The Cara

Collection

Created by N O Z

In collaboration with Alessi

As well as having great variety, Lebanese food is one of the freshest and most de-

licious food on the planet. Lamb is the meat of choice and appears in many dishes,

including kafta, in which minced lamb is rolled into sausage shapes and cooked on

the barbecue or in the oven. Generous amounts of olive oil, garlic, lemons are also

essential flavours in the Lebanese diet.

Lebanon has been colonised 17 times, which lead to such a wide diversity of food in

its culture.

Lebanon

For nearly a millennium, the Saj has been one of the culinary, world’s best-kept

secrets. Because transportation was so difficult, few countries outside the Middle East

knew the art of cooking on a metal dome heated from beneath.

It all starts with our paper-thin bread “Markouk”, which combines the finest flour with

rich olive oil and our secret seasonings imported from the lands of our Middle East-

ern ancestors. The bread is cooked atop the dome and is combined with succulent

meat, poultry, fish, or vegetables along with fresh cheeses, spices, marinades, or

sauces.

Saj Bread

The Making

The making of the Saj bread has always been a traditional process that has never

evolved. The cook always sits on the floor, where he is surrounded by the tools for

the preparation of the Saj. The tools include a place for the storage of the dough,

stomping the dough, tossing the dough to make it larger and thinner. Later, the

dough is placed carefully and poetically on a pillow that embraces it. After that, a

variety of toppings are available to be added to the dough while it’s being cooked

on the Saj.

The Cara

Collection

Introducing

The Cara Collection

The Cara Collection is the re-imagination of the Saj making process. The concept

preserves the traditional seating posture of the user, but creates comfortable spaces

that can be used during this bread making technique

The Cara

CollectionIn Detail

The “Dough Stamp” serves a variety of functions. The top part of this module

is used for the dough stomping and the toppings. The middle part provides

a storage area for the dough and the toppings. The module rotates to serve

which ever part that the user needs.

Dough Stamp

Pillow Stand

The “Pillow Stand” emphasizes the role of the pillow and elevates it from its

original place on the ground.

Saj

The “Saj” is a thin metalic dome that is heated by gas. The design shows how

light the dome is using the forms holding the base with top, which are inspired

by Arabesque patterns. The edges of the dome is bevelled to act as a drain

for the oragnic wastes.

Bread Tray

The “Bread Tray” creates a space for stacking the bread.

These tools are used throughout the process of baking the bread. The Spat-

ula is used to take the bread off of the Saj and also for scraping the waste

off of the Saj. The Spoon and the Clamps are used to add toppings on top of

the saj bread. The Flipper is used to fold the bread and slice it. The Maracas

are used to add salt and pepper to the wrap.