The communities of
Lebanon unite at a farmers’ market
By Peter Grunert and recently spent a long weekend in Beirut
In the shimmering heat of a late summer’s day, simple delicates
are on sale at the Souk el Tayeb: green almonds, mulberries, thyme-infused
honey, and pastries filled with peppers and tomatoes ripened by the fierce
eastern Mediterranean sun.
Christina Codsi is the guiding force behind Beirut’s first
farmers’ market. “Try a peach,” she suggests, leaning over for one between
flatbreads roasting over hot coals and crows of gnarly wooden lemon squeezers. ‘Have
you ever tasted flavor so intense?’
The weekly market aims to give the farmers who staff it a
fair chance of selling their produce at a price that means they no longer feel
pushed to abandon their lands and permanently migrate to the city; a visit
every Saturday is enough. ‘We often have 60 stalls set up here,’ says
Christina. ‘Each of the diverse the
market, sharing a goal.
‘The farmers enjoy campaigning,’she adds, reciting their
favourite slogans: ‘Seeds for Peace’ and ‘Make Food Not War’, soukeltayebn.com
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