." — Anissa Helou (06:32) "Over centuries and centuries, you have its layers and layers of history." — Anissa Helou (07:44)

4. Communal Kitchens & Gendered Traditions (08:36–10:14)

• Communal Kitchens: Originated with NGO support to empower women; now serve as cooperative spaces for making preserves and traditional staples (“muni”) with professional equipment, preserving traditional skills and fostering community.
• Memorable Vignette:
  "I spent a day in one of those kitchens ... it was just wonderful ... an extraordinary sort of atmosphere." — Anissa Helou (09:24)

5. Core Dishes & Regional Variations

• Hummus (10:14–11:25)

  • National staple garnished with olive oil, chickpeas, parsley, paprika.
  • In the north: uses walnuts, hot ghee, no garlic, creating a distinct taste.
  • Quote:
    "In the north, they would use toasted walnuts and hot ghee ... also they don't use garlic up in the north." — Anissa Helou (10:57)

• Making Hummus—Dried vs. Cooked Chickpeas (11:25–12:13)

  • Helou prefers high-quality, pre-cooked chickpeas for ease and taste.
  • Quote:
    "There is no point in me boiling chickpeas ... I can buy them in beautiful jars ... just preserved in salted water." — Anissa Helou (11:35)

• Kibbeh (12:13–13:24)

  • Lebanon's national dish: minced meat, bulgar, spices, served as pies, balls, or in sauces.
  • Many vegetarian variations (pumpkin, flour-based).
  • Quote:
    "There are so many variations that I could have really written a book only about kibbeh all by itself." — Anissa Helou (12:56)

• Sunday Barbecue Traditions (13:24–14:31)

  • Family grilling sessions with unique local specialties and sometimes wild birds (now endangered).

• Cooking with Yogurt Sauces (14:31–15:19)

  • Technique: Always stabilize yogurt (with egg or cornstarch) and avoid hard boiling.
  • Tip:
    "You have to stabilize the yogurt. It's absolutely essential ... I like to do it with egg because I find that the texture is finer." — Anissa Helou (14:41)

• Historic Dumplings—Shish Barak (15:19–16:20)

  • Tiny meat dumplings in yogurt sauce, origins traced to a 15th-century cookbook, with evolving methods (boiled, baked, directly in sauce).
  • Quote:
    "Shish Barak ... they're very, very tiny ... and some people boil them before adding to the yogurt sauce. Other people put them in the oven and crisp them up." — Anissa Helou (15:46)

• Stuffed Pastries: Fried vs. Baked (16:20–17:21)

  • Often same dough; very flaky when fried, can be brushed with oil for baking; milk-based dough more Syrian.

• Favorite Filling (17:21–18:15)

  • Labneh with tomato, butter, onion, cinnamon, and allspice in a triangle pastry is a nostalgic favorite.
  • Quote:
    "When you bite into it, you've got this hot pastry, and then all of a sudden the labneh ... flows into your mouth with all these flavors ... It's like a madeleine moment, really." — Anissa Helou (17:55)

• Fish Dishes (18:15–20:08)

  • Fish is prized yet scarce and expensive; prepared simply or with regional sauces like North Lebanon’s spicy samkeh harra (likely involving cilantro, walnuts, tahini).
  • Quote:
    "Fish has always been expensive in Lebanon because there isn't that much in the sea and it's only coastal." — Anissa Helou (18:38)

6. Unusual & Extravagant Recipes (20:08–21:13)

• Showpiece Recipe: Stuffed chicken wrapped in cheesecloth, surrounded by stuffed zucchini and vine leaves, all cooked together in a lemony sauce—a time-consuming, celebratory dish.
• Quote:
  "It's very unusual also, because I didn't know. I had never seen the chicken cooked with the stuffed vegetables, but it was a friend in the south who told me about it." — Anissa Helou (20:59)

7. Sweet Finale: Desserts (21:13–21:45)

• Favorite Dessert – Knefe: Cheese pastry, soaked in sugar syrup, served in sweet sesame bread, customarily eaten as a decadent breakfast.
• Quote:
  "It's a kind of very sweet cheese pie ... and you eat it for breakfast. So you can imagine what a calorie shock it is at the beginning of the day." — Anissa Helou (21:20)

8. Expert Tips: Homemade Pita (21:45–22:32)

• Essential Tip: Rest the dough after shaping for an even, puffy bake. Use a hot oven and let rounds sit between floured cloths before baking.
• Quote:
  "You have to let the dough rest ... so that it puffs up evenly." — Anissa Helou (21:53) "It puffs up very quickly and it's like magic." — Anissa Helou (22:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Discovery:
  • "Many, many places and dishes and people were kind of a revelation for me." (04:28)
• On Hummus’ Regional Differences:
  • "In the north, they would use toasted walnuts and hot ghee ... also they don't use garlic up in the north." (10:57)
• On Cooking Techniques:
  • "You have to stabilize the yogurt. It's absolutely essential ... I like to do it with egg." (14:41)
• On Food and Memory:
  • "It's like a madeleine moment, really." (17:55)
• On Iconic Dessert:
  • "It's a kind of very sweet cheese pie ... and you eat it for breakfast." (21:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|-------------------------------------------| | 01:33 | Introduction to Anissa Helou & context | | 03:13 | Culinary research journey in Lebanon | | 04:47 | Surprising discoveries—villages & dishes | | 05:52 | Geography, religion, and food variations | | 08:36 | Origins of communal kitchens | | 10:14 | Hummus and regional twists | | 12:13 | Kibbeh and its many forms | | 13:24 | Family barbecue traditions | | 14:31 | Cooking with yogurt | | 15:19 | Shish Barak’s history | | 16:20 | Stuffed pastry techniques | | 17:21 | Favorite pastry fillings | | 18:15 | Fish in Lebanese cuisine | | 20:08 | Most extravagant recipe | | 21:13 | Desserts—Knefe (Cheese pastry) | | 21:45 | Tips for homemade pita |

Conclusion

This episode is a vibrant, sensory journey through Lebanon’s kitchens, uncovering the rich tapestry of its foodways. Anissa Helou’s passionate storytelling and culinary expertise reveal not only recipes but living traditions—shaped by geography, history, and the bonds of family and community. Listeners gain intimate knowledge, expert tips, and a new appreciation for the country’s beloved and rare dishes.

Anissa Helou’s book, "Lebanon Cooking: The Foods of My Homeland," is available tomorrow. She will be speaking at the Museum of Food and Drink at 7pm on the same day.