War-torn Syria’s Superlative Culinary Tradition Goes Viral, Thanks to Journalist Jenan Moussa

In a country that is ravaged by war, the love affair with food, culture is often considered a lighter fare. But, culture has nothing to do with one's education or degree and it is just how people live it. The same applies to food.

For Syrians, food is more than just a necessity, it reminds them of their rich heritage that is lost in the ongoing civil war. If you zoom in Syrian cuisine, you will see that it is an amalgamation of several migrations, conquests, and trades. While each food has a story of its own, it will be safe to say that Syrian food is a blend of many cultures on a single plate.

A TV journalist, Jenan Moussa stayed in Northern Syria for over a month and got a glimpse of the Kurdish and Arabian cuisines, warm hospitality that she captured and shared on Twitter in a series of posts.

The first two tweets read,

1- For over a month, I've been in Northern Syria.

Despite the poverty & the threat of war, the people here (Kurds & Arabs) have been so generous to me. Its beyond what u imagine.

In this thread, I'll post few photos of some great meals we were invited to. Look at this.@akhbar pic.twitter.com/IgTPi4lNtW

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) 10 July 2019

2- Half rice, half groats. And sheep meat on top cooked to perfection. pic.twitter.com/BiZTxRpzmJ

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) 10 July 2019

The third post in the thread mentions about two popular cuisine of Syria- Mloukhiye and rice fatta.

3- It was the first time I meet this family.

But they refused to let us leave their house without treating us to Mloukhiye and rice fatta. pic.twitter.com/2r2qsLUqQO

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) 10 July 2019

In another invitation, she mentions of how the locals use hands not spoon to eat food.

4- Another house, another invitation. One sheep prepared specially for us.

The local habit is to eat with your hands directly from the main plate.

The spoon is for the salad. pic.twitter.com/qk6DzcLsmE

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) 10 July 2019

In the next post, she recalls how she met a family who treated her with the best dolma in the town.

5- This family picked up the grape leaves from the garden and prepared the best fresh dolma in town. ? pic.twitter.com/OcdtzECEvQ

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) 10 July 2019

Also, she mentions about Kibbeh, which is a very popular dish usually made of minced onions, bulgur and finely ground meat of beef, goat, lamb, or camel meat fused with Middle Eastern spices.

6- You cant be in Syria and not eat Kibbeh at least once. pic.twitter.com/aNrza0x214

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) 10 July 2019

7- The picture doesnt do this meal justice.

It's the best rice & chicken u can ever taste. We were given this meal at the house of a Yazidi family. pic.twitter.com/cj3tgyT1hB

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) 10 July 2019

Expressing concern about her own weight because of mouth-watering food she had been having in that country, in her eighth post she wrote, "Now you all understand how scared I am to go back home and stand on a scale".

Adding to this and recalling her beautiful experience with extremely friendly people in Syria and their heart-warming gestures, Jenna mentioned, "The war has done a lot of harm to the country but it didn't affect the hospitality and friendliness of the people. All of this was offered to me as a guest without asking for anything in return."