2017
Recipes from Aleppo
By Edward Behr
The Aleppo Cookbook by Marlene Matar, which won the 2017 Art of Eating Prize, presents the food of the mixed cultures of the great Syrian city, more than 4,000 years old and now destroyed. The book itself is a form of preservation, and it could hardly be more perfect for a time when refugees and immigrants are so much in our thoughts. The food in its 350 pages is timeless. Matar shows ways of spicing, a sense of what a meal is, the importance of certain foods, recipes, techniques that are Middle Eastern but also distinctly Aleppian. Here are half a dozen recipes that suggest the range of dishes. ●
Pomegranate Molasses (Dibs al-Rimman)
Parsley Omelets (Ujjet Baqdoones)
Garlicky Purslane Soup with Chickpeas and Wheat (Shorbet Baqleh)
Stuffed Black Carrots (Jazar Aswad Mahshi)
From The Aleppo Cookbook