Syrian cuisine: history, names of dishes, recipes, description with photos and necessary ingredients

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Syrian cuisine is diverse, and is a mixture of the culinary traditions of the Arab, Mediterranean and Caucasian peoples. It mainly uses eggplant, zucchini, garlic, meat (often lamb and lamb), sesame seeds, rice, chickpeas, beans, lentils, white and cauliflower, grape leaves, cucumbers, tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, mint, pistachios, honey and fruits.

What dishes are used?

Syrian cuisine practices the use of a large selection of snacks known as mezze. They are usually served with Arabic bread before the main course, followed by coffee with sweets and fruit. The culinary tradition of this country is remarkable in that many of its recipes date back to the Middle Ages. As you can see from the photo attached to the article, Syrian cuisine has a certain aesthetics.

Tabbouleh salad and creamy hummus, well known foroutside of this country, are key elements of the traditional mezze. As a main dish, kibbeh is most well known. Its main element is minced lamb or beef, richly seasoned and mixed with bulgur.

Syrian food is usually s alty, spicy or sour. In addition to the generous use of s alt in the cooking process, pickled cheeses are widely used here. Lemon juice is as popular as it is in all Mediterranean dishes. Also used in Syrian dishes is sumac, a red spice that adds a lemony flavor to salads and meats.

This article provides some interesting Syrian recipes that you can replicate at home. These dishes have long been known internationally and are served in restaurants around the world.

Tabbouleh

This is one of the most popular Syrian dishes. Its main ingredients are parsley and bulgur. Tabbouleh can be served with hummus, on sandwiches, or as an appetizer on its own. This type of mezze can be easily made at home in about thirty minutes. We can say that this is the hallmark of Syrian cuisine. The recipe with a photo is presented below, and for it you will need:

• 1/4 cup bulgur;
• 4 cups parsley, finely chopped;
• half a cup mint, chopped;
• 6 bunches green onions, finely chopped;
• 3/4-1 glass of lemon juice;
• half a cup of olive oil;
• garlic, minced (optional);
• 4 tomatoes, firm and ripe,diced;
• 1 teaspoon s alt (optional);
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper.

Cooking a popular snack

Wash the parsley under running water to remove any dirt or fertilizer residue. Shake greens lightly to remove excess water.

Soak bulgur in water for about 20 minutes. Then add the cereal and one cup of boiling water to a small bowl. Cover with a dish towel and let the grits swell until soft. This will take about 20 more minutes.

While the bulgur is soaking, prepare the vegetables by washing and cutting them. Chop the parsley, mint and onion. Set aside these ingredients. If you wish, you can complement this national Syrian dish with additional broccoli or cucumbers.

Using a strainer, drain the water from the bulgur. Press down with a paper towel to remove excess liquid.

Mix bulgur, parsley, mint and green onions in a large bowl. Squeeze and strain into the mixture about ¾ cup lemon juice. Taste and adjust the acidity of the dish to your taste.

Add olive oil, s alt and black pepper to taste. Using a garlic press, add a few cloves of fresh garlic in a tabula. Put four diced tomatoes into the mixture, gently mix with the rest of the ingredients. Then cover the bowl and leave the tabouleh to cool for half an hour. Serve cold.

Famoushummus

This is a very popular and traditional food in Syrian cuisine. The recipe with a photo is presented below, and it is surprisingly simple. You can serve it with any dish, and also use it as a bread spread. To make this mezze you will need:

• 250 grams of chickpeas;
• 150ml tahini;
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice;
• 1 liter of water;
• table s alt;
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin;
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika;
• 3 table spoons of olive oil;
• 1 tablespoon parsley (chopped);
• juice from one lemon;
• 1/2 green chile (chopped).

How to make classic hummus?

This dish of Syrian cuisine is prepared like this. Take a large bowl and put the chickpeas in it. Then pour enough water to cover it by 2 centimeters. Leave overnight. In the morning, the grains will look plump and soft.

Place the pot on the stove and add the chickpeas and water to it. Add some more water and heat it to high temperature. When the contents begin to boil, a thick foam will begin to rise. Remove it with a spoon and discard. Then reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan with a lid not completely, leaving a small hole. Boil for an hour and a half, adding more water during cooking if necessary. When cooked, chickpeas should be very soft and tender. You should be able to crush it with a spoon.

