In a special feature on the traditional mooneh, Al Akhbar newspaper wrote that it is no longer a cherished ritual passed down from generation to generation. In the old days, people used to preserve fresh foods to withstand the winter season and spare themselves the trouble of transportation and planting under unfavourable conditions. Urban life and greenhouses, Al Akhbar said, made available seasonal and off-season varieties of foods, and turned the production of mooneh into a lucrative trade targeting the affluent classes. In this respect, the newspaper brought to light the venture of Khadija Sweidan, from the town of Adshit al Qassir, Marje3yoon, who makes mooneh and sells it on the market in Lebanon and abroad. Khadija used to help her parents in growing tobacco and preparing mouneh items for the family in the wintertime. After loosing her parents in 2000, she was forced to prepare home-made goods to sell them and now has become a trademark in the area. Khadija, the “super active” woman, Al Akhbar said, exports mulukhieh (Jews' mallows) and zaater (thyme) to Canada and markook (Lebanese thin pita bread) and burghul (cracked wheat) to Beirut, while the newspaper also mentioned the Women’s Center for Food Processing in Hula for sustaining home-made mouneh production. The newspaper also drew attention to efforts by the Federation of Municipalities of Jabal Amel to place agricultural investment on the priority of its development plans for the southern borderline villages in its area of operation. On this, agriculture engineer in the Federation, Hussein Jaber, disclosed that Lebanese expats are the main customers of local traditional produces, followed by urban residents, stating that their crush for mouneh goodies and their nostalgia for the old days has skyrocketed the prices of similar items and discouraged many potential buyers. Furthermore, the mouneh-high income link has inspired many local women to treasure and keep heritage items they inherited from their fathers, Jaber said. In the same context, the newspaper highlighted the varieties of mouneh foods typical of certain villages, like for example, the mulukieh of Arab Saleem, which sees an annual summer festival coinciding with the harvest season where one kg of the crop reaches LBP 40 thousand. Other speciality items include the burghul of Humin Fawka, the tomato juice of Ain Qana, the pomegranate of Roumin and the dairies and cheeses of Aramta in Jezzine. (Al Akhbar, September 18, 2017)
