Darb el Karam

Trail of Generosity

Darb el Karam (The Trail of Generosity) is a new food trail that promotes food and agricultural heritage in rural areas in the Higher Shouf and West Bekaa. The Food Heritage Foundation’s Zeinab Jeambey, involved at the core of the project, explains the concept and the purpose behind the rural tourism initiative Darb el Karam is a network of nine villages in Higher Shouf and West Bekaa promoting food heritage and tourism where visitors can participate in agrofood activities and taste local culinar y specialties. The touristic packages aim to highlight the seasonality and locality of foods and crops, the traditional processing methods and most importantly, the generosity of the hosts. By putting visitors in contact with farmers, shepherds, food producers; all preser vers of rural food culture, Darb el Karam raises awareness among tourists about the origin of an ingredient or a traditional dish and its cultural and emotional ties to the destination, while diversifying the income of the hosts through tourism. The project is currently in the sof t launch phase with full launch due to take place in summer 2015. Take the trail any time of year and enjoy local dishes, harvest activities are seasonal; from spring till early winter.