Place two spoons of chickpeas in a bowland set aside. Then place the remaining grains in a blender. Close the lid and puree until it becomes a fairly smooth paste. Add paprika and then cumin, chopped chili and parsley.

Squeeze the juice from the lemon while continuing to mix. Then add tahini there, season with s alt and continue to beat. Pour in some water to moisten the mixture. Whisk again until all ingredients are well combined. Make sure the amount of s alt and lemon juice is to your liking. After that, the dish is ready.

Place two large spoonfuls of hummus on a serving plate. Then, using the back of a spoon, spread it out to make a well in the middle. Put the reserved two scoops of chickpeas in there.

Mezze with nuts and red paprika

This Syrian recipe is a great way to get a whole range of flavors. In addition, the more different plants and vegetables you eat, the he althier your digestion works. For this he althy snack you will need:

• 2 red paprika, diced;
• 3 tbsp. l. extra virgin olive oil;
• 150 grams walnuts, roasted;
• bunch of coriander or parsley;
• s alt and pepper.

How to do it?

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place the paprika slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake them at the top of the oven for 30 minutes, then place them in a blender with the rest of the ingredients and chop. Add morewalnuts if you want a very thick mass. Serve the mezze with slices of fresh crunchy vegetables such as carrots, celery, cabbage or baby zucchini. If desired, this appetizer can be spread on tortillas or crackers.

Kibbeh

A review of Syrian cuisine would be incomplete without a recipe for the main meat dish. As noted above, kibbeh is a dish of minced meat with spices and cereals. Various types of meat can be used for it, from beef to goat meat and camel meat. One of the best options is a combination of ground beef and lamb. So, you will need the following:

• 500 grams minced beef;
• 500 grams minced lamb;
• half of an onion, finely chopped;
• 1 large handful of leaf parsley, finely minced with a sharp knife;
• 3 tsp dry bulgur;
• 1 tsp fresh ground white pepper;
• 1 tablespoon mixed spices;
• 1 tsp orange pepper flakes;
• 2 tablespoons olive oil;
• hummus and tabouleh to serve.

How to make this?

This dish of Syrian cuisine is prepared like this. Place the ground beef in a medium bowl and toss with the onion, parsley, s alt, white pepper, seasoning and pepper flakes. Stir until all ingredients are combined into a homogeneous mass.

To make kibbeh on skewers, pour olive oil into a shallow bowl and dip your hands in it to prevent meat from sticking to them.

Take the skewer in your left hand (if you are right-handed, and vice versa - if you are left-handed). Scoop up some of the kibbeh mixture with your hand, form it into a ball and pierce it in the center with the sharp tip of the skewer until the minced meat is 3 cm from the puncture point. Using the same hand, shape the kibbeh into a sausage so that it stays evenly wrapped around the skewer. You must leave another 3 cm at the bottom of the skewer free. Don't make the mince layer too thick. Otherwise, kibbeh may simply not be fried inside. Repeat the same steps with the remaining mixture to fill 15-20 skewers.

Preheat the grill or prepare the grill. Cook the kibbeh on three sides (i.e. turning twice) for 3-4 minutes per side or until browned. If you turn the meat more times, you run the risk of drying it out. Serve immediately with hummus and tabbouleh. In the absence of a grill, kibbeh can be cooked both in the oven and in a pan.

Baklava

These are sweet dessert cookies made from layers of thin dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. To prepare this sweet Syrian dish, you will need the following:

• 2-3 cups walnuts or pistachios;
• 2 table spoons of sugar;
• 2 teaspoons orange zest;
• 1 teaspoon of rose water;
• 350 grams of ghee or melted butter.

For syrup:

• 440 gramssugar;
• 250ml water;
• lemon juice from one fruit;
• ½ tsp orange syrup;
• ½ tsp rose water.

Cooking Syrian dessert

Lightly crush the nuts in a food processor. Transfer them to a bowl and mix with sugar, orange zest and rose water.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 20 x 30 cm baking sheet with ghee or melted butter. Spread a layer of nut butter over it and brush with plenty of oil. Continue layering these ingredients until all the paste is used up, brush with oil on top.

Carefully cut the baklava into slices. Pour more melted butter on top and bake for about 55 minutes or until golden.

Meanwhile prepare the syrup. Combine sugar, water and lemon juice in a saucepan over low heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and add orange syrup and rose water. Pour the prepared syrup over the hot dough. This delicacy becomes especially tasty the next day, when it is well soaked in syrup. However, you can also serve it warm.