It's a Syrian food blog! And so much more!

Hi! Welcome to my Syrian food blog! If you’re looking for delicious Syrian recipes straight from my mother’s kitchen, mouth-watering photographs and some cultural stories, then you’ve come to the right place. I have been passionate about cooking for as long as I can remember. As I moved through adulthood, I found myself wanting to connect back to my Syrian heritage through its cuisine. I hope you’ll join me on this journey!

Middle Eastern spices. Clockwise from top left: tumeric, dried mint, hot ground pepper, cinnamon, bay leaves, sweet ground pepper

What can you expect here? Weekly recipes, given to me by my mom and tried, tested and ultimately written by me. You can also expect some background and context, deep dives into the origins of ingredients and traditional dishes, everything to get a sense of what it means to be Syrian. Our food requires time. I know you don’t have much of it, and for that reason, each recipe will be broken down into components with some tricks on what to make ahead (also watch out for some “simplified” twists on the classics).

Kibbeh, before going into the fryer

And now, here’s why I started this blog. 

Food has always been an important part of Syrian culture. Now, more than ever, food is the nostalgia of tastes and places we can no longer visit. Some of my fondest memories involve gathering at grandmother’s house every summer in Homs, Syria with dozens of aunts, uncles and cousins around the table (or tables, we got the kids one). Plates were piled with mehshi qareh (stuffed squash), ja’at (stuffed intestines) and countless other delicacies. Now, there are no more gatherings at teita’s house. Those same aunts, uncles and cousins are scattered across the globe, rarely if ever sharing a meal. And as more Syrians are displaced, this food is the only part of our culture, our memories, that we have left.

Syrian recipes are passed down through generations, verbally of course, and can be traced to specific regions, ethnic groups and families. Now, Syrians are separated from their homeland and families. There is a risk of that lineage dying. Food holds stories, and it is now more important than ever to document those stories, preserving the history, recipes and intricacies of this cuisine for those who can’t go to Homs.

Fatayer bijibn

My mother’s cooking has always been the best I’ve ever known. While she didn’t cook for me IN Syria, her recipes came from her mother’s house and were sometimes adapted to my father’s palate based on HIS mother’s cooking. These recipes were altered again to the ingredients we had in the U.S. 

These days, thankfully, nobody is expecting me to learn ancient recipes. Cooking Syrian food for me is not just about putting food on the table and feeding my family. It’s about survival and lineage.

I really hope you accompany me on this journey! Comment below if there are any recipes you would like me to gather! And don’t forget to join my email list below to get updates and behind-the-scenes tidbits! Stay tuned next week for the first recipe!