Syrian Jewish cuisine is thecuisine ofSyrian Jews. Although almost all Jewish people left Syria by 2016, their cuisine has been preserved in books and family recipes.[1]
Since biblical times there have been Jews in the area comprising modern-day Syria.[2] Syrian Jewish cuisine is distinct fromAshkenazi Jewish cuisine.[3] In fact, Syrian Jewish dishes often differ from those of other Jews because they contain rice, dried fruits and other seasonings not found in other regional Jewish foodway.[2] Because Jews are prohibited to mix meat and dairy, Syrian Jewish cuisine differed from standard Syrian cuisine because it used oil instead of butter or lamb fat in fried foods.[2] After 1492 when the Sephardim were expelled from Spain, many Sephardic Jews came to Syria and brought a few dishes with Spanish names likebastel. Some immigrants from Italy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (the so-calledFrancos) brought with them Italian dishes such ascalsone (a sort of cheese ravioli). These foods were intermixed with the local Syrian Mizrahi and Musta'arabi Jewish cuisine creating new flavors and styles. Syrian Jews also created their own versions of Syrian dishes, by emphasizing fruit and sweet-sour flavors. Distinctively, the Syrian Jews ofAleppo also made heavy use oftamarind,[2] particularly in sauces.[4]
Characteristic of the Middle East and the Indo-Mediterranean Basin, Syrian Jewish cuisine contains many elements of cuisines from a wide geographic area.Moorish andIberian elements arrived after Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492. Syrian Jewish merchants trading along the spice route also imported spices from the Far East and land of Persia, making rose water and lime an important addition to their cuisine.[2] Naturally, elements of Syrian Jewish cuisine were adopted by non-Jewish communities in Syria while Syrian Jews also adopted non-Jewish Syrian flavors into their dishes. Syrian Jewish dishes differ in very specific ways from other Syrian cuisines. The addition of cinnamon, cumin and allspice to dishes, as well as the use of Moroccan saffron with Persian olives andpreserved lemons help to distinguish the cuisine from standard Syrian foods.[5]
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