Extra Malban

Malban is a traditional sweet found across Lebanon and the wider region. It is a soft, chewy confection made mainly from sugar and starch, cooked into a gel and cut into pieces. It is often flavored with rose water or mastic, sometimes contains nuts, and is usually dusted with powdered sugar or coconut so the pieces do not stick together. Malban is commonly served to guests with Arabic coffee or tea, offered at family visits and celebrations, or kept in a jar at home for a small sweet treat. Extra malban is on the shelf at Dekenet Al Nes in Baaqline, in the Chouf, where it is sold by weight in kilograms. Dekenet Al Nes is a package-free grocery store, so customers can bring their own containers and fill them with the amount they need.