Syrian felafel is delicious and makes a great, cheap vegetarian lunch. Freshly baked pitta bread is lined with round, flat pieces of felafel with a dent in the middle. Stuffed in afterwards are tomato, cucumber and lettuce, with a lash of tahini sauce and a pinch of salt for good measure.

But where you’re spending a bit of time in a country, it’s nice to know that you don’t have to eat felafel all the time. In Aleppo, in Northern Syria, my eyes and nose swooned when we passed a small roadside food seller outside the main souq on Bab Antakya. He was frying large strips of vibrant red capsicum, and the smell was zooming through the air.

We stopped by afterwards, and happily tried some when he confirmed the food was vegetarian. Along with the capsium, he quickly fried a pre-made burgul pattie, then put both in a pitta bread. It tasted great, and was helped down by the many glasses of ayran (a fermented yoghurt drink with salt) he gave us.

At the time he assured us that this was his idea, and it’s true that we didn’t come across it again in Syria. I highly recommend you seek him out if you’re in the neighbourhood.

Another great roadside find in Syria is juice bars. In Aleppo they line up on Sharia Yarmouk at the clocktower end. For between 30 - 40 Syrian pounds (about 60 - 80c Australian) you get a huge glass of blended fresh fruits, like orange, banana and mango. A great thirstbuster and even meal replacement!

Share This