Sleek is a traditional vegetarian food in Syria, because of it has a delicious taste and high nutritional value.

Traditionally, many Syrians used to eat it with families, and it is considered Perfect Peasant Food.

This dish is easy to make and has great flavor. The basic ingredients are kale, black-eyed peas, onions, and bulgur wheat.  The best part of this dish is the caramelized onion.  You need to cook the onions slowly on a medium-low heat, and this slow cooking causes the sugars in the onions' layers to caramelize steadily (not burn) and becoming golden and delicious .The hardest part in this recipe is the dry black eyed peas( you can boil it for one hour).

This dish is popular in the olive picking/olive oil pressing season in Syrian mountains and throughout the Levant .Olive oil not only is key in the Syrian cuisine but it also in the culture and history of the region.

For generations, the parents and grandparents have planted olive trees for their kids.

Traditionally, the farmers enjoy using the long-awaited freshly pressed olive oil with a variety of recipes like seeds,  olive oil bread and musakhan.

mutawam kusa  (Mutawam means that which is infused with garlic in Arabic and kusa is the Arabic word for zucchini). To prepare it, zucchini is first grilled then it is mixed with a blend of yogurt and labneh for creaminess, garlic for zing and mint to balance everything out with a hint of freshness.

Ful medames is a common part of Arab, Middle Eastern and African cuisines, particularly in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine.

Ful is a popular breakfast dish in Syria, especially in Aleppo. The fava beans are left simmering in large copper jars throughout the night, to be served next morning; the beans dipped in tahini and olive oil, completed with a hint of red pepper paste (made from Aleppo pepper) over the top.

Ful Medames is a stew of cooked fava beans served with vegetable oil, cumin, and optionally with chopped parsley, garlic, onion, lemon juice, chili pepper and other vegetable, herb and spice ingredients.

In Syria and the Levant (Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan) wild greens play a major role in people’s diet, especially in spring. Things like mallow, dandelion and chicory are sold in vegetable markets and shops.  They are used to make a variety of vegetarian recipes which are quite popular in spring time.

In the old days, people in large areas of the Syria were farmers and shepherds, they lived off their lands and what they provided. As a result of that, the Syrian cuisine is very rich in plant-based recipes. Greens (wild and cultivated), seeds, and legumes are key players in the cuisine.  Greens that science has only recently begun to explore have been staples in the cuisine for hundreds of years.

This dish could be achieved in little time.

Ingredients

400 g dandelion greens

Amar al deen pudding, also known as Aamar al deen mohalabeya, is an irresistible apricot pudding, creamy, fragrant and sweet.

Aamar al deen is a guest that shows up in many different forms on the iftar table during the month of Ramadan, the best amar eddeen paste is always made in Syria, they are the best and the largest producer and exporter to this delicious apricot roll ups. This pudding is based on making the juice out of the paste then make the pudding, but if this is too much for you, then you can make it out of any good quality apricot juice.