Zaim prepares tabbouleh
This Lebanese national dish is a salad made of parsley, green onions, peppermint and bulgar. But Sobhi Ismail, of Zaim restaurant doesn't serve too much, so that people have space for the main course.
Location is the key
"This is my area here, my world. I think it's very interesting that sometimes there's more life on the street at night then during the day. That's what attracted me back then, and that's why I'm still here. I feel comfortable here." - Sobhi Ismail
From Beirut to Sydney to Berlin
"When I think about my home country of Lebanon, what I miss most is my childhood and of course the little village I come from and where I experienced a lot. I think then that I left a bit of paradise behind." - Sobhi Ismail
Small country, great cuisine
Lebanese cuisine is one of the most sophisticated in the Orient. One very typical ingredient is baharat, a mixture of seven different spices including pimento, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper, nutmeg and fenugreek. But cumin and coriander are also a must, as are garlic, peppermint and parsley.
The essential ingredient: parsley
There are many different recipes for tabbouleh, but only the Lebanese one is the true one, says Sobhi Ismail. In Lebanon, each meal begins with the so-called mezze - primarily vegetarian appetizers. The refreshing tabbouleh salad is eaten before the main dish or as a snack.
Lebanese national dish
"Tabbouleh is my best appetizer, I think, because it is very, very healthy and the salad goes with any dish. It has a lot of vitamins, is light, and it's our main salad in Lebanon. It's its own culture." - Sobhi Ismail