A House in the Lebanese Mountains : Recipes & Stories from Beit Trad

Beiti Beitak means "my house is your house" in Arabic. This is the story of the house of Sarah Trad—hostess, designer, mother—in a book capturing the enigmatic spirit of the Levant.

This book opens the doors of a family home in the Lebanese mountains that was transformed into a welcoming guesthouse, offering authentic insight into Lebanese hospitality and traditional home-cooked recipes. It shares the history of the house and the intimate story of a family. Lebanon and the Middle East are continuously in the news because of violence, war, and financial crisis—A House in the Lebanese Mountains offers a different angle. Here there is douceur de vivre and the culture of slow living.

What exists now is a magical, peaceful sanctuary, set high on a hill above Beirut. Welcoming guests with a cedar tree, a generous terrace, and a view of the Mediterranean, Beit Trad offers the best cuisine to be found in the Levant. The home’s interior is light, airy, and fundamentally theatrical, drawing on Eastern aesthetics, accents from the souks of Damascus, finds from the flea markets of Beirut, and a touch of Western decor to enrich the Levantine character of the house.

Recipe chapters include vegetable sides and salads; vegetable mains; stews and ragouts; fish and meats; and desserts.