Syrian cuisine is considered one of the most ancient and authentic kitchens in the Arab world. It is characterized by its diversity, due to the different civilizations that flourished in the region—the capital, Damascus, is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. There is no doubt that the Syrian Cuisine was influenced by both global and neighboring cuisines since, in the past, Syria came under the control of the Ottoman Empire and a French Mandate.
Each region in Syria has distinct and famous dishes, from Damascus, Aleppo, Horan, and Al-Badia to the coastal cities. This variety is positively reflected in Syrian cuisine, and Syrian chefs have leverage that and improve on it with their exceptional taste and artistic touch. Over time, many more recipes were added to the menu of the Syrian Cuisine, later to be called oriental foods.This page introduces you to the most delicious dishes of the Syrian Cuisine.
A beloved Syrian national dish, kibbeh consists of finely ground meat, bulgur wheat, and aromatic spices, often served in various forms such as fried or baked.
A delicious one-pot dish consisting of meat (usually chicken or lamb), rice, and vegetables, cooked together and inverted for an impressive presentation.
One thing you’ll notice about traditional Syrian foods is that they sure do love stuffing things into grape leaves. Yabraq is another one of those dishes. Similar to a dolma, but with a few changes in the cooking method. Initially, the grape leaves start as frozen, which are boiled to be ready for rolling. The stuffing consists of minced lamb meat, liyeh (sheep or lamb tail fat), salt, pepper and boiled Egyptian rice. You tightly roll the meat stuffing into the grape leaves. Then, you slow-cook it in lemon juice, garlic cloves, water, and salt for two hours on low heat
Kibbeh bil sanieh is a three layer kibbeh dish. Instead of frying, people bake this in the oven. The top and bottom layer are a blend of beef and bulgur. The middle layer consists of sautéed ground beef and pine nuts. Kibbeh is a traditional dish of the Levant region, and especially in Syria. Although, Brazil has a variation that uses cheese.
A very popular Syrian grilled meat dish, kebab halabi are skewered and grilled kebabs. People serve it with a Syrian tomato sauce and strained yogurt. The kebabs are made of ground meat (usually beef or lamb) mixed with nuts, seven spice mix, onions, and other vegetables and salt. Then, the mix is wrapped around skewers in a long patty shape and grilled over open fire. This grilled saucy kebab is served on top of vermicelli or flavored rice.
Also originally from Lebanon, but now made with a Syrian twist to it is the Syrian spiced fish dish known as samaka harra. The dish is made by taking a cleaned and filleted fish and baking it in a spicy tomato sauce made from garlic, onions, pepper, salt, and tomatoes. The cooked meal is absolutely melt-in-your-mouth delicious that will leave you wanting several helpings.
The main ingredient of Sheikh Al-Mahshi is zucchini, along with ground beef or chicken and yogurt. It has a unique flavor but takes a long time to prepare; you have to scrap out the zucchini first then fill it with meat and pine nuts. While it takes time, the taste makes it worth all the effort!It is everybody’s favorite lunch so you will always find in on the menu, especially in the holy month of Ramadan. Various types of accompaniments are served with it, particularly sour pickles and eggplant dip.
There are many types of Mansaf but al-Melehi is one of the most famous and the most delicious. This dish comes from the Horan region in the South of Syria.It is cooked in a pressure cooker and served on huge special plates at weddings, holidays, and other special occasions. It consists of bulgur wheat immersed in ghee with lamb and yogurt. the dish is served hot with fried kibbeh and vegetables.
This is a dish of Uzbek origin, but it has been modified according to Syrian ingredients. Shish Barak is famous in the Levant, Saudi Arabia, and the Hijaz.It consists of dough stuffed with ground lamb and nuts and boiled with yogurt. It’s also referred to as Athan Alshaeb, which means the ear of an old man, because of its shape and color.
Mujadara is popular in Syria, but also a popular food in neighboring Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. It is made of brown lentils cooked with rice or bulgur wheat with roasted onions.There is no clear story about the origin of the name Al-Mujadara, but some think that it comes from the word Mqdara, which means authentic meal. Mqdara turned into Mujadara in the Bedouin dialect!
The cuisine of Aleppo is rich with all sorts of tasty recipes, and there are dozens of Aleppo kibbeh recipes, including grilled kibbeh. It is slightly difficult to make Aleppo grilled kibbeh, so some people go to restaurants or buy them pre-made, while others prefer to endure long hours of crafting this delicious meal for their family.Grilled kibbeh is a staple dish in Syrian cuisine and is usually enjoyed with pickles and pomegranate molasses.
This saucy Syrian dish is particularly famous along the coast and it’s also known as the Syrian Shakshouka. The ingredients include finely minced tomatoes and onions, which are then cooked with ghee or oil. Magic happens when you crack a couple of eggs into the sautéed vegetables and add a pinch of salt and pepper.
Kawaj is a casserole-like dish that features flavorful meatballs, potatoes, pepper, onion, and tomatoes.It’s healthy, filling, and accompanies rice beautifully. This version is done in the Crockpot for minimal effort and clean-up. The meatballs are the star of this dish. Seasoned with a special Arabic spice blend, called baharat.Baharat is a little sweet, a little savory, and seriously tasty. If you can’t find baharat in your store, no worries, you can make it yourself.It typically contains these spices: black pepper, paprika, cardamom, coriander, nutmeg, cumin, cloves, and cinnamon.
It is traditionally made with special sour cherries that grow around Aleppo called Washneh that are harvested during cherry season in June. They’re known as Saint Lucie’s cherries in English and can be difficult to find outside of Syria fresh or frozen morello cherries can be substituted. It is also possible to use dried sour cherries that have been soaked in water.
