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Food The Right One-2
Food The Right One-2
Muggeli
Syrians drink both shay and kahwa with plenty of sugar. Another hot drink is
muggeli – a spicy, tea with the taste of allspice and cinnamon, sometimes made
with walnuts floating on top. This drink is traditionally served to mothers
after giving birth.
Maamoul
Middle Eastern cookies are eaten in Ramadan, Easter and Eids. These and
other cookies are filled with cream, custard or sweetened date pudding.
Stuffed with date paste or chopped walnuts or pistachios, and dusted with
powdered sugar, these buttery cookies are the perfect reward after a month of
fasting during Ramadan or Lent. The dough is made with wheat flour or
semolina (or a combination of the two), then pressed into special molds,
traditionally carved in wood. And the fillings are fragrant with rosewater or
orange blossom.
Hummus
Hummus is a dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas or other
beans, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic."Hummus"
comes from the Arabic word meaning "chickpeas", and the complete name of
the prepared spread in Arabic is ḥummuṣ bi ṭ aḥīnawhich means "chickpeas
with tahini. One author calls hummus, "One of the most popular and best-
known of all Syrian dishes" and a "must on any mezzeh table. It is eaten as
both an appetizer and a main course, usually served with hot baked pita bread
and a bowl of olives.
Dawood Basha
As Syrians flee their homeland to neighboring countries they become part of
other Middle Eastern cultures and thereby adopt their traditional dishes. If
you’re wondering what the name means, Pasha or pascha was a high ranking
officer in the Ottoman Empire’s political and military system. The title was
typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. In Arabic there is no
P so the title is written and pronounced as basha . This dish is named after a
famous basha: Dawood basha who is said to have ruled over Lebanon and Iraq
and one of his chefs created this recipe especially for him.
Feta Fatayer
Fatayer are little pies popular throughout the Middle East. They can have a
variety of fillings, from meat to cheese or spinach. Spelling variations may
include Fatayer bil Sabanegh, Fatayer be Sabanegh, or Fatayer Bes Sabanekh.
Spinach is combined with onions and seasoned with sumac, paprika, salt,
pepper, and cayenne. It is lightly coated in a lemon and olive oil dressing
before sealing inside circles of dough and baking until golden and flaky. Its
small size makes Fatayer a perfect appetizer or light snack.
Baklava
In Syria, baklava is prepared from phyllo dough sheets, butter, walnuts and
sugar syrup. It is cut into lozenge pieces. Baklava from Aleppo is made with
the local pistachios and “samna” from Hama. There are numerous other
countries and ethnic groups who embrace baklava as dessert: Azerbaijan, Iran,
Turkey, Armenia, and Afghanistan are included. While the layers of nuts are
dough are similar, there are many variations on how baklava is made. There
are ‘dry’ versions (with less sugar syrup). A variety of nuts may be used such
as the glowing green pistachio, the bitter walnut, or the sweet almond. Even
the accessory flavors may vary from cinnamon to cloves to cardamom to a
drop of rosewater. Syrian Sweet Refuge baklava, is less intensely sweet than
the sticky confection familiar to many Americans.