Mouneh, Lebanese Mountains & Pickling

Posted on 31. Aug, 2009 by Bethany in Misc, Nibbles, Uncategorized, Video, gluten free, lebanon, middle eastern, veggie

I arrived to Lebanon over a week ago, during the “mouneh” months; pickling and preserving summer produce for the winter months. Preparing the mouneh is a practice that goes back for centuries and is an essential experience of the Middle Eastern kitchen. We pickle and preserve pretty much everything. Alina, my father’s wife, and I have been trying out some traditional recipes and some rather non-traditional recipes.

We’ve been in the mountains making pickles, carrot coffee, batenjan makdous (eggplant that is stuffed and preserved), watermelon jam, kishk (dried yoghurt), dried plums amongst other things.

I spent the first few days of my visit in Ayoun. It lies just beneath mount Saninne and is a five minute drive to Faqra. There is literally no one in sight for miles, except when the shepperd passes by with his flock. It’s calm, beautiful and relaxing.

There are two faces to lebanon; the mountain life and the city life. Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, is very much fascinating. Yes! But, it’s like any other city in the world; just that much more chaotic.

I find the mountain life to be fascinating for many reasons; the natural beauty, the simplicity of village life, the symbiotic relationship between the farmer and the land, the hosptality of the people, and most importantly the tranquility.

I’ve put together a quick collection of images that capture some of these moments.

Pickling Basics: Print This Post

500g cucumbers, cornichon preferably (or a variety of vegetables; turnips, carrots, onions…)
about 500ml drinking water ( you many not use all of this)
100ml apple vinegar
1 teaspoon of rock salt
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf
1 hot pepper, sliced lengthwise in half (will yield very spicy results, for less spicy do not slice)
1 liter jar
Dried dill flowers and celery leafs, added to the bottom.

The Nitty Gritty:

Mix the water with the salt and bring to a boil, stirring until the salt is dissolved. You can test for the correct salt amounts by placing an egg into the solution. If the egg floats, you’ve got the right amount of salt. However, the general rule we follow in my household is 1 tablespoon of salt for every half liter. Chill the solution.

Place half the garlic cloves and the bay leaf at the bottom of the jar. If you are adding dill and celery leafs, then add them here.

Place the cucumbers into the jar, vertically, as close to each other as possible.

Once a full circle is reached, add the sliced hot pepper and continue filling with cucumbers.

Add the rest of the garlic.

Cover the jar with the solution , leaving two inches to add the apple vinegar. Then add the vinegar till the cucumbers are completely submerged. the picture below was added after pickles sat for 5 days and were already dug into it, hence the color, texture and packing difference. I took it later on after I realized I missed a picture step.

Cover and let sit in a cool, dry place. The pickles will be ready within 5 days and will preserve indefinately, if they’re not consumed within days, that is.

I have also been out and about, trying to capture more of this country’s beauty. So, stay tuned!

Bethx

Tags: apple vinegar, bay leaf, garlic, hot pepper, Lebanese mountains, Mouneh, pickles, preserving

14 Responses to “Mouneh, Lebanese Mountains & Pickling”

Eli

31. Aug, 2009

The pickling could’nt get any simpler than that. you make it look so easy. And the video amazed me. wonderful pictures they really captured the mountain life and all its treasures.
chris

31. Aug, 2009

Love the soundtrack….great choice.
JO:C

31. Aug, 2009

This is incredible! I can always find simplicity and beauty in each of your posts – this tops them all.
Jan Van Goyen

31. Aug, 2009

That is the simplest no brainer pickle recipe I have ever seen. With most recipes you wonder about the amount of salt….To much or too little and your pickles will fail. You could probably put some carrot slivers and onion and celery stalks in there.
Only problem is one quart (liter) jars are not common. I have two of them and they are both pickle jars. I have 22oz jars and will have to adjust.

