The Food Heritage Foundation is a Lebanese non-profit organization aiming at the conservation of Lebanon’s collective memory and indigenous knowledge through the preservation, documentation and revival of Lebanon’s traditional food heritage. It seeks to create jobs for the Lebanese rural population, namely women and small producers, by reviving the market for healthy home-cooked local cuisine and
organic products. The Food Heritage Foundation (FHF) was conceived at the Environment and sustainable Unit (ESDU) in the American University of Beirut (www.aub.edu.lb/units/esdu) in 2005 through a project on “Wild Edible Plants: Promoting Dietary Diversity in Lebanon”. This project aimed at improving the health status and increasing dietary diversity of the rural and urban poor by promoting the preservation and sustainable use of wild plants. Since its inception the Food heritage Foundation has been partnering with women living in remote villages, archiving traditional recipes and providing a channel to sell larder products (mouneh) to urban consumers. Through the years, the Foundation developed several activities using a participatory approach, such as:
- Compiling, documenting and publishing Lebanese traditional recipes,
- Customizing traditional recipes according to modern nutrition standards,
- Providing women with income generating activities through the provision of cooking facilities and proper training on food safety. In 2013, the foundation was registered and is currently acting as an independent entity with affiliation to the ESDU. The core team of the foundation includes agricultural engineers with expertise in rural development and organic farming along with nutrition and food science specialists. At the Foundation, we believe that by preserving our ancestor’s culinary treasures, we ensure a legacy for future generations.
