tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632Fri, 24 Apr 2026 08:24:02 +0000Syrian CuisineSyrian Food101 MezzeVegetarianSyrian ClassicsFood ThoughtsRecipesStartersMy RecipePersonalModern Syrian CuisineOther FoodRestaurant ReviewsIngredientsSaladHistoryMainSnacksDrinkQuick SupperStreet FoodTraditionBreakfastProduct reviewSidesSoupSweetsBlogosphereSyrian Foodie diaries, thoughts, stories and delicious recipes.http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Kano)Blogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-1295386053948150151Wed, 17 Feb 2016 21:59:00 +00002016-02-17T22:00:39.100+00:00101 MezzeProduct reviewQuick SupperRecipesSyrian Cuisine Sainsbury's has introduced a new(ish) flat bread couple of months ago and it is fantastic! Miles better than any pitta bread you can buy from a high street supermarket. The bread is a folded softer version of pitta bread (higher fat content, judging by the paper packaging). Its two layers are too thin to be opened as a pitta pocket. You need to to fold the bread over the sandwich http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2016/02/one-hundred-and-one-mezze-32-arayes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-3893208426969202998Mon, 06 Oct 2014 17:00:00 +00002014-10-07T13:15:48.603+01:00My RecipePersonal Sorry I am writing this a bit late but I am currently swamped with work, research and few extra-curricular activities not running smoothly these days. Whinge over! As I mentioned in my last post, Michael Hanson chef and owner of The Hearth Pizzeria and Bake House has kindly invited me to help run a charity event in aid of Syria. Michael wanted to serve food that represents http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2014/10/food-from-levant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-214022896059790308Wed, 10 Sep 2014 20:51:00 +00002014-09-10T21:51:12.746+01:00 Master baker Michael Hanson chef and owner of The Hearth Pizzeria and Bake House in Lewes Sussex will be hosting a charity event featuring the best food and wine the Levant has to offer. £10 of every ticket will go directly to Hand in Hand for Syria Charity to support much needed food and medicine projects. Michael has kindly invited me to join his kitchen for the evening. We will be servinghttp://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2014/09/food-from-levant-charity-event-at.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-3194527320055213171Thu, 31 Jul 2014 15:32:00 +00002014-07-31T16:35:31.009+01:00Product review Almost a year ago I was contacted by Paul, the man behind Cocoa Hernando, asking for ideas to develop a Syria inspired chocolate bar. I quickly surveyed my Facebook friends for the most "Syrian" flavour to go into a chocolate bar. We came up with a variety of flavours from pistachio nuts to rose petal jam. However the clear winner flavour was orange peel. I fed these back to http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2014/07/chocolate-bar-for-syria.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-2776043993090198963Tue, 15 Jul 2014 16:53:00 +00002014-11-26T14:47:49.382+00:00MainModern Syrian CuisineMy RecipePersonal Lamb shanks were a revelation the first time I tried them. Believe it or not  that was only 5 years or so ago.  In Syria we don't cook Lamb shanks the way God intended. Instead we take the meat off the bone cut it into cubes and use it to cook stews. The cut is called Mozat (موزات). I assume it is from the Arabic word Mozeh which means banana. I assume because the the shape http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2014/07/potato-makmora-my-style.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-8761455084615351794Wed, 09 Jul 2014 16:36:00 +00002014-07-09T17:37:55.820+01:00 I first published this post five years ago. I read it today for the first time since then. It brought a tear to my eye remembering a time of peace and happiness in my Damascus.  I decided to republish it as traffic to my blog triple in Ramadan form hungry readers looking for food inspirations. Since first posted I have cooked a lot of the dishes listed so I thought it will be helpful to http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2014/07/ramadan-special-iftar-revisited.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-6524318669273273109Wed, 23 Apr 2014 22:01:00 +00002014-04-23T23:01:00.026+01:00101 MezzeSaladSidesVegetarian Potato occupies an awkward spot in Syrian cuisine.  It is not a true vegetables in the way we use vegetables in our cooking. We don't have the concept of meat and two veg. Instead vegetables are either cooked in some sort of a stew and served as a main or cooked in olive oil and served as a vegetarian side dish. Potato does not fit either.  Potato is not our main source of http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2014/04/one-hundred-and-one-mezze-31-potato.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-3151772971218600711Wed, 12 Mar 2014 22:11:00 +00002014-03-12T22:11:55.608+00:00Other FoodPersonalQuick Supper If you are one of the handful of people still reading my blog after couple of years of only occasional posts you might know I was born and lived most of my childhood in Saudi Arabia. I hope this would not offend any of my Saudi readers but I really hated the place. We used to live in Abha. It was at the time a small town high up in the mountains close to Yemen. The nature and weather were http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2014/03/shawarma-al-jazeera-taste-of-my.