Bayrut: Recipes from the heart of a Lebanese city kitchen
HishamAssaad
Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, is an exhilarating, chaotic city with a tumultuous past yet a thriving, vibrant foodie reputation. Perfectly poised between the Middle East and the Mediterranean, Lebanese cuisine is hugely popular – famed for its varied and flavourful regional dishes that emphasize whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables and seafood.
Beirut’s ever-changing, often turbulent, heritage means that its food has evolved an exciting character of its own. In this book, Hisham Assaad shows you the best the city has to offer, with accessible, delicious recipes, ranging from the classics to more modern fare. He tells the story of a city with energy and diversity, of multiple cultures and traditions, with ever-popular street food, a thriving restaurant and café scene, and traditional family favourites handed down through generations. Learn to create lavish breakfast spreads, traditional Sunday feasts, fresh and vibrant salads, easy and nutritious suppers, or even a delectable afternoon tea with tempting, perfumed sweets and delicacies.
With stunning food and travel photography, this book will transport you to the cultural melting pot that is Beirut – a city that excels at mouth-watering food.
Hisham Assaadis a Lebanese cookbook author and chef, food stylist, and photographer who shares recipes and stories on his blog, Cookin5m2. Raised in a food-loving family who were expelled to Lebanon from their village in Palestine in 1948, Hisham grew up in Dbayeh, a Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Beirut. He learned about Levantine food by watching his mother (a talented home cook) and father (from a family of butchers) in the kitchen. They bestowed the basics on him and he took it from there. Hisham brings his heritage as part of the Palestinian refugees to bear on recipes in danger of being lost to history or cultural appropriation, preserving them for future generations.
He has worked as a guide on boutique food tours of Beirut and the surrounding countryside for Taste Lebanon and is a frequent guest chef at local restaurants and festivals. He also works as a humanitarian clown with Clown Me In, a local NGO that seeks to democratise the arts and go where love and laughter is needed.
His work has been featured in print and online media as well as on television and radio, including a weekly radio feature with a well-known Lebanese host, giving culinary tips and recipes since 2020.
Hisham’s books include Bayrut: Recipes from the heart of a Lebanese city kitchen republished by Smith Street Books in 2025 and Taboon: Sweet & Savoury Delights from the Lebanese Bakery, published by Smith Street Books in 2024.
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