SYRIA
The middle ages
In 750, the Empire's capital was moved to Baghdad and the Syrian territory weakened, and eventually, the land was in turmoil between the Hamdanids, Byzantines, and Fatimids, all who wanted to rule the area. The Byzantines eventually won out, but things were still chaotic for hundreds of years. Eventually, Syria was conquered by the Seljuk Turks and then the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt in 1185.
For the next several centuries, Syria was held by Crusader states, Mongols, Egyptians, Mamluks, and in 1400, Timur Lenk (a Turko-Mongol general from Central Asia) captured Damascus, where many of the people were massacred and the Christian population suffered persecution. (Oddly enough, the artisans were spared and deported to Samarkand.)
The 20th century
In 1916, the Sykes-Picot Agreement from World War I secretly divided the Ottoman Empire into zones, and in 1918, when Arab and British troops captured Damascus and Aleppo, Syria became a League of Nations mandate and moved under French control in 1920.
In 1948 Syria got involved in the Arab-Israeli War out of protest from the establishment of Israel, and once the demilitarized zone under UN supervision was established, future Syrian-Israel negotiations became volatile (and remain heavily so since). Many Syrian Jews left the country.
There were three military coup d'etats in 1949, leading to a fourth coup in 1954.
In 750, the Empire's capital was moved to Baghdad and the Syrian territory weakened, and eventually, the land was in turmoil between the Hamdanids, Byzantines, and Fatimids, all who wanted to rule the area. The Byzantines eventually won out, but things were still chaotic for hundreds of years. Eventually, Syria was conquered by the Seljuk Turks and then the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt in 1185.
For the next several centuries, Syria was held by Crusader states, Mongols, Egyptians, Mamluks, and in 1400, Timur Lenk (a Turko-Mongol general from Central Asia) captured Damascus, where many of the people were massacred and the Christian population suffered persecution. (Oddly enough, the artisans were spared and deported to Samarkand.)
The 20th century
In 1916, the Sykes-Picot Agreement from World War I secretly divided the Ottoman Empire into zones, and in 1918, when Arab and British troops captured Damascus and Aleppo, Syria became a League of Nations mandate and moved under French control in 1920.
In 1948 Syria got involved in the Arab-Israeli War out of protest from the establishment of Israel, and once the demilitarized zone under UN supervision was established, future Syrian-Israel negotiations became volatile (and remain heavily so since). Many Syrian Jews left the country.
There were three military coup d'etats in 1949, leading to a fourth coup in 1954.
DISHES
Syrian cuisine is a diffusion of the cultures of civilizations that settled in Syria, particularly during and after the Islamic era beginning with the Arab Umayyad conquest, then the eventual Persian-influenced Abbasids and ending with the strong influences of Turkish cuisine, resulting from the coming of the Ottoman Turks. It is in many ways similar to other (Greater Syria) Levantine cuisines, mainly Lebanese, Palestinian, Jordanian and Iraqi.
KIBBEH
Ingredients
2 lbs finely ground beef or lamb, lean, divided
1/2 lb. bulghur cracked wheat, medium or #2
1 teaspoon salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1 teaspoon pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 medium onions, 1 finely chopped, and 1 coarsely chopped divided
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Vegetable oil for frying
Ingredients
2 lbs finely ground beef or lamb, lean, divided
1/2 lb. bulghur cracked wheat, medium or #2
1 teaspoon salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1 teaspoon pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 medium onions, 1 finely chopped, and 1 coarsely chopped divided
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Vegetable oil for frying
Directions
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In a medium frying pan, sauté the finely chopped onion in olive oil. Add pine nuts if desired. Add ground lamb or beef and chop well with wooden spoon or spatula to ensure the meat is chopped. Add allspice, salt, pepper, and cumin. Once beef is light brown, remove from heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Take an egg sized amount of shell mixture and form into a ball. With your finger, poke a hole in the ball, making space for filling. Add filling and pinch the top to seal the ball. You can then shape it into a point, or football shape, or leave as a ball.
- Fry in 350-degree oil on stove top or in a deep fryer for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. It makes 25 medium sized kibbeh.
JALLAB
Ingredients
¾ cup of chilled water
3 tablespoons date syrup (dibis also called date molasses)
2 teaspoons of rose water
Crushed ice
1 tablespoon pine nuts or 1 tablespoon blanched almonds
Ingredients
¾ cup of chilled water
3 tablespoons date syrup (dibis also called date molasses)
2 teaspoons of rose water
Crushed ice
1 tablespoon pine nuts or 1 tablespoon blanched almonds
Directions
Mix all but nuts.
Top with them.
Enjoy on a warm day or night
Mix all but nuts.
Top with them.
Enjoy on a warm day or night
POTATO KIBBEH
Ingredients
2.5lbs (or a little over 1kg) of potatoes
1¼ cups fine bulgur wheat
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 small onion, grated
1½ teaspoons sea salt
Black pepper
¾ teaspoon allspice
pinch of cinnamon
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup olive oil
Directions
Ingredients
2.5lbs (or a little over 1kg) of potatoes
1¼ cups fine bulgur wheat
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 small onion, grated
1½ teaspoons sea salt
Black pepper
¾ teaspoon allspice
pinch of cinnamon
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup olive oil
Directions
- First you'll want to cook the potatoes – bake/boil. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the bulgur wheat by soaking it in lukewarm water for 20 minutes, then drain it in a sieve and let all excess water drip away.
- Prepare your baking pan by adding 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and arranging the sliced onion pieces in a single layer on the bottom of the pan.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Mash the potatoes with a masher or rice them until smooth. Combine them and the bulgur in a very large bowl with the grated onion, salt, black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, and parsley. Thoroughly combine everything together, so the best way, and indeed the most traditional method, is to use your hands. Squish and squeeze the bulgur into the potatoes, onions, and spices until you have a uniform mixture. This only takes about a minute. It should be soft and workable. If it's too crumbly, add a few tablespoons of water.
- You'll now want to press this mixture evenly over the sliced onions in the pan. The best way to do this is to roughly divide the mixture into fourths and place each quarter over each quadrant of the pan. This ensures that you don't overuse or underuse the mixture on some sections of the pan. (See the picture above for a visual explanation)
- Use a little water on your hands to flatten and smooth the surface of the kibbeh then use a knife to score diamond shapes (or any pattern you like) into it, going almost all the way through. Evenly pour the ¼ cup of olive oil over the entire surface of the kibbeh and bake for 40-50 minutes or until it is golden brown. If after this time it doesn't brown sufficiently, stick it under the broiler for a few minutes. (This is preferable to baking it longer and drying it out too much) Remove from oven and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to cool down slightly. Use a spatula remove pieces of the kibbeh, making sure you scrape up the caramelized onions on the bottom.