Any self-respecting market has to also offer street food. Stop at the Earth & Co stand and try their saj and man’oushe traditional focaccia breads, served with thyme and sheep cheese. Nelly Chemaly is one of the founders of Slow Food in Lebanon and coordinates the Presidium for Kechek el Fouqarra or “poor man’s cheese”. This cheese is in fact not made using milk but is based on fermented wheat and sea salt.

Apart from his sweets and pastries, when visiting Iman’s stand be sure not to miss the shankleesh, a product based on yoghurt, which is first partially dehydrated, then rolled into balls and kept in oil. Then there is kishk, a similar product, but this time mixed with fermented wheat.

Every Tuesday morning Nadim comes to Beirut from Chouf, a village tucked away in the mountains, bringing his saj, a thin focaccia bread eaten with all meals, and artisan pastries. In summer his rosewater syrup will help alleviate the suffocating heat of Beirut.

Like many small-scale producers, Violette offers a wide range of products in limited quantities: from olives in brine, melons and olive oil soap to bay leaf and fresh mint. All her food comes from a small plot of land at Kfarchakhna which Violette tends with dedication.

Lebanon can boast an impressive tradition in vegetable preserves and Sayed is a confirmation of this. In addition to his mouneh preserves, he offers syrups, dried apricots and figs, as well as arak, the traditional anise liqueur. Though it is not widely known, don’t miss the dehydrated yogurt powder.

In the small village of ‘Amsheet the Zgheib sisters have opened a pastry shop where they prepare traditional Lebanese products. Don’t miss their mwarraqa, a filo pastry filled with walnuts and almonds made according to a recipe of their elderly mother.

Hadi runs a small certified organic farm and every Tuesday brings the best of his fruit and vegetables to Beirut. The quality of his produce makes his stand one of the most sought after in the market. Hadi also belongs to the international Terra Madre network.

A delegate at Terra Madre 2008, Antoine offers excellent seasonal fruit and vegetables which are certified organic. One of the most popular stands for regular market visitors.

Husband and wife Hani and Siham from Warhanieh are long-standing producers of mouneh preserves, and popular traditional Lebanese distillates, particularly from mulberry and rose (mawared).