I like your clean one to one ratio of water to cucumbers and one teaspoon salt. Is that enough salt so they won’t go bad?
Bethany

01. Sep, 2009

Jan- Yes the salt ratio is the one we use in my household.The pickles last through to early summer of the following year. Just store them in the fridge once opened.
Tastestopping

02. Sep, 2009

While I haven’t pickled cucumbers (or anything else) for years, this really is a tempting recipe to reintroduce my tastebuds to the whole phenomenon. I like one of your reader’s suggestion to add carrots and onions…this would really appeal to my husband. And the idea that an egg can help you discover the perfect ratio of salt to water? Just brilliant. Thank you!

Anyway, I found you through TasteSpotting and am writing to say that if you have any photos that aren’t accepted there, I’d love to publish them. Visit my new site (below), it’s a lot of fun! I hope you will consider it.

Best,
Casey
Editor
http://www.tastestopping.wordpress.com
Jeena

02. Sep, 2009

Lovely post I bet the pickles are really good. Loved the slide show too Lebanon looks a beautiful place I would love to relax in the mountains eating that wonderful food and taking in the views.
Jan Van Goyen

04. Sep, 2009

Thanks Bethany
Here is an example of a person who means well but will overwhelm the first time pickle maker. Too much volume to deal with…One gallon. Good luck making a smaller amount. (More salt that you use by the way!)
http://cantaloupealone.blogspot.com/2009/08/pickles-pt-2-brined-fermented-pickles.html

This is typical of pickle recipes. Your recipe scales up very nicely. Yours is one quart so if you want more you multiply it. I trust you because you come from a pickle making tradition so if you say one teaspoon salt and they will not spoil…. I know this is correct

BTW could you post recipe for making those beet stained cabbage?, turnip and carrot pickles I have had in Mediterranean restaurants? It may have been a Lebanese, Greek or Israeli ones. I forget

Thanks!
Jan Van Goyen

04. Sep, 2009

Again…I look at your recipe
****500g cucumbers, cornichon preferably (or a variety of vegetables; turnips, carrots, onions…*****

So I can follow this recipe and substitute beets, turnip, carrots, cabbage and it will work? My guess is to use big chunks of beets, turnip, carrots but not whole ones because the pickling solution penetrates pickling cucumbers (cornichons) easier because they are less dense. More watery

Plus the cabbage I would pickle this way would be —->>> Whole leafs taken off the cabbage one by one, the greener and more outer the better. Then two to four leafs rolled up and jammed into the one quart jar. And repeat

If *instead* cabbage is sliced up and pickled this way the cabbage will come out too salty because of all the additional surface area for the pickling solution to penetrate

Why eat pickles?
They taste good…..
But they help you digest whole grains beans and meats. They get your intestinal bacteria right to help break down and assimilate complex carbohydrates found in grains and beans

White bread? When your intestinal bacteria are not so good you can still digest and assimilate white bread. This is why people instinctively choose it. It’s baby food

Pickles help digest meat. This is why people like pickles on their hamburger and relish on their hot dogs. Mustard and ketchup are also pickled foods even though the lacto-bacteria may have been killed off same as in lots of the yogurt you find in supermarkets. Only buy yogurt that says “live yogurt cultures” on the label

The sourness in pickles also helps digest meat and fried foods such as fried fish and french fries. This sour vinegar element cuts through fat
Addie

05. Sep, 2009

I love you website Beth! the video was touching it gave me goosebumps, i miss home. love ya’ you are doing such a fabulous job!!
Global Patriot

06. Sep, 2009

Pickling was once so common in America. In my grandmother’s day everyone pickled something, and it was a point of pride to have a special recipe that you could share with friends and neighbors on an annual basis.
cantaloupe alone

10. Sep, 2009

Thanks for the link! Yeah that was a huge batch of pickles for some 60 people at summer bbq. The hardest part about smaller volumes of pickles is finding the right size vessel that will cover the cucs with brine, and have a mouth wide enough to get in and out of especially if you are weighing them down. Sometimes bigger is just easier.
FoodieView Blog » Recipe Roundup: Preserving Seasonal Produce

26. Oct, 2009

[...] Kitchen Secrets has a brilliant article on pickling and shows you how to pickle cornichos cucumbers and over at The Constables Larder pickled lime is served with a slow baked pork. Photo by Citron [...]
tasteofbeirut

11. Feb, 2010

Fantastic post Beth!