tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post7131900060884905835..comments2010-07-21T16:10:19.735+03:00abufareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05528721595411746558abufares@abufares.netBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-2952494869876073732010-07-21T16:10:19.735+03:002010-07-21T16:10:19.735+03:00Man how do I wish I was still in South America! If somebody tells you there&#39;s a place with spring weather year round, gorgeous women everywhere, natural foods in abundance, know that it&#39;s not a dream.<br /><br />Here in the US on the other hand, the government is very very concerned that people may just choose to do something that they, the government, don&#39;t agree with. And so in the state we live in selling fresh cow milk for human consumption is in fact illegal. And the state where it is still legal is a two hour drive away. So for now I&#39;m going to have to rehearse with store bought stuff.<br /><br />Drying shanklish on the roof uncovered is not a problem as long as my wife doesn&#39;t see it. :)) My yogurt is ready! I&#39;ll probably be back soon with more questions...Kirillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-59669857105207392010-07-21T10:27:38.360+03:002010-07-21T10:27:38.360+03:00@Dave<br />I&#39;m sorry for being so late in replying to your comment. Shanklish and eggs... what you&#39;re basically describing is a piece of heaven :-)<br /><br />One of my all-time favorite sandwiches is made of pita bread spread with butter, a smashed boiled egg with shanklish. OMG!!! This stuff is so delicious it might be illegal in some countries in the world.<br />Thank you for dropping by and again I&#39;m sorry for the unintentional delay in reading and replying to your comment.abufareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05528721595411746558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-74491169011828061812010-07-21T10:11:52.968+03:002010-07-21T10:11:52.968+03:00@Kirill<br />You can cover it with gauze or any type of suitable mesh. Remember that the weather here in the Levant is much more predictable than in South America and we have a long no-rain season so we are more or less immune to surprises.<br />When I was a kid our neighbors used to make Shanklish to sell and I never saw any kind of protection when they left it to dry on the roof. But I see no reason why we can&#39;t be more concerned with hygiene.<br />Many thanks for your late visit and for leaving this comment.abufareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05528721595411746558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-56512249914821013452010-07-20T20:34:22.862+03:002010-07-20T20:34:22.862+03:00I just had some shanklish for the first time last week (in Santa Marta Colombia of all places) and it was delicious!<br /><br />Now I have to try to make it myself, and this is by far the best description of the process that I could find, thank you for taking the time to write this article.<br /><br />I have one question though. When you sun dry the thing on the roof, I assume it has to be covered somehow, to protect from weather, dust, insects, birds, ... What is the best way to do it? Do you cover it with the same cloth it sits on? Or do you leave it uncovered? Or maybe put some kind of mesh on top of it?<br /><br />Thanks again, this is a great article and discussion!Kirillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-37785390920826873582010-06-21T15:38:53.264+03:002010-06-21T15:38:53.264+03:00We always had shanklish scraped on top of fried eggs. The eggs are supposed to be fried in olive oil of course. My grandparents emigrated from the Tartous area 100 years ago. We never had shanklish any other way. Of course there is no cheese quite like homemade shanklish. I had commercial products twice and they were very poor. Abufares comes close to describing how good shanklish really is.<br /><br />There is a dish - we call it hiloo - that my family makes. It has a top and bottom layer of cream of wheat mixed with butter. The filling is a sugar/walnut mixture. After baking, the hiloo is immediately covered with boiling sugar water. It is a simple dish, and in my opinion better than baklava. However, except for my family, I have never seen it anywhere. Does anyone recognize this recipe?Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02783526951993947362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-33337348560806472872010-06-20T11:22:33.381+03:002010-06-20T11:22:33.381+03:00@Carina<br />Well we have to give it to them (the Lebanese) they are very good promoters;-)<br />Levantine cuisine covers all the subtle local varieties. Of course it&#39;s absurd to claim that any one particular entree is Lebanese per say. I have yet to find out a Lebanese dish that is not available in coastal Syria. Now... That good Lebanese restaurants don&#39;t serve a better Mezza than their Syrian counterparts would be an unfair claim. They really know how to put together an eye pleasing table. Besides their embrace of Arak limits their competition to the Syrian coast only where we are just as proud of our national drink as they are.