Juniper Scent

Preserving Living Heritage

Juniper Scent exists to preserve Lebanon’s living culinary and cultural heritage, a fragile system of knowledge that is rapidly disappearing. Much of this heritage was never documented. It survives through memory, gesture, repetition, and lived experience. Our mission is to document this knowledge with care, accuracy, and deep fieldwork, creating a lasting archive that honors the people who carry it and ensures it remains accessible long after it would otherwise be lost.

Why Juniper Scent

When this project began, there could be no other name. To us, Lebanon mirrors the juniper tree of Lebanon, a millennial tree rooted in the highlands, capable of surviving at altitudes above 2,900 meters. This resilience reflects the endurance of the Lebanese people, who continue to protect their traditions and cultural identity despite ongoing uncertainty and hardship. Juniper Scent stands as a tribute to this resilience: quiet, rooted, and enduring.

Food, Land & Memory

At Juniper Scent, we believe that food cannot be separated from land, seasons, and survival. Lebanese cuisine is shaped by geography, climate, labor, and rural life, forming a deep connection between what people eat and how they live. Food also plays a central role in customs, family traditions, and religious celebrations, where recipes mark the rhythm of the year and moments of collective memory. These food practices vary from one region to another, shaped by local ingredients, climate, beliefs, and family heritage, creating a rich and diverse cultural mosaic across Lebanon. Every dish carries memories of labor, necessity, celebration, and adaptation. By documenting food traditions in their natural environment, homes, kitchens, fields, and villages, we reveal cuisine as cultural identity, not simply recipes.

Sharing the Stories of Our People

What truly defines Lebanon is the strength and perseverance of its people, their creativity, generosity, and determination to preserve cultural heritage even in the face of adversity. Juniper Scent is committed to standing with local communities, amplifying their voices, and sharing the extraordinary stories of farmers, shepherds, artisans, cooks, and elders, whose knowledge reflects both regional traditions and deeply personal family histories. These individuals remain the true custodians of Lebanon’s living heritage.

Appreciating our cultural legacy

Juniper Scent documents and shares timeless Lebanese traditions, from ancestral recipes and artisanal crafts to oral histories, seasonal rituals, and food practices tied to religious and social life. These living traditions form the heartbeat of Lebanon’s identity and reflect generations of accumulated knowledge. Through immersive storytelling, documentary media, and long-term heritage preservation, we work to ensure that Lebanon’s intangible cultural heritage remains alive, visible, and valued.

Preserving the Diversity of Our Natural Resources

Lebanon’s natural landscape is a rich mosaic of mountains, forests, rivers, wild herbs, and agricultural land, each playing a vital role in cultural and ecological identity. At Juniper Scent, we promote sustainable traditions, responsible land use, and biodiversity awareness, highlighting practices that respect the environment while supporting rural livelihoods. By documenting traditional knowledge tied to nature, we contribute to preserving Lebanon’s environmental and cultural heritage together.