FEATURE
Our Children | Winter 2019
NOURISHING TRADITIONS Feasts with family and friends are common across many holidays and cultures By Heidi Tattrie-Rushton
O
ne thing that every culture around the world has in common is that holidays and food traditions go handin-hand. Family and friends gather for parties and meals with special dishes they make and enjoy yearly playing an important role in the celebrations. Amanda Nahas of Halifax is a mother of two, coming from a family who loves food. Her husband owns Mezza, a local Mediterranean restaurant, and her mother loves to cook. “Family gatherings are a big deal in our culture and the food is made with a whole lot of love and passion,” she says. Nahas is Lebanese and Antiochian/Greek Orthodox. She says their Christmas feast is an “endless spread” filled with traditional Lebanese dishes. “Some of the most common foods are riz a djej [spiced chicken with a nutty rice] and Lebanon’s national dish, kibbeh, which is minced meat and bulgur. It is often prepared raw for Christmas, but we also have a cooked pie-like version, served with laban [yogurt],” she says. “We can’t forget about the grape leaves or mezza plates of hummus, baba ganoush and tabbouleh.”
17