Food For Kings
Syria is famous for its sweets industry, which flourished in the 19th century.
Damascus is famous for being the oldest founding city for the sweets industry. Some old Damascene families mastered the sweets industry more than 100 years ago, and they have passed this industry from generation to generation giving their family name a leading and distinctive trademark in this industry.
The Syrian sweets industry has also received wide Arab international popularity in the markets because of quality and delicious unique taste. Thus it is one of the most important foods exported abroad.
In an interview by Syriatimes, with Eng. Walid Dawood, owner of one the old sweets shop in Damascus, said:” I inherited this shop from my father and my father inherited it from his father about 75 years ago. We manufacture all kinds of Damascene sweets, the most famous of which are Mabromah, Asiah, Ish Al bulbul, baklava, ect…
Dawood explained: “The quality of the Syrian sweets is unique due to 3 basic elements which are the Syrian Himiri wheat (kind of wheat), the Aleppo pistachio nut, and the sheep ghee which is manufactured in Deir Ezzor and Hama.”
He added: “The most important characteristic of the Syrian luxurious sweets is that they are rich in nuts such as walnuts, almonds, and pistachio. These nuts when grown in Syria have a unique flavor. The sweets that are stuffed and decorated with these nuts are indeed food for kings.”
Dawood pointed out that the sweets shop still preserves the ancient Damascene heritage and traditional craftsmanship in decoration. Shops are decorated with hand carved wooden boxes, in addition to arranging sweets and displaying them on the front of the shops in a pyramid shape or placing them within old fashioned copper trays to attract customers and foreign tourists.
The demand for sweets increases greatly during the festive period, and you can hardly find a Syrian house without sweets, as they are the main hospitality dish during the feast.
Syrian sweets are made to suit all tastes.
Souha Sulieman