Yapraq ( stuffed grape leaves)
Whenever we hear the names of dishes like fattoush or hummus, we think of the traditional Syrian cuisine. This is mainly because the traditional foods in Syria have been derived from various other regions of the world especially after the Islamic era. Having gone through various conquests by the Arabs, Persians and Ottoman Turks, the traditional food in Syria are similar to other cuisines like the Levant, Lebanese and middle-eastern cuisines. Akin to this cultural diversity, Syrian cuisine is an amalgamation of various culinary styles. Some of these dishes are piquant, some colorful and some not so much. However, all these foods have an exquisite taste that would leave you wanting more, especially the Yapraq. Here is one of the must-try traditional food in Syria.
Traditional Syrian foods involve lots of stuffing and vine leaves. Yabraq belongs to the family of stuffed vine leaves that is similar to a Dolma, with distinct changes in the method of cooking. Yabraq is made using frozen vine leaves which are added to boiled water to get them ready for rolling. The stuffing is made using minced lamb meat, ‘liyeh’ (sheep or lamb tail fat), salt, pepper,
safflower and Egyptian rice.
Only medium and small grape leaves are chosen for preparing Yabraq and so the final dish looks like cigar rolls
The meat stuffing is tightly rolled into the grape leaves and then it is cooked in lemon juice, garlic cloves, water, and salt for two hours in low heat.
The stuffed leaves are tightly packed in the cooking pot and a heavy object is placed over the lid during the entire cooking time. This helps the lemon juice and the garlic flavor to infuse well into the grape leave and the meat-rice stuffing. The finished Yabraq is served with the strained cooking water and yogurt
Yapraq contains elements that give the body a great warmth, especially in the winter. Al-Yabrak is one of the most popular dishes in the Arab world. It’s very tasty!