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-6163948106520778833Mon, 24 Feb 2014 00:09:00 +00002014-06-05T15:04:48.290+01:00HistoryMainOther FoodRecipesTradition Up to and including the infamous Olympic rings incident, the Sochi games have been a complete PR disaster for Russia (On some level I am disappointed things didn't go spectacularly wrong in Sochi. Nothing would have made me happier than seeing Putin’s Russia the laughing stock of the world). While most of the column inches where directed at the discriminatory homophobic laws, another http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2014/02/sochi-dark-legacy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-3849223991522760026Sat, 08 Feb 2014 12:54:00 +00002014-02-09T22:51:49.533+00:00RecipesSyrian CuisineTraditionVegetarian Syrians have an inherent inability to finish anything right (see Syrian Revolution). They start a wonderful piece of work or a nice project then they ruin it on the final details. Nowhere is that more apparent than restaurants menus. You can hardly see a restaurant menu around damascus without a bleeding obvious spelling mistake or dodgy translation. The paralysis part of the name http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2014/02/paralysis-cheese-and-other-dodgy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-5917877178702090369Sun, 04 Aug 2013 21:56:00 +00002013-08-04T23:42:15.046+01:00Food Thoughts Over the last week, the most reported story from Syria wasn't the hundreds of people killed by Assad gangs nor was it fighter jets bombing civilian homes in Aleppo. It was an alleged ban on eating croissant by a religious committee in rebel controlled Aleppo.  Sounds ludicrous, doesn't it? It must be a joke. Not according to the Time, CNN, Washington Post, Huffington Post and http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2013/08/viva-la-zaatar-croissant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-7488291573999515008Sat, 03 Aug 2013 22:23:00 +00002013-08-03T23:23:29.397+01:00Food ThoughtsRestaurant ReviewsStreet Food When Yalla Yalla restaurant first opened in Soho it created a lot of buzz in the foodies quarters and it became an instant hit with the über crowd (I am so sorry for using that word but the option was the equally annoying in crowd). It had all the right ingredients to create a buzz; trendy location, no booking policy leading to long queue at lunch hour, small menu, communal tables and wooden http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-not-to-make-shawerma.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-6827171134914850303Tue, 05 Mar 2013 07:05:00 +00002013-03-05T07:07:22.621+00:00 The team behind Syrian Supper Club are running a huge fundraising event in support of UK registered charity Syria Relief. Specifically the money will go to support two projects, a field hospital in Northern Syria paying for three doctors, two nurses and two porters and "Bread" where flour is bought in Turkey, transported to Syria, baked and distributed free of charge to http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2013/03/cooking-for-syria.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-793245695249549829Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:49:00 +00002012-02-02T22:04:06.745+00:00101 MezzeStartersSyrian Cuisine 30 years ago Syria's Assad regime committed one of the worst massacres in the twentieth century. 20000 people of the city of Hama lost their lives at the hands of the regime army. They didn't spare anyone, man, woman or child. Men and boys dragged out of their houses, lined against the walls and killed by fire squads.  30 years on, the Assad junior regime is committing the same http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2012/02/one-humndred-and-one-mezze-30-batersh.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-2916847433566730538Sun, 03 Jul 2011 09:19:00 +00002011-07-03T22:32:04.645+01:00IngredientsI am not sure how "new" this bread from Warburtons is, but I only discovered it three weeks ago. During this time I had loads of it. I used it in all manners possible. Wraps, mezze scope, folded and toasted and topped with all kinds of ingredients and flashed under the grill.I have the tendency to do that whenever I discover a new ingredient. For a month or so I try all kind of things, some http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/07/square-wraps.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-934711214856405384Sun, 26 Jun 2011 07:35:00 +00002011-08-07T17:47:24.274+01:00Food ThoughtsSyrian ClassicsSyrian CuisineThis post is dedicated to the brave people of Latakia, Baniyas, Jableh and Al-Bayda village. God bless you and bless your martyrs. One of my earliest, and most vague, memories of food was in a small seaside restaurant on some Syrian coastal town, most likely in Tartous. My dad and great uncle where invited by our waiter to come and chose our table fish. I tagged along and we were taken to the http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/06/sayadieh-food-of-brave.