Syrian cuisine

Culinary traditions of Syria

A typical Syrian meal beginning at lower left of center, and continuing clockwise: makdous, Syrian salad, hummus, haloumi and baba ganouj, with pita bread partially visible at upper right corner of photo

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

Meze

Stuffed vine leaves

Kebab

Kebab khashkhash from Aleppo

Kibbe

Kibbe

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

Mahshi (stuffed squash)

Kusa mahshi

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

Baking flat bread in the 1910s

Falafil and hummus in a Syrian breakfast

Shawarma

Booza

Syrian street food includes:

Sweets

Dried-apricot paste (qamar ad-din)

Halawet al-jibn

Pastry counter at a Syrian restaurant in Little Syria (Manhattan), 1910

Cheeses

• 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

Special edition of 5-year-aged Arak al-Hayat ('ara') from Homs, Syria

See also

• Food portal

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

References

1. Eddé, Anne-Marie. (1999). La Principauté ayyoubide d'Alep (579/1183 – 658/1260).
2. The Culinary Institute of America (2008). Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen (Hardcover ed.). Wiley. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-470-05590-8. Archived from the original on 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
3. "كونا :: المطبخ الحلبي ينفرد بتنوع اطعمته وطيب نكته 11/01/2006". kuna.net.kw. Archived from the original on 2013-09-22. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
4. "Barazek (Sesame Pistachio Cookies)". food52.com. 25 October 2015. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
5. "البشمينا حلويات اختصت بها مدينة حمص". SANA (in Arabic). 11 February 2015. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
6. "بلاطة جهنم والبشمينا والقرمشلية والسمسمية حلويات حمصية لذتها في بساطتها". aawsat.com (in Arabic). 24 April 2010. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
7. "الحلوى القرمشلية.. ألوانها الزاهية تجذب المارة في حمص". SANA (in Arabic). 26 February 2015. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2020.

• Syrian wine Château Bargylus

Further reading

• 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

Media related to Cuisine of Syria at Wikimedia Commons