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Syrian cuisine

Culinary traditions of Syria

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Syrian cuisine is a Middle Eastern cuisine that includes the cooking traditions and practices of Syria and the culinary culture of its inhabitants. Syrian specialties makes use of eggplant, zucchini, garlic, meat (mostly from lamb and sheep), sesame seeds, rice, chickpeas, fava beans, lentils, steak, cabbage, cauliflower, vine leaves, pickled turnips, cucumbers, tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, mint, pistachios, honey and fruits.

Selections of appetizers known as mezze are customarily served along with Arabic bread before the Syrian meal's main course, which is followed by coffee, with sweet confections or fruits at will. Many recipes date from at least the 13th century.^[1]

Shawarma, which consists of sliced meat (usually mutton or chicken) arranged on an inverted cone and cooked using a spit or a grill, is a popular dish in Syria.

Foods[edit]

Meze[edit]

eggplant (aubergine) mashed and mixed with seasonings

mashed roasted eggplant

a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both

green beans with olive oil, lemon and garlic

pieces of Arabic bread covered with other ingredients

Fatteh with makdous and minced meat

Fatteh with meat

Fatteh made with beef or sheep tallow

Fatteh made with vegetable, corn, or olive oil

Fatteh with chicken

salad made from several garden vegetables and toasted or fried pieces of pita bread

usually sliced and grilled or fried

lentils with dough

a dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic

hummus with meat on top

eggs in tomato stew, Syrian shakshouka

drained yogurt

in the Middle East, dishes made of bulghur, chopped meat, and spices

strained yogurt which tastes similar to cream or sour cream only more tart

a thin piece of dough topped with minced meat and vegetables.

Stuffed and pickled eggplants

chopped zucchini with rice

grilled eggplant (aubergine) mashed with olive oil, tomato, onion and garlic

ahot pepper dip from Aleppo,^[2] made from Aleppo pepper

mashed eggplant (aubergine) blended with tahini, olive oil, salt and garlic

cooked yoghurt

skewered cubes of meat

bulgur, finely chopped parsley, mint, tomato, spring onion, with lemon juice, olive oil and seasonings

Stuffed vine leaves[edit]

Grape leaves stuffed with rice and minced meat cooked and served hot

Grape leaves stuffed with rice and a variety of vegetables and served hot or cold

Kebab[edit]

Grilled meat

Kebab served with a spicy tomato sauce and Aleppo pepper, with about 26 variants^[3] including

• Kebab hindi (كباب هندي), made from rolled lamb, with tomato paste, onion, capsicum and pomegranate molasses
• Kebab kamayeh (كباب كميه), made from soft meat with truffle pieces, onion and various nuts
• Kebab karaz (كباب كرز), made from lamb meatballs with cherries and cherry paste, pine nuts, sugar and pomegranate molasses
• Kebab khashkhash (كباب خشخاش), made from rolled lamb or beef with chili pepper paste, parsley, garlic and pine nuts
• Siniyyet kebab (صينيّة كباب), mad from lean minced lamb served on a tray with chili pepper, onion and tomato

Kibbe[edit]

A variety of Syrian dishes made from a fried, baked, grilled, cooked, or raw mixture of bulghur and minced lamb are called kibbe (كبّة).

A plate of baked kibbeh

Kibbeh with a rice crust; though named after Aleppo, this recipe seems to be of Iraqi origin

Kibbeh with lemon juice

Cooked kibbeh with yogurt

Grilled kibbeh

Raw kibbeh

Kibbeh with quince

Kibbeh with sumac

Mahshi (stuffed squash)[edit]

A famous dish served in Syria is made from vegetables (usually zucchini—كوسا / kūsā, or eggplant—باذنجان / bādhinjān) which are stuffed (محشي / maḥshī) with ground beef or lamb or mutton, nuts, and rice.

