Arak is an integral part of Mount Lebanon's rural cycle, a means of converting the valuable grape harvest into a year-long commodity. With food, arak cleans the palate, while the aniseed helps digestion. Often served cold during outdoor, summer lunches, arak is the perfect accompaniment to the Mezze, the array of small, tasty morsels with contrasting flavors, such as olives, fresh almonds, spring onions, goat cheese and even raw, minced lamb.