Midnight nibble with Sufis in Beirut (Photo: Emily O'Dell)
The lover’s food is the love of the bread;
no bread need be at hand…
— Rumi
Last night–at a Sufi gathering in Beirut–I was treated to some sumptuous snacks. Since I arrived on an empty stomach, I reached first for the tasty zataar flatbread (man’oushe). Zaatar is a spice blend of thyme leaves, sumac, sesame seeds and salt. In fact, a new Lebanese restaurant called Za’atar just opened in the East Village in New York. After the man’oushe, I helped myself to a few of the succulent spinach pies (fatayer bil sbanegh). The quinoa salad (with carrots, seaweed, and fennel) was so good that I had two servings, and felt compelled to ask for the recipe (even though I’m a disaster in the kitchen). In my Sufi travels over the past decade from Afghanistan to Mali, I’ve found that Sufi hospitality is always the most welcoming and warm…
