I got the above “Atayeb Lebnen” gift basket on Christmas and it included virgin olive oil, Zaatar (Thyme), Sumac and honey. Since I didn’t move yet to my new house, I kept the basket at my parents’ house as my mom likes to try out local produce even though most of the stuff I’ve been getting in the past couple of years from NGOs and charities were disappointing. Surprisingly though, she called me a week later telling me that the olive oil tasted great and that it’s the best Zaatar and Summac she’s tasted in a long while and even asked me to get her some more (That was a first!). I tasted the Zaatar and the olive oil and both were indeed excellent.
I looked up Atayeb Lebnen online and found their really nice website that sells local produce individually or in baskets. There’s Thyme (Zaatar Baladi), Sumac, Extra Virgin Oil, Pine nuts, Honey and Arak Baladi. The prices are reasonable and the Thyme, Sumac and Pine Nuts come in different quantities. There’s also a description next to every product on how it’s made and in which Lebanese village. Needless to say, everything is 100% Lebanese.
Joun is a village located in the Shouf. Every year in autumn, the women of the village prepare their mooneh and store it in preparation for a long cold winter. In fact, you can find in Joun some of the best mooneh produce in the country! And this is where our thyme comes from. Just like it is mixed to be eaten at home, or to be taken in the early morning to the bakery for the manakish, the thyme has a homey and a homemade feeling to it. Mixed with high quality roasted sesame and freshly ground sumac, it is sure to give your manakish a taste you’ve rarely had before!
The website offers a next day delivery for 6$ which is also a reasonable cost and you can either pay cash on delivery or using a credit card. Knowing that I love Arak, I ordered some Arak Baladi to see how good it tastes.
You can check out Atayeb Lebnen’s products [Here].