Introduction

Cooking is a great love of mine and always has been, ever since I was a little girl. My favourite pastime on Saturday afternoon was baking cakes in the kitchen with the help of my sister Victoria. I was the youngest of nine children, and a mistake: my mother was very embarrassed to be pregnant at the same time as her eldest daughter!

I grew up in a traditional, hospitable and open home in the south of Lebanon, in a town called Marjeyoun. My dad was the mayor of this town for 32 years and our house was always open to people, local or foreign, seeking to meet him; many French and British dignitaries came to our house, and no one visited my father without having a meal at his table. Life revolved around the dinner table, and every occasion had its designated dishes. The recipes in this book came originally from my mother, who was a great and creative cook. She taught me a lot about constantly developing my cooking and making it more suitable to a healthy way of life. She was an avid reader, always updating herself about the nutritional values of the food she was offering her family.