Mezza is a traditional Lebanese starter meal eaten with friends and family. It includes a variety of starter dishes and salads. The appetizers are served in small plates and shared by everyone on the table. There are dozens of different mezza dishes, and each family has their own recipes and stories of mezza meals together. In this episode, Leen tells us about this tradition and her favorite mezza dish.
Lebanese-Arabic Transcript and English Contextual Translation
1
أهلا وسهلا فيكن بحلقة جديدة من لانغويج وايف. أنا لين واليوم رح نحكي عن موضوع كتير مهم بالثقافة اللبنانية، موضوع بمثّل لبنان بصورة كتير حلوة بقلب لبنان وبالخارج كمان، حنحكي شوي عن المازة اللبنانية.
Welcome to a new episode of Language Wave! I am Leen, and today we are going to talk about a very important topic in Lebanese culture, a topic that represents Lebanon in a very beautiful way inside and outside Lebanon as well. We will be talking a little bit about Lebanese mezza.
2
كتير منا سامع بالمازة اللبنانية بس كتير ما بيعرف شو يعني مازة. وهلأ وبكم دقيقة رح إحكي شوي عن هيدا الموضوع. حنحكي شو يعني مازة لبنانية وشو هي الأطباق يلي بتكوّن المازة اللبنانية ولشو بترمز. وبعدين حإحكي شوي عن حالي وقول شو أكتر طبق أنا بحبو بالمازة وليش.
Many of us have heard of “Lebanese mezza” but many do not know what “mezza” means. Now, and in a few minutes, I will talk a little bit about this subject. We will be talking about what “mezza” means, what the dishes composing the Lebanese mezza are, and what mezza symbolizes. Afterwards, I will talk a little bit about myself, and I will tell you which dish I love the most and why.