Baklava for Peace

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Pundits are talking about Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria last week. Foodies already know why she went: halawaat shaamiyyeh, Syrian sweets. One taste of these sublime pastries, and you will want to make peace, too. Baklava is popular in Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and most of the Middle East. In America it often comes in large square or triangles of pastry, heavy and syrupy, not the way to end an elegant meal. That isn't the case in Syria: Syrians have a lighter touch. Their pastries focus on other ingredients and go light on the syrup. Syrian pistachios alone are justly famous. Whereas American pistachios are often gigantic and pale green, Syrian pistachios are small, intense and dark green. They impart glorious flavor to any dish. Super Chef has learned that Congresswoman Pelosi did not really have to fly to Damascus to get the real thing. The most famous pastry shop already has a firm foothold on U.S. soil: Semiramis. Another fine old pastry shop in Damascus, Abou Arab Haider, is making headway, too, in America. Abou Arab Haider already exports to the United States. Their sweets arrives fresh by air, perfect for dessert or to accompany coffee or tea. Their Damascene pastries -- and baklava comes in numerous forms with various nuts and fillings -- are miniature, delicate and full of flavor. The best pastries Abou Arab Haider makes are the tiniest such as the exquisite Aush Al Bulbul, a little nest of kunafah (fine vermicelli-like, sweet pastry) filled with pistachio or pine nut "eggs," or the Cashew Fingers made of phyllo wrapped around crushed cashews -- thinner than a pencil, all crunch and lightness. Three kinds -- asiah, ballorieh and mabromeh -- are stuffed so full of pistachios that there is barely any room for pastry. The Abou Arab Haider family has been making pastry for more than 100 years in the Al-Midan neighborhood of Damascus. Orabi Haidar, A.K.A. "Abou Arab Haider," founded the company. In 1950 his son, Mohammad Haider, built their factory. Hassan Haider, the grandson, is the current general manager. Ziad Meziab imports their sweets into the U.S. Could the "Axis of Evil" (of which Syria in an "honorary" member) be reduced to two-dimensions if the White House got a taste of these addictive sweets? What better way to "wage peace" * (to quote Syrian ambassador Dr. Imad Moustapha, himself a lover of greet cuisine, music, and other arts -- check out his blog) than with morsels of Syrian baklava? Is the liberal Pelosi's true mission to find "sweet spots" among Syrians and Americans? Perhaps soon we will hear peace-hungry mobs in the streets, shouting: "Baklava for Peace!" Try some Syrian sweets and cast your vote. * The ambassador has borrowed the phrase from the title of a book by Tel Aviv University president Itamar Rabinovich called Waging Peace: Israel and the Arabs, 1948-2003 (Princeton University Press 2003) -- another sign of warming relations? Related news: TIME, Newsweek, National Review, New York Times, Detroit Free Press, Washington Times, New York Sun Xinhua, Ft. Wayne News-Sentinel, Press TV, Khaleej Times, Kuwait Times, Gulf News Previous articles: Ethnic Paris Cookbook Rachael Ray Greases Dunkin' Donuts FOOD FLICKS: The Mouth Revolution Claudia Roden: Arabesque The Anatomy of Dessert The Arab Table: May Bsisu Christmas Desserts: iSi Whip & Recipes The Oldest Cuisine in the World: Jean Bottero The Sensual Language of Baklava: Diana Abu-Jaber Easter Special: Super Pastry Chefs Gale Gand's short + sweet Cook Like a Kyrgyz [Chefs & Politics - complete] [Humor - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to Super Chef