Promoting “Lebanese Coffee” as a Cultural Identity Marker

Today, the 11th of Feb, 2026, Lebanon’s syndicate representing restaurant, café, nightclub, and pastry owners issued an official statement encouraging hospitality venues to adopt the term “Lebanese coffee” in menus, signage, and daily customer communication, instead of the commonly used “Turkish coffee.” In everyday life, Lebanese people have long referred to this drink simply as Lebanese coffee, a term commonly used in homes and local cafés regardless of how it appears on menus.

The move is framed as a cultural positioning effort rather than a regulatory measure. The syndicate highlighted that this style of coffee, while historically shared across the Eastern Mediterranean, has become deeply embedded in Lebanon’s daily life, social rituals, and hospitality traditions. From homes and neighborhood cafés to restaurants and hotels, the preparation and serving of this coffee form part of Lebanon’s living food culture.

Cultural and culinary context

In Lebanon, this coffee is not limited to a beverage. It marks moments of welcome, conversation, mourning, celebration, and everyday routine. It is served after meals, during visits, and at key life events, making it one of the most consistent elements of Lebanese food identity across regions and communities.

From a culinary heritage perspective, reasserting the term “Lebanese coffee” aligns with broader efforts to highlight local food expressions as part of national identity, especially within tourism and hospitality. Similar naming shifts have been observed internationally, where everyday food and drink are increasingly framed through local cultural narratives rather than generic or inherited labels.

What this means for travelers

Visitors may start seeing “Lebanese coffee” listed more prominently on menus in cafés and restaurants, particularly in urban centers and tourist areas. The preparation style remains the same: finely ground coffee, brewed unfiltered, typically served without milk, and often enjoyed slowly as part of social exchange.

This update reflects a wider trend in Lebanon toward reclaiming everyday food terminology as part of cultural storytelling, reinforcing how deeply cuisine and identity remain intertwined in the country.

Traveler takeaway:

Ordering Lebanese coffee is not just about taste. It is an entry point into one of Lebanon’s most enduring daily rituals, shared across homes, cafés, and generations.