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-5068124308327723759Sat, 04 Jun 2011 14:08:00 +00002011-06-25T10:29:38.562+01:00My RecipePersonalSyrian CuisineWhen I started this blog two years ago I had two aims in mind, firstly to share my love of food and secondly, and most importantly, to show my beloved country Syria in all its beauty. To share with all of you everything good about the great Syrian people, about their cuisine, their life and their history. A propaganda website, not for a regime or government but for a land and city I love so much.http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/06/mlehy-food-of-brave.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-4201946087958433858Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:57:00 +00002011-03-09T22:19:55.653+00:00PersonalFinally a holiday. I haven't been back home for a whole year. I have not done that since I first moved to London. I can't wait to get there tomorrow night and have my traditional just-got-out-of-the-plane dinner, Shawerma Arabi. To all my regular readers, I am sorry I haven't been writing much and thank you for coming back to read the one or two posts I am managing to write every month. I have http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-am-of-to-syria.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-3258029423001871546Sun, 27 Feb 2011 10:41:00 +00002011-02-27T13:30:44.935+00:00IngredientsSafflower or عصفر in Arabic (pronounced Osfor) is a little know spice used in Damascene cooking. It has an earthy subtle flavour and gives dishes a light yellow orange colour. The spice is the dried petals of Safflowers flowers. Apart from being used in Syria and the wider Middle East as a spice, the plant is grown for its seed oil. It is also used in herbal medicine or as an organic dye for http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/02/safflower.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-7399790271370709060Sat, 19 Feb 2011 07:43:00 +00002011-02-27T21:02:00.468+00:00IngredientsModern Syrian CuisineMy RecipeFreekeh (فريكة roughly translated, Rubbed) is a type of wheat grain common in the Levant, Egypt, Turkey and parts of North Africa. Freekeh grains have a distinct nutty smokey flavour due to the preparation method. Traditionally freekeh is cooked as pilaf or soup but it is a versatile ingredients and can be utilised in numerous ways from salads to cereal bars.To make freekeh, wheat is harvested http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/02/freekeh-with-slow-roasted-lamb-shanks.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-767564163286061240Sat, 22 Jan 2011 21:54:00 +00002011-01-22T22:23:18.977+00:00101 MezzeStartersThis post and my previous one on shanklish were supposed to be one post but when I started writing I discovered I have a lot to say about shanklish. It is a delicious ingredient and almost unknown outside the Levant. It definitely deserved its own post.Today's recipe is the best way to enjoy shanklish. It works great as a light supper dish or as a mezze. As I mentioned previously, shanklish is http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/01/one-hundred-and-one-mezze-29-shanklish.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-5353612712159867494Mon, 03 Jan 2011 21:03:00 +00002011-01-03T23:43:27.598+00:00Food ThoughtsSidesSyrian ClassicsSyrian CuisineSyrian FoodYogurt in Syria is used in a total different way to that of England. We use yogurt in its unprocessed form. We don't eat it as a desert or a snack and never sweet or mixed with fruits. Yogurt for Syrians is a savory ingredient that is served next to food or used as a base ingredient of many dishes. We use yogurt by the bucket load quite literally! Traditionally Damascenes bought their yogurt fromhttp://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/01/yoghurt-tahini-or-both.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-8359467092206092408Tue, 21 Dec 2010 21:46:00 +00002010-12-21T22:04:03.366+00:00Food ThoughtsIf you are of the foodie types you will know pomegranate molasses has been in vouge for quite a while. You see it every where nowadays; in cooking shows, newspaper reviews and food blogs. Despite that I thought this interest is confined to foodies and TV chefs until I saw it on a high street supermarket shelf in deepest whitest Essex. The last place on Earth to sell pomegranate molasses!http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2010/12/pomegranate-molasses-gone-mainstream.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-9215332739125264747Sun, 12 Dec 2010 19:11:00 +00002010-12-12T19:18:03.785+00:00PersonalFor those who read my Kammun post, it is snowing in Damascus today.http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-much-i-miss-damascus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250163226623229632.post-3777622283527536864Sat, 11 Dec 2010 09:08:00 +00002010-12-11T17:48:45.172+00:00Food ThoughtsIngredientsVegetarianShanklish is the only "blue" cheese of Syria and Lebanon. I say blue because the cheese is left to age and develop mould layer on the surface. I used quotation marks because the mould is then rinsed away then the cheese balls are dried and rolled in a herb crust.Proper Shanklish making is a complicated lengthy process. It starts by turning milk into yoghurt. The yoghurt is placed in a large http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.com/2010/12/shanklish-blue-cheese-of-levant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kano)16