NOVEMBER 2019

BEIROET: stories and recipes from a Mediterranean city


Creative direction & cover design


BEIROET is the first solo cookbook by Merijn Tol and published by Nijgh & Van Ditmar.

The book, which is written in Dutch, doubles as an address book and city guide simultaneously. It tells various stories from the city through people, anecdotes and—of course—recipes.

Steering away from near-orientalist clichés for the cover, both visually and typographically, was a conscious decision. A parsley/cilantro motif in a fresh green takes centre stage. Unsung heroes and staples in the Lebanese kitchen, both herbs are used with abundant generosity.

The letterforms of BEIROET evoke the rich vernacular of the city whilst celebrating the contemporary design scene of the Arab world. The latin version of the title is set in Gothic Bold, and the Arabic counterpart uses Safwat, a 2016 display font designed by Ghalia Elsrakbi for Khotout West El-Balad (Downtown Cairo Typefaces Project).

You can grab a copy of BEIROET in most bookshops in Amsterdam and the Netherlands. You can also find it online here and here.

Merijn Tol is a food writer, author, and culinary consultant. Nijgh & Van Ditmar is one of the oldest publishing houses in the Netherlands.

︎ Food Photography by Tanya Traboulsi
︎ Food styling Maaike Koorman
︎ Published by Nijgh & Van Ditmar

︎ Book shots by Charbel Saade