Syrian cuisine is considered one of the richest in the world — no exaggeration. When you sit at a Syrian table, you'll find 10–15 different dishes at minimum.
Every Syrian city has its speciality: Aleppo — capital of kibbeh and baklava, Damascus — capital of stuffed vegetables and fatteh, Homs — capital of halawet el-jibn, Latakia — capital of fish and seafood.
Travelling to Syria without tasting its food is like going to Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. Book your stay on Bytnaa and get ready for an unmatched culinary adventure!
Every dish is a story — and every flavour an unforgettable memory
Queen of the Syrian table! Over 17 different types in Aleppo alone: fried kibbeh, kibbeh in yoghurt, baked kibbeh, raw kibbeh… each a masterpiece of bulgur, meat, and spices. Aleppo is the undisputed kibbeh capital.
Tip: In Aleppo, ask for 'Kibbeh Mosuliyeh' — palm-sized kibbeh stuffed with meat and pine nuts.
Vine leaves, courgettes, aubergines, peppers, cabbage — all stuffed with rice, meat, and spices. A Syrian grandmother judges a cook's skill by the size of the vine leaf — the smaller, the better!
Tip: Try 'stuffed courgette in yoghurt' in Damascus — the taste is indescribable.
Unlike any shawarma in the world! Meat roasted on a rotating spit, sliced thin and wrapped in saj bread with vegetables and tahini or garlic sauce.
Tip: Order 'chicken shawarma' with garlic sauce and potatoes — a complete meal at a tiny price.
Layers of toasted bread soaked in yoghurt with meat, chickpeas, and pine nuts fried in ghee. The royal breakfast of Damascus.
Tip: Damascene makdous fatteh — fried aubergine with yoghurt, garlic, and pomegranate — true creativity.
Rice with slow-cooked lamb and special spices. In the Syrian desert, mansaf is served on a huge tray and everyone eats together with their hands.
Tip: In Deir ez-Zor, ask for 'Quzi' — a whole lamb stuffed with rice and nuts.
A colourful salad with crispy toasted bread, pomegranate molasses, and olive oil. Every Syrian home has its own recipe.
Tip: The secret is the sweet-sour pomegranate molasses and ground sumac — don't forget them.
A soup of dried yoghurt and bulgur — a unique flavour found in no other cuisine. In winter, kishk with meat is warmth itself.
Tip: In Homs, try 'kishk with lamb and local ghee' — the taste of the mountains.
Hummus with tahini and mutabbal (grilled aubergine with tahini) — starters that never leave any Syrian table.
Tip: In Aleppo, ask for 'hummus with meat and pine nuts' — a luxurious twist on the classic.
No fancy restaurant needed — the best food in Syria is on the pavements and in the alleys
Ground chickpeas fried into crispy balls — the people's sandwich.
Flatbread with za'atar, cheese, or meat — Syrian street breakfast.
Thin dough with meat, tomato, and onion — traditional Syrian pizza.
Breakfast of champions! Foul medames with olive oil, lemon, and garlic + hummus msabbaha with tahini.
Seasoned minced meat grilled on charcoal — Aleppo kebab is legendary.
Charcoal-roasted potatoes in winter and grilled corn in summer — from every cart on the pavement.
From Arabic coffee to liquorice — every drink is a cultural experience
Bitter coffee with cardamom served in small cups with dates or sweets. A sacred hospitality ritual.
A South American drink that became Syrian! Syrians are the largest mate consumers outside South America.
Black tea with fresh sage leaves — aromatic and warming.
Concentrated mulberry syrup diluted with cold water — sweet, sour and refreshing.
Date and grape syrup with rose water, pine nuts, and raisins — Ramadan's first iftar drink.
Cold liquorice root drink — the refreshing drink of summer.
Hot, thick winter drink from sahlab root powder with milk, cinnamon, and pistachios.
Damascus rose water mixed with sugar and cold water — an elegant drink with the flavour of Damascene roses.
A sour red spice — the secret of fattoush and kebab grills
The soul of Arabic coffee and sweets
Syrian blend: black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, paprika
With olive oil and sesame — a classic Syrian breakfast
In sweets and drinks — Damascus's eternal fragrance
Sweet-sour — the secret of fattoush, kibbeh, and salads