The Formation of Levantine Concept
Today, wine and beer culture has evolved to encompass a wide range of flavors, with a growing appreciation for craftsmanship, sustainability and the story behind each drink.
This desire for innovation and discovery promises a future of discovery and enjoyment. For a truly memorable culinary experience, it is essential to consider personal preferences when balancing the flavors and textures of wine and appetizers. Enhance your next conversation and wine experience by carefully choosing appetizers that complement the wine.
As a global entrepreneur with a passion for gastronomy and for many years living in China, I realized that there is an inconsistency in the market: California produces excellent wines but lacks appetizers of similar quality, while China offers excellent appetizers but lacks wines of similar caliber. This realization sparked my passion to develop a vegetarian product line that combines only high-quality olive oil with savory sauces or dry flavors, and can be enjoyed both hot and cold.
Dolma VS Sushi
Although both sushi and stuffed leaves are considered appetizers, they differ significantly in their ingredients and preparation.
Sushi, a delicate Japanese 'raw' dish, contains vinegared rice combined with seafood and vegetables, while stuffed leaves are a Levantine specialty that involves 'cooked' rice, herbs and possibly meat or vegetables wrapped in blanched grape leaves.
Sushi tends to have a clean and subtle flavor profile, while stuffed leaves are savory and herbal, with a softer texture. From a nutritional perspective, sushi is a good source of lean protein and healthy fats, while stuffed leaves provide fiber and vitamins.
Levantine cuisine, with its wide variety of flavors and culinary traditions, deserves more recognition beyond popular dishes such as hummus, falafel, tzatziki and babaganoush.
It would be unfair to ignore the many other delicious and unique dishes this rich and flavorful cuisine has to offer.
Our mission is to introduce these unique Levantine flavors to the United States, the largest multi-ethnic country in the world.
Levantine Cuisine and United States of America
Americans love Italian food. They love Chinese, Thai and Japanese food. They love Mexican food. And recently they have fallen in love with Indian, Vietnamese and Filipino flavors. If you're hungry for the next big ethnic food trend, you'll need to learn a word you've never heard before: Levant, which refers to the Eastern Mediterranean countries of Cyprus, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, Syria and Egypt, as well as parts of Turkey.
The merging of current food and diet trends with Old World dishes, ingredients and flavors is leading to the discovery of Levantine cuisine, which is enjoying a revival in the West after thousands of years of marinating in Middle Eastern kitchens.
Trend expert Mike Kostyo of food industry market research firm Datassential says the interest in Levantine food complements the trend of breaking down broad ethnic cuisines into regional sub-cuisines. "We see the same thing with Italian or Mexican cuisine; today you can go to a restaurant that specializes in Tuscan or Baja cuisine, respectively."
While the terms "Mediterranean" and "Middle East" paint regional cuisines with a single brush, the term "Levant" celebrates each country and its deep food heritage, from Israel's religious kashrut food laws to the Halal laws of Muslim countries.