Syrian Food: Dishes, Street Food and Sweets to Try

What is Syrian food like? Generous, fresh and full of flavor. Syrian cooking is one of the great cuisines of the Middle East, built around mezze to share, grilled meats, bulgur, yogurt, olive oil, herbs and some of the finest sweets in the region. Damascus and Aleppo have competed for centuries over who cooks best, and each region of the country has its own specialties. This guide covers the dishes to try, the street food, the sweets and drinks, and how to eat well when you travel in Syria.

Planning a trip? Read our complete Syria travel guide, our guide to things to do in Damascus and meet our local guides in Syria.

Syrian food at a glance

Mezze: how a Syrian meal begins

A Syrian meal usually starts with mezze, a spread of small dishes shared at the table with fresh flatbread. In a family home or a restaurant, the table fills up before anyone thinks about a main course.

• Hummus, sometimes topped with spiced meat or whole chickpeas.
• Muhammara, a dip of red peppers, walnuts and pomegranate molasses, an Aleppo specialty.
• Baba ghanoush and mutabbal, made with smoky grilled eggplant.
• Tabbouleh and fattoush, the parsley and bread salads.
• Labneh, thick strained yogurt with olive oil.
• Olives, pickles and fresh vegetables, always on the table.

Kibbeh, the national dish

Kibbeh is often called Syria’s national dish. It is made from bulgur wheat pounded with minced meat and spices, then shaped and filled, fried, baked, grilled or even served raw.

The most familiar version is the fried torpedo-shaped kibbeh filled with spiced meat and pine nuts. Aleppo alone is said to have dozens of varieties, including kibbeh cooked in yogurt, in pomegranate sauce or with quince. Trying different kinds from city to city is one of the pleasures of a trip.

Main dishes to try

After the mezze come the dishes that define Syrian home cooking.

• Fatteh: layers of toasted bread, chickpeas, yogurt and tahini, topped with nuts and butter. The Damascene version is a classic breakfast.
• Yabraq: vine leaves stuffed with rice, served warm or cold.
• Shakriyeh: meat cooked in a warm yogurt sauce, served with rice.
• Maqluba: the “upside-down” pot of rice, vegetables and meat, turned out onto a tray.
• Kebab: grilled meat in many styles, including the Aleppo favorite of kebab with sour cherries in season.
• Freekeh: roasted green wheat cooked with meat or chicken.

Street food

Syrian street food is cheap, quick and very good, and Damascus is one of the best places in the region to eat on the go.

• Shawarma: thin slices of marinated chicken or meat from a vertical spit, wrapped in thin bread with garlic sauce and pickles.
• Falafel: fried chickpea patties in bread with salad and tahini.
• Manakish: flatbreads topped with za’atar and olive oil, cheese or minced meat.
• Foul: warm fava beans with olive oil, lemon and cumin, a popular breakfast.

Sweets and booza

Syria is famous across the Arab world for its sweets, and Damascus pastry shops are an attraction in their own right.

• Baklava: layers of thin pastry filled with pistachios or walnuts and soaked in syrup.
• Knafeh: warm cheese or cream under shredded or semolina pastry, with syrup.
• Halawet el-jibn: soft rolls of sweet cheese dough filled with cream, a specialty of Hama and Homs.
• Ma’amoul: shortbread filled with dates, pistachios or walnuts, made for holidays.
• Booza: Damascene ice cream, stretchy and thick because it is made with mastic and salep and pounded by hand, then rolled in pistachios. Watching it being pounded in the old souq is part of the experience.

What to drink

Coffee and tea are part of every visit, and Syria has several cold drinks worth trying.

• Coffee: strong Arabic coffee, often flavored with cardamom.
• Tea: sweet black tea, served everywhere.
• Jallab: a drink of grape molasses and rose water, served over ice with pine nuts and raisins.
• Tamarind juice and licorice juice: sold from street vendors, especially in Ramadan.
• Ayran: a cold salty yogurt drink, perfect with grilled meat.
• Mate: the South American herbal tea, brought back by emigrants generations ago and still widely drunk in parts of Syria.

Regional specialties

Each part of Syria has its own table.

• Damascus: fatteh, booza, shawarma and some of the most famous sweet shops in the country.
• Aleppo: muhammara, kebab with cherries, many varieties of kibbeh and pistachio sweets.
• Hama and Homs: halawet el-jibn.
• The coast: fresh fish and seafood in Latakia, Tartus and on Arwad island.
• The countryside: village bread, olive oil, cheese and home cooking, best tasted with a local family.

Tips for eating in Syria

• Share: Syrian meals are made for sharing. Order several mezze for the table.
• Pay in cash: most restaurants and street stalls take Syrian pounds in cash.
• Eat where locals eat: busy places with a quick turnover are the freshest.
• Ramadan: during the holy month, many restaurants open only after sunset, when the streets come alive for iftar.
• Accept the invitation: hospitality matters in Syria. If you are offered tea or coffee, it is polite to accept.

Eat with a local host

The best Syrian food is cooked at home. Simsem’s hosts include village days and countryside picnics as well as city walks:

See every host and tour on our local guides in Syria page.

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