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Italian Wine Pairings for Lebanese Food, Page 2
Pairings at a Glance
Showing 11–18 of 18 dishes
Freekeh
Freekeh is roasted green wheat with a smoky, nutty character; in Lebanese kitchens it is most often served as a chicken pilaf, the grain absorbing stock spiced with cinnamon and allspice. The dish reads as smoke plus warm grain plus poultry. Fiano di Avellino DOCG with bottle age and Etna Bianco DOC built on Carricante both carry the smoky-grain register. For chicken portions, a young Frappato or Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG works as a cross-over.
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Mujadara
Mujadara is brown lentils and rice cooked together until the grain takes on the lentil's earth, then crowned with deeply-caramelised onion fried slow in olive oil. The dish is plant-based and entirely about caramelisation. Fiano di Avellino DOCG matches the dark-onion sweetness; Etna Rosso DOC on Nerello Mascalese works when the dish is served with yoghurt and grilled vegetables.
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Kibbeh bil Sanieh
Kibbeh bil sanieh is a baked tray of two layers of bulgur-and-lamb shell sandwiching a pine-nut-and-spiced-lamb middle, scored into diamonds and oven-baked until the top is mahogany. It is the foundational kibbeh preparation, not the fried torpedo. Aglianico del Vulture DOC is the natural answer; Cesanese del Piglio DOCG works for the lighter, oven-cooked spice register.
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Sayadieh
Sayadieh is the coastal Lebanese fisherman's dish: white fish (sea bass, grouper) layered over rice cooked in a deeply-caramelised onion-and-cumin stock, finished with toasted pine nuts and tahini sauce. The dark rice is the lead. Fiano di Avellino DOCG with bottle age handles the caramelised stock; Vermentino di Gallura DOCG works for lighter, lemon-finished plates.
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Manakish Zaatar
Manakish zaatar is the breakfast bread of Lebanon: thin dough painted with a thyme-sumac-sesame-oregano blend bound in olive oil, baked until the edges crisp. The dish is herb plus oil. Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG carries the za'atar lift cleanly; Falanghina del Sannio DOC works the lunch service when the manakish is folded around labneh and tomato.
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Lahm bi Ajeen
Lahm bi ajeen is the Lebanese cousin of Turkish lahmacun: thin dough with a topping of minced lamb, tomato, onion, pine nuts and pomegranate molasses, baked fast and served folded with a squeeze of lemon. The pairing answers thin-dough plus minced lamb plus pomegranate sour. Frappato lifts the pomegranate cleanly; Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC is the casual, sit-down-pizza answer.
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Baklava
Lebanese baklava is layered phyllo soaked in rose-water and orange-blossom syrup, with the nut filling typically pistachio or walnut. The pastry is denser and the syrup sweeter than the Greek version. Moscato d'Asti DOCG matches the floral syrup cleanly; for walnut-led baklava, Passito di Pantelleria DOC built on Zibibbo handles the nut-bitter weight.
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Knafeh
Knafeh in the Lebanese style is shredded phyllo (kataifi) over a salted-cheese layer, baked until the pastry browns to orange and finished with sugar syrup scented with orange blossom. Hot, salty cheese under sweet pastry is the structural conflict. Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG with light effervescence answers the salty-sweet bridge; Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG works deeper for richer, ricotta-led versions.
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