Street food[edit]

Syrian street food includes:

Ice cream known for its elastic texture, which is caused by the presence of mastic

Fried balls or patties of spiced, mashed chickpeas, most often served in Arabic bread, with pickles, tahina, hummus, sumac, cut-vegetable salad and often, shatteh, a hot sauce, the type used depending on the falafil maker

Rings of bread, made from farina and other ingredients, commonly sprinkled with sesame seeds, occasionally served on the table to accompany Syrian cheese; a buttery and sweetened version, filled with crushed dates or walnuts, is eaten as a dessert, usually served to eat with string cheese shaped into a braid (jibneh mashallaleh)

Dough topped with za'atar, cheese or ground meat; it can be sliced or folded, and it can be served either for breakfast or lunch

Sliced and marinated meat shaved off a roasting skewer and stuffed into Arabic bread or sometimes baguette, alone with hummus, or with additional trimmings such as fresh onion, French fries, salads and pickles

Sweets[edit]

Layered pastry filled with nuts, steeped in a honey syrup called atr (قطر), and usually cut in a triangular or diamond shape

A sort of sesame seed cookie, made from white sesame seeds, butter, sugar, milk and honey^[4]

A sweet cake made of cooked semolina or farina soaked in simple syrup

Syrian-style cotton candy. Made mainly from flour with a honey syrup called atr (قطر).^[5]

Made mainly from sugar and flour with a red food coloring^[6]

A very thin French pastry with butter and sugar

Sugar cotton candy stuffed with pistachios or cashews

Also known as al Qurmashliya, made from flour, water and salt, fried with oil until they form little pieces, which would be colored afterwards^[7]

Pastry rolled and stuffed with cheese or thick milk cream, served with a honey syrup called atr (قطر)

A slab of sesame paste studded with fruit and candy/sweets

A sort of milk pudding

Shoelace pastry dessert stuffed with sweet white cheese, nuts and syrup

Biscuits filled with dates, pistachios or walnuts, and shaped in a wooden mould called tabi (طابع), a popular sweet on Christian holidays (Easter), Muslim holidays ('Id al-Fitr), and Jewish holidays (Purim)

Mixture of semolina and ghee simmered in water with sugar, usually served with salty cheese or milk cream called qishteh (قشطة)

A sort of milk pudding

A layer of semi-salty Nabulsi cheese covered with a semolina dough and drizzled with a honey syrup called atr (قطر)

Semolina dough stuffed with a paste made from sweet walnuts or milk cream, with a honey syrup called atr (قطر)

Dried apricot paste

A confection based on a gel of starch and sugar

Made from rice mixed with water or milk and other ingredients such as cinnamon

A confection of sesame seeds and sugar or honey, with some Saponaria^[6]

A disc-shaped pastry steeped in a honey syrup called atr (قطر) while the centre is covered with smashed pistachios

Round dry pastry, the centre of which is filled with pistachios, cashews or other nuts

Thin sheets of semolina dough, boiled, rolled and stuffed with pistachios or milk cream called qishteh (قشطة)

Phyllo pastries with various fillings

Cheeses[edit]

• Halloumi—a semi-hard, unripened, brined cheese
• Jibne baida—a white hard cheese with a pronounced salty taste
• Jibne khadra—a form of string cheese, originated in Syria, also known as jibneh mshallaleh
• Shanklish—a type of blue cheese made from cow's or sheep's milk and often served topped with dried thyme and olive oil

Beverages[edit]

Acaffeine-infused drink produced from ground yerba mate leaves and served hot

A distilled alcoholic spirit, transparent in color, made from grapes and spiced with anise seeds

A yogurt-based beverage mixed with salt and water

Afruit syrup which can be combined with liquid to form a hot or warm beverage

Mint lemonade

A caffeine-free drink made from water and orange blossom water, sweetened with sugar at will, usually served in lieu of coffee

A thick apricot juice, typically served for Iftar during Ramadan

A traditional winter beverage, made with a flour from the tubers of the orchid genus Orchis; salep flour is consumed in beverages and desserts

A beverage prepared from yeast-fermented malt, flavored with hops

A beverage made from lightly roasted coffee beans along with cardamom, and served in small cups (as with Turkish coffee)

An alcoholic beverage made from fermented grapes

Liquorice drink is prepared from the roots of liquorice, and it is a refreshing drink with many benefits, and it is often prepared cold and in the summer

See also[edit]

• Mediterranean cuisine
• Levantine cuisine
• Middle Eastern cuisine
• Arab cuisine

References[edit]

• Syrian wine Château Bargylus

Further reading[edit]

• Gerbino, Virginia Jerro; Kayal, Philip (2002). A taste of Syria. New York: Hippocrene. ISBN 9780781809467.
• Kadé-Badra, Dalal; Badra, Elie (2013). Flavours of Aleppo : celebrating Syrian cuisine. Vancouver, Canada: Whitecap Books. ISBN 9781770501782.

External links[edit]

Media related to Cuisine of Syria at Wikimedia Commons

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