Living Abroad? How to Send Homemade Food to Family in Lebanon

Almost every Lebanese family has someone abroad. A son in Dubai, a daughter in Paris, cousins in Montreal. Back home, many parents now live alone, or simply cook less than they used to.

If you want to help from far away, food is one of the most useful things you can send. With Mahabati there are two ways to do it: gift a meal plan, or send frozen dishes they can cook when they like.

Option 1: Gift a meal plan

A meal plan gift brings food cooked that same morning to their door. You pick the plan: lunch only, lunch and dinner, or breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then you pick how long it lasts: one, two or four weeks. A week of lunches starts at $60, and every lunch and dinner comes with a side salad and a snack.

The person you're gifting chooses their own delivery days, so the plan fits their week, not yours.

To send it, open our gift a meal plan page, choose the plan and the number of weeks, and write a short message. Then send the request to us on WhatsApp. We'll confirm the address, the payment and the day your message reaches them. It can go out right away, or on a date you choose, like a birthday.

Option 2: Send frozen Lebanese dishes

Some parents still love to cook and don't want someone else's food every day. For them, a freezer full of ready dishes can be the better gift.

Our store has sambousek, kibbeh, warak enab, kousa mahshi and shish barak, plus trays like kibbeh bil saniyeh and batata soufflé. Every item comes with cooking instructions, and most keep for about three months in the freezer. Enter their address and phone number at checkout, and order at least two days ahead.

Which one should you choose?

If they want fresh food without cooking, go for the meal plan. If they like to cook but could use a hand, send frozen dishes. For a home with a new baby, two or four weeks of lunches is a gift nobody forgets. For someone getting over an illness, a meal plan works well, but check their diet with our kitchen first.

Before you send

Check the area first. We deliver in Beirut, Metn and Keserwan. If you're not sure about the address, message us on +961 76 350 079 before you order.

Make sure the phone number is right, because we need to reach them on delivery day. Deliveries come in the morning, between 10am and 12pm.

Ask about food they avoid: allergies, foods their doctor told them to cut, or dishes they just don't eat. Tell us before you order.

And tell them it's coming. A surprise is lovely, but not if they won't open the door to a driver they don't know.

Sending a holiday gift?

For Christmas or New Year, message us a week or two before. That gives us time to confirm everything with you, and you can choose exactly when your message reaches them.

Chef MahabaFounder, Mahabati Catering

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