As much as we might wish the contrary, the beauty and simplicity of home-preserved pantry items, the mouneh, taken for granted during our childhood, often seems a lifetime away. In Barbara Abdeni Massaad's book, Mouneh: Preserving Foods for the Lebanese Pantry, we've been thrown a lifeline to a piece of our cultural and culinary identity. So many things we would love to recreate for our own families become possible within these pages, thanks to the author's diligent research, stunning photography, simply presented instructions and delightful stories.