Ice-cream parlour Miska: lickable legacy from Lebanon

At artisanal ice-cream parlour Miska, three Lebanese from Brussels are treating the city's taste buds with elastic ice cream, infused with enchanting Levantine flavours like ashta and baklava.

It was some five years ago that Lebanese native Zeina Hage landed in Brussels, after detours in Canada and Dubai. “I left Lebanon when I was just 18,” she shares, “but I always remained deeply attached to the comfort food of my youth. Like a shawarma sandwich, and most definitely ashta ice cream.” Ashta – a type of thick cream – with orange blossom and pistachio nuts is a lickable tradition in Lebanon. “But here in Brussels, it was impossible to find, well, Lebanese ice cream in general.” After which, she gave up her job as an engineering consultant and founded the Miska ice-cream parlour with her husband Anthony and ice-cream maker Rachad a year ago.

What makes Lebanese ice cream distinctive?
Zeina Hage: It is denser and more elastic than well-known gelato, and it also takes more time to melt. These qualities come from two crucial ingredients: salep, made from the powder of orchid roots, and mastic, which is resin from trees on the Greek island of Chios. Incidentally, the name of our ice-cream parlour refers to another name for mastic: miskeh.

What are your star flavours?
Hage: The ashta ice cream, where it all began for us, is our showpiece. Other Lebanese classics include mastic, orange blossom, rose, and baklava. In addition, we also offer flavours familiar here. And we also have vegan and sugar-free ice cream. We try to reconcile tradition and innovation.

You initially set up shop amongst the tourists, on Beenhouwersstraat/Rue des Bouchers.
Hage: It seemed a safe option to start in a tourist spot, although we sometimes have to defend ourselves here. When I heard a guide say that you can't eat decently anywhere in Beenhouwersstraat/Rue des Bouchers, I immediately challenged that. (Laughs) Meanwhile, we have a second ice-cream shop in Ukkel/Uccle, where we attract a different clientele, mainly local residents. And we are hatching plans to expand outside Brussels.

Info: miskaicecream.com