Lebanese olive oil soap, explained
Lebanese olive oil soap, called saboun baladi in Arabic, is traditional bar soap made mostly from olive oil, cut by hand and cured for weeks before it is used. In the mountains and valleys of Lebanon it has been the everyday soap of the house for centuries, one bar for face, body and hands.
What does saboun baladi mean?
Saboun is Arabic for soap and baladi means of the land, so saboun baladi is the plain, traditional bar of the country.
Baladi is said of anything local and made the old way: baladi eggs, baladi tomatoes, baladi soap. Ask for saboun baladi and you get the everyday olive oil bar, not a perfumed or factory one.
How is it made?
In small batches, kettle-cooked or cold pressed, then cut by hand, stamped and left to cure.
The soap is left to firm, cut into bars by hand, and stamped one at a time with the seal. No two are quite the same.
Which method depends on the batch and the season. Every Baraké batch is labelled with its method and its date; batch 001 is cold pressed.
Why does it cure for weeks?
A new bar still holds water; curing lets it dry slowly, so the bar hardens and lasts longer in use.
The bars are stacked on wooden racks and left alone while the water leaves them. How long depends on the method; batch 001 is cold pressed, cured 8 to 12 weeks.
| Method | Cured |
|---|---|
| kettle-cooked | 90 to 120 days |
| cold pressed | 8 to 12 weeks |
How do I tell a real bar from an imitation?
Read the label and look at the bar: a real one is called soap, lists olive oil first, carries a batch or a date, and shows the marks of the knife.
Ingredient lists usually run from the most to the least, so a bar sold as olive oil soap that lists another oil first has more of that oil than olive oil.
| Check | A real bar |
|---|---|
| The name | Soap, olive oil soap or saboun baladi. |
| The first ingredient | Olive oil, saponified olive oil or sodium olivate, which is olive oil once it has become soap. |
| A batch or a date | A batch number or a date, because each batch is made and cured on its own. |
| The edges | Cut by hand and a little uneven. No two bars are quite the same. |
| The scent | Olive oil, or essential oils named in the ingredient list. No synthetic fragrance. |
What does baraké mean?
Baraké means blessing. It is said the Lebanese way: bah rah KAY.
It is what you wish on a house, a meal and a good bar of soap. In English it is sometimes written Barake.
Where can I buy it?
Baraké sells Lebanese olive oil soap online, to addresses in the United States.
One square bar, 3.5 oz (100 g), from batch 001: made in the mountains and valleys of Lebanon, hand-cut, stamped and cured 8 to 12 weeks.
related guides
How to use olive oil soap, and keep it firm
Getting a lather, the first week, and keeping a bar firm between uses.
Olive oil soap on your face: one bar for face, body and hands
One bar for face, body and hands, and how to wash your face with it.