Damascus Food and Cuisine
Taste Damascus cuisine, one of the oldest and most refined culinary traditions in the Arab world, where the mezze culture, grilled meats, and elaborate pastries of Syrian cooking reflect the convergence of Silk Road influences in this ancient city.
- 1
Al-Khawali Restaurant
Dine at one of the historic Damascus old city restaurants set in a traditional courtyard house where the fountain, fruit trees, and decorated reception room provide the setting for the elaborate Syrian mezze spread in a setting unchanged since the Ottoman era.
- 2
Mezze Culture
Experience the Damascus mezze culture where a meal begins with twenty or more small dishes including hummus, baba ghanoush, fattoush, kibbeh, and the distinctive Syrian appetizers that represent the most sophisticated expression of Levantine cuisine.
- 3
Grilled Meats
Try the grilled meat preparations of Damascus where the shawarma, kafta, and mixed grill of lamb cuts reflect the meat-cooking traditions of a city at the crossroads of the pastoral Syrian countryside and the spice trade.
- 4
Sweet Shops
Sample the extraordinary Damascus sweets from the city legendary pastry shops where baklava, kunafa, and the distinctive Damascus specialties of maamoul filled with pistachio and rose water have been refined over centuries of confectionery tradition.
- 5
Rose Water Heritage
Discover the Damascus rose water tradition where the famous Damascene roses, cultivated in the Ghouta orchards surrounding the city, flavored the cooking, the sweets, and the drinks of a city that gave the world its most famous scent.
- 6
Coffee Houses
Sit in a traditional Damascus coffee house where the nargileh, Arabic coffee, and the backgammon games of the old city cafe culture continue in spaces that have served as the social and intellectual center of Damascus male society for centuries.