Baalbeck Provision
Provision is a part of traditions in Baalbeck. It goes back to grandfathers who used to work in their fields and store foods for winter when it was a rest for farmers and peasants which is so natural in agricultural areas. So, people of Baalbeck always prepare supplies in hot summers to cold winters such as: kishk, Burgul (crashed wheat), Makdous (staffed eggplants ), quarma, dried vegetables and fruits, and different kinds of jams.
Kishk
It has been mentioned in the list of food and provision of UNESCO as a kind of Yogurt. Kishk takes about 18 days to be ready. It is made by mixing Burgul (crashed wheat) and milk or yogurt. How is it made?
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| Kishk |
After washing the burgul and drying it in the sun for 2 or 3 days and leaving the milk to be mouldy, housewives mix the two ingridients . Then kishk will be taken to special mills to be grounded, and this process goes on for 2 weeks (adding yogurt and smashing the mixture) salt will be added on the 2nd day. By the end of the 2 weeks, kishk will be put in the sun by cutting it into small pieces, usually on the roof, and women of the neighbourhood work hand in hand in scrubbing it until it gets drier then it will be taken to mill which turns it into a white powder that will be cooked in winter with quarma.
The day of kishk is so nice since women gather to help each other and usually they have lunch together. It is an indication of the co-operative spirit that is a part tradions in Baalbeck.
Makdous
Burgul
This kind of provision used to take a long time. People usually used to buy wheat with large quantity from peasants directly, wash it and then boil it in a big container. Later, all the family take part in taking the wheat up to the roof to get it dry for about a week.
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| Makdous |
It is almost like a kind of pickles that is usually made in September when the weather gets cooler. The ingredients are small eggplants( between 30 and 100 kilos), walnuts ,fresh red peppers, garlic and olive oil.
The eggplants are usually boiled , salted(staffed with salt ) and kept for the second day by putting them in special bags . The next day, the walnuts and peppers are chopped into small pieces, the garlic is smashed and all the ingridients are mixed together, and this mixture is used to staff th eggplants which will be arranged in glass jars. After putting the jars upside-down for many days, olive oil is added to cover all the eggplants which have a new name Makdous that is oftern served at breakfast with tomatoes or tea. Burgul
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| Burgul |
Then, oats and barely will be picked out from the wheat by women who work cooperatively with each other, neighbours and relatives take the wheat to a mill to crash it (a wheat is crashed inot two parts) small size pieces for Kebbeh while big size ones for cooking Mjadara which is a speciality in Baalbeck.
Quarma
Because Baalbeck has an agricultural environment, and becuase farmers and peasants don't usually earn enough in winter so, they have had a special kind of provision to preserve meat which is Quarma.
People used to buy 2 sheep or goats and feed them till October or November when they invite relatives and friends for breakfast and celebrate the day which has been called the day of Quarma.How is it made?
The meat is chopped into barbecue size, salted and boiled for about two hours. Then it will be left for the second day morning when housewives keep it in glass jars or big tins which it will be used in winter for cooking instead of fresh meat that is so expensive then . The main dishes that are so popular in Baalbeck are: Kishk and Quarma and fried eggs and Quarma.