For generations Lebanese people have prepared food provisions (“mouneh”) to last them until spring when snow covered fields and roads would be accessible again. Nowadays people no longer depend on mouneh to make it through the cold months, but its role as an integral part of Lebanese cuisine and culture is as alive as ever. In this episode, Leen tells us about different types of mouneh and how they are made and stored. She also shares a story about her experience making “kishik”, a renowned mouneh delicacy, while visiting a relative in a village in the Lebanese mountains.
Lebanese Arabic Transcript and English Contextual Translation
1
مرحبا وأهلا وسهلا فيكن بحلقة جديدة من لانغويج وايف. أنا لين، واليوم رح إحكيلكن عن المونة. في كتير أمثال شعبية عن المونة معروفة عند اللبنانية بالضيع والمناطق الجبلية، متل “عبّي النمليّة رجعت الشتوية” “موّن لعيالك وشيل الهم عن بالك.”
Hello, and welcome to a new episode on Language Wave. I am Leen, and today I will tell you about “Mouneh”. There are a lot of proverbs about “Mouneh” that are renowned among Lebanese people in the villages and mountainous areas, such as “Fill your wooden storage, winter is back” and “Stock for your family, and get the worry off your mind.”
2
بحلقة اليوم، رح نحكي أول شي عن المونة، وأهميتا بالنسبة للّبنانية إجمالاً، وخاصةً لأهل الضيع. وبعدين، رح نحكي عن أقسام المونة، فوايدا، من وين منجيب المواد الأولية للمونة، وين منحطا، إيمتا منبلش نعملا، أشكال المونة وأصنافا، وكيف منعملا. ومن بعدا، رح خبركن عن تجربتي بمساعدة خالتي بتحضير نوع من المونة.
In today’s episode, we will first talk about Mouneh and its importance for the Lebanese generally; and especially for village residents. Then, we will talk about the sections of Mouneh, its benefits, where to get the raw materials for Mouneh from, where we put it, when we start making it, the types and forms of Mouneh, and how we make it. Afterwards, I will tell you about my experience in helping my aunt prepare a type of Mouneh.