Food news
HeritageThe National Museum of the Philippines Iloilo capped off its 2026 ‘Magbasá Kita: A Reading Program for Young Learners’ with an immersive storytelling session at the museum’s Book Nook on September 23, 2026. The activity introduced the localHeritage21st Sunchang Jangryu Festival to Welcome the World With K-Food and Cultural ExperiencesHeritage21st Sunchang Jangryu Festival to Welcome the World With K-Food and Cultural ExperiencesStreet foodMan dead, 3 in custody after shooting outside Piada Italian Street Food in Mayfield HeightsStreet foodBrick-and-Mortar Restaurants Need to Stop Blaming Street VendorsFarm and marketYour guide to Harvest Fair 2026 at Wisconsin State Fair ParkFarm and marketOct. 3 Harvest of Harmony Parade available to view in livestream broadcast during paradeFarm and marketSouthington Apple Harvest Festival kicks off tonightWorldBon Appétit editor-in-chief explores food’s role in culture, media at MSUFarm and marketDetroit Harvest Fest adds movies, more food trucks in year 6HeritageThe National Museum of the Philippines Iloilo capped off its 2026 ‘Magbasá Kita: A Reading Program for Young Learners’ with an immersive storytelling session at the museum’s Book Nook on September 23, 2026. The activity introduced the localHeritage21st Sunchang Jangryu Festival to Welcome the World With K-Food and Cultural ExperiencesHeritage21st Sunchang Jangryu Festival to Welcome the World With K-Food and Cultural ExperiencesStreet foodMan dead, 3 in custody after shooting outside Piada Italian Street Food in Mayfield HeightsStreet foodBrick-and-Mortar Restaurants Need to Stop Blaming Street VendorsFarm and marketYour guide to Harvest Fair 2026 at Wisconsin State Fair ParkFarm and marketOct. 3 Harvest of Harmony Parade available to view in livestream broadcast during paradeFarm and marketSouthington Apple Harvest Festival kicks off tonightWorldBon Appétit editor-in-chief explores food’s role in culture, media at MSUFarm and marketDetroit Harvest Fest adds movies, more food trucks in year 6
Thali

🇸🇾 The food of Syria

33 dishes from Syria, best known first, across 4 cities and regions.

Syrian cooking blends Arab and Mediterranean traditions, drawing on ingredients like lamb, eggplant, chickpeas, and olive oil. Meals often begin with mezze—small shared dishes—followed by hearty mains and finished with coffee and sweets. Many recipes have roots stretching back centuries, giving the cuisine a deep sense of history.

  • Mezze are shared appetizers served before the main course.
  • Kibbe uses bulghur and minced lamb, prepared in several ways.
  • Mahshi features vegetables stuffed with meat, rice, and nuts.
  • Syrian cheeses include halloumi and shanklish.
  • Coffee is customarily served after the meal.

The cooking of Syria

Syrian food is shaped by both Arab and Mediterranean influences, with a long history that reaches back to ancient times. The cuisine is known for its use of vegetables such as eggplant and zucchini, legumes like chickpeas and lentils, and meats, especially lamb. Olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and mint add brightness and depth to many dishes. Meals often begin with mezze, a spread of small appetizers, and are followed by a main course. The use of nuts, sesame seeds, and fresh herbs is common, and many recipes have been passed down for generations.

Staple foods in Syria

Common staples in Syrian cooking include rice, bulghur (cracked wheat), chickpeas, fava beans, and lentils. Lamb and sheep meat are widely used, along with vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, and cabbage. Olive oil is a key fat, and bread—especially Arabic flatbread—is served with most meals. Nuts like pistachios and sesame seeds, as well as herbs like mint, are frequent additions.

Sweets and drinks in Syria

Sweets often feature honey and pistachios, and fruit is commonly served at the end of a meal. Syrian cheeses include halloumi, which is semi-hard and brined; jibne baida, a salty white cheese; jibne khadra, a string cheese; and shanklish, a blue cheese topped with dried thyme and olive oil. Coffee is a traditional way to finish a meal. Syrian wine, such as Château Bargylus, is also produced.

At the table in Syria

Meals usually start with mezze—small plates shared at the table—served with Arabic bread. The main course follows, and the meal often ends with coffee and either sweets or fruit. Sharing and variety are central to the way meals are enjoyed.

Where this page comes from

The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Syrian cuisine", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Thali rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

Cities and regions of Syria

Aleppo 7Ghouta 1Latakia 1Tartus 1
MealBreakfastLunchTea timeDinnerSupperSnacks
KindMain dishStreet foodSoupStew or curryRice dishNoodle or pasta dishDumplingBreadGrill or roastSandwich or wrapPie or savoury pastrySalad or sideCheese or dairy foodSausage or cured foodSauce, pickle or fermentSweet or dessertDrink
DietVegetarianVeganFish and seafoodMeat
ShawarmaMeatشاورما 🇸🇾 Syria and 5 moreMeat roasted on a vertical spit and sliced into flatbread with sauces and vegetables Street food, Lunch, Dinner LahmacunMeat 🇸🇾 Syria and 3 moreThin flatbread baked with a topping of minced meat, vegetables and herbs Main dish, Lunch, Dinner PastirmaMeat 🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreAir-dried cured meat coated in a spiced fenugreek paste Sausage or cured food, Breakfast, Lunch MansafMeatمنسف 🇯🇴 Jordan and 3 moreLamb cooked in fermented yogurt sauce, served over rice and flatbread Main dish, Lunch, Dinner Adana kebabıMeat 🇹🇷 Turkey and 2 moreHand-minced lamb kebab grilled on skewers, named for the city of Adana Main dish, Lunch, Dinner Shish taoukMeat 🇹🇷 Turkey and 3 moreChicken pieces marinated, skewered and grilled over a fire Main dish, Lunch, Dinner SfihaMeatصَفِيحَة 🇱🇧 Lebanon and 5 moreLevantine flatbread with a seasoned minced meat topping Main dish, Lunch, Dinner SumaghiyyehMeatالسماقية 🇵🇸 Palestine and 3 moreA tangy Palestinian stew with sumac, chard, beef and chickpeas Stew or curry, Lunch, Dinner

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly plate

Every Monday: seven dishes you may not know, what the world is cooking this week, and one way of eating.