By Christine Salins.
It’s hard to think of Syria as anything but a war-torn country, ravaged by fighting and the destruction of countless lives and historical landmarks that can never be replaced.
Yet it has a wonderful cuisine that is closely entwined with Syrian culture and a reflection of its historical roots. It is imbued with what the Syrians call nafas – which literally means ‘breath’ but in the context of cooking means ‘the art of cooking where ingredients combine harmoniously’.
Anas Atassi was born in Homs in Syria, grew up in Saudi Arabia and now lives in Amsterdam, but it’s to the food of his birth country that he turns to for comfort. And it is food, he hopes, that will build a bridge between Syrian culture and the rest of the world.
His book, Sumac: Recipes and Stories From Syria (Murdoch Books, $49.99) is an evocative book with luscious recipes interspersed with inviting tables and personal reflections in words and pictures from his childhood.
Every summer the family would travel back to Syria and the holidays would be marked by a family gatherings and celebrations. “Whether it was a weekend breakfast with our grandmother, a garden barbecue or a late evening meal during Ramadan, eating well was what we shared,” he writes in the book’s introduction. “It is what bonded us together.”
And it is food, he hopes, that will continue to bond people as the war casts Syrians out and over the whole world.
While nafas is one essential ingredient in Syrian cooking, another, more tangible, ingredient is sumac, the deep red spice that adds a vibrant lift to all kinds of food. It is prized in both traditional and contemporary Syrian cuisine. Countless influences have left their mark on Syrian cuisine over the millennia but sumac is the ‘red thread’ that connects every dish, as they say in The Netherlands where the author now lives.
The recipes in Sumac span the gamut of mezze, salads, meats, vegetables, and desserts enjoyed amongst the author’s family and on his travels. They include dishes from the Friday breakfasts in his grandmother’s garden, flatbread and wraps, kibbeh and kebabs, his mother’s sfeeha (mini flatbreads with minced beef), and the falafel he now loves to make for his friends.
Sheikh Mushatah (Grilled Eggplant With Yoghurt Sauce)
Serves 4
2 eggplants (aubergine) (halved lengthwise)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the yoghurt sauce:
150 g (5½ oz) of Greek yoghurt
3 tablespoons of tahini
Juice of 1 organic lemon
2 garlic cloves (pressed)
Salt to taste
To serve:
1 tomato (diced)
1 handful of flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 organic lemon
4 tablespoons of green tarator (see below)
15 g (½ oz) of pine nuts (toasted)
Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Rub the eggplant halves with olive oil and then salt and pepper liberally. Grill (broil) for 20 to 30 minutes until they are done and the edges are somewhat charred.
For the sauce, mix the yoghurt, tahini, lemon juice and garlic in a bowl. Thin the sauce with 2 to 4 tablespoons of water. Salt to taste.
Make the salad by tossing the tomato and parsley with extra-virgin olive oil and lemon zest.
Arrange the grilled eggplant halves on a plate or in a large dish, top them first the yoghurt sauce and then green tarator. Serve with the tomato parsley salad and toasted pine nuts.
Green Tarator (Tahini-mint pesto)
4 tablespoons of tahini
5 tablespoons of water
½ teaspoon of dried mint
15 g of fresh mint leaves
Juice of 1 organic lemon
1 tablespoon of white vinegar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 garlic clove (peeled)
Salt
Blend all ingredients in a blender until everything is equally puréed. I think green tarator tastes better when it is somewhat thin in consistency. You could make it thicker by adding less water.
Images and recipes from Sumac by Anas Atassi, food photography by Jeroen van der Spek. Murdoch Books, RRP $49.99.
