Syria

Kibbeh

Bulgur and lamb shaped into torpedoes and fried, or served raw as kibbeh nayyeh.

Kebab Halabi

Aleppo minced lamb skewers spiced with pepper and grilled over charcoal.

Kebab karaz

Meatballs cooked in sour cherry sauce over bread, an Aleppo speciality.

Muhammara

Red pepper and walnut dip with pomegranate molasses, sweet-hot and coarse.

Yabrak

Vine leaves rolled very thin around rice and meat, cooked with lamb ribs.

Fattoush

Chopped salad with sumac and fried bread, dressed sharply with pomegranate.

Mujadara

Lentils and bulgur under deeply caramelised onions, eaten hot or cold.

Makdous

Small aubergines stuffed with walnut and pepper and preserved in olive oil.

Shanklish

Aged cheese balls rolled in za'atar, crumbled with tomato and onion.

Sfiha

Open-topped meat pies with pomegranate molasses, small enough to eat by the plateful.

Fatteh

Chickpeas and bread under garlic yoghurt, pine nuts and browned butter.

Shawarma

Meat stacked and shaved into flatbread with pickles and tahini or garlic sauce.

Halawet el jibn

Sweet cheese dough rolled around clotted cream and soaked in rose syrup.

Barazek

Thin biscuits crusted with sesame on one side and pistachio on the other.

Booza

Stretchy mastic ice cream pounded in a frozen drum and rolled in pistachio.

Maamoul

Semolina cookies pressed in wooden moulds around date, walnut or pistachio.

Za'atar

Wild thyme blend with sumac and sesame, eaten with oil and bread daily.

Mate

South American mate brought home by emigrants and now drunk across the Druze mountain.

Arak

Grape spirit with aniseed, poured a third at a time and topped with water and ice.

Qahwa

Cardamom coffee served in tiny cups, refilled until the cup is tilted.