For as far as I remember, food was available in our household, somewhere.
Blessed with a family keen on culinary traditions, most of my vivid memories center around our practices of feasting; through preparing and preserving foods. And memories, of a family originally from Andket, a small village situated in the most northern reaches of Lebanon, as part of the province of Akkar.
The seasonal cycle of nourishment
A village in which my grandparents owned a plot of land, dotted and peppered with all sort of trees.
And as soon as we arrived on our regular visits, I would go around examining the trees to my continual amazement at how magnanimous nature is.
Pistachios, Walnuts, Olives, Almonds, Medlar, Persimmon, the list goes on.
These rich bounties, seasonal as most things are, could be benefited from all year long through their preservation for the winter season, a long established Lebanese practice called Mouneh.
Fresh milk would be beaten, strained, pressed and molded by my grandmother into a plethora of dairy delicacies, such as Labneh with its zingy creaminess, Chanklish and its pungent tanginess, silky butters and fresh yogurts.
Food has been and has remained a communal and familial affair; my Great-Aunt, to whom I owe a fair lot, was our family’s designated Zaatar scout and picker!
Years after her unrelenting services, her promotion came in the disguise of the unenviable task of picking the family’s Sumac trees, an arduous and unforgiving task.
The Tanios journey
And so for years, all that I unknowingly exposed myself, and was exposed to ended up being my most cherished treasure. After moving to France, I realized how rare it was to find high-quality zaatar and sumac in Europe. Missing the flavors of home, I created Tanios in 2023 to share authentic, fresh herbs while supporting the families back home who harvest these wild plants each season. However, the project has evolved into something much more significant. By focusing on wild herbs, I’m not only honoring my heritage but also contributing to the preservation of our local landscape and traditional harvesting practices. Unlike cultivated varieties, which require frequent irrigation and ongoing maintenance, wild herbs adapt to their environment, thriving with minimal intervention. This resilience ensures they maintain their rich flavors and contribute to the ecological balance of the region.