<br />As long as Arak is not a part of the Damascene culture as it is of ours (Syrian Coast) they cannot compete with Lebanese restaurants at all. However, in home cooking, interior Syria is matchless. Neither us nor the Lebanese stand a chance. We have such a beautiful nature here and in Lebanon that outdoor eating is part of our life. When the Damascene want to eat out they drink tea for God&#39;s sake! Meat, soggy salad then TEA :-)<br />Thank you for reading this post.abufareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05528721595411746558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-46396610746759991042010-06-20T11:03:24.158+03:002010-06-20T11:03:24.158+03:00@Patrick<br />Very interesting read. I hope those commentators interested in making their own shanklish find their way to your book.abufareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05528721595411746558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-81182042404478158142010-06-20T10:58:16.774+03:002010-06-20T10:58:16.774+03:00@Salloum<br />Thank you for pointing out this interesting article. Ahhh, the Lebanese :-) !abufareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05528721595411746558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-73904633787129845392010-06-20T10:57:29.181+03:002010-06-20T10:57:29.181+03:00@Jenny<br />I&#39;m so sorry Jenny to be late in replying to your comment. I just found about it by chance today.<br />The problem is with the commercial availability of good shanklish. I&#39;m sure you can find a supplier of supermarket quality shanklish. For the real thing you need to agree with a local producer from the Tartous area.abufareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05528721595411746558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-1046216303018914442010-06-20T10:43:19.148+03:002010-06-20T10:43:19.148+03:00@Ayman<br /><br />I&#39;m sorry to reply so late to your comment.<br />Homemade is the Syrian way and I&#39;m glad you have some Arak in your Ghorbeh.<br />Kassak :-)abufareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05528721595411746558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-42884733907574419812010-06-19T23:11:52.193+03:002010-06-19T23:11:52.193+03:00Most of the food and sweets that the lebanese refer to as &quot;lebanese&quot; and market as &quot;lebanese&quot; is Syrian such as kibbeh, tabbouli, muhammarah, shanklish etc etc (the list is very long). You will find that all of the blad el sham foods are referred to as &quot;lebanese&quot; by the lebanese. I even saw a youtube video where some lebanese referred to the Knafeh (which originates from Nablus) as lebanese. Its quite surprising how they made a market of syrian/shami food and called it lebanese.Carinanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-1394956068809452032010-05-26T17:04:09.891+03:002010-05-26T17:04:09.891+03:00Want to make Shanklish at home?<br /><br />http://www.blurb.com/books/1381867Patrick Chaddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05310974750142903646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-26594515439580150982010-05-24T14:53:30.041+03:002010-05-24T14:53:30.041+03:00Abufares, see this:<br />http://www.zira3a.net/articles/shanklish.htmlSalloumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-10262476099955526202010-05-21T14:35:31.295+03:002010-05-21T14:35:31.295+03:00Any ideas how I can import shanklish to the UK? I&#39;ve just come back from a trip to explore my late Mum&#39;s Damascene roots, and shanklish is my one abiding food memeory of the whole trip. The stuff is to DIE for! My sister and I are now planning to open a Syrian diner here in the UK and I want to be able to serve up shanklish. Any tips for how to get hold of it would be most welcome! xxJennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209596969323642764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-22466936604800982772010-03-24T00:19:52.521+02:002010-03-24T00:19:52.521+02:00Ye7rouk Rafak shahaytneh wou bi hal gherbeh ma fee shanklish and the best thing I found is the Blue Cheese, I know, I know, it&#39;s not even close but it can do the trick from time to time, and according to the arak and shanklish I will join you right now if it is home made, BTW I still have my father&#39;s arak reserve at home (here bel ghorbeh) hihihihi Alef Sa7a zkerna bi kil lokmeh btokoula ya Abu Fares.Aymannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-24127747600688022372009-10-07T11:33:29.407+03:002009-10-07T11:33:29.407+03:00@Ziggy<br />What a pleasure to see you here, on one of my personal favorite posts.<br />I, too, would love to meet you one day for sure. So anytime you are in our neck of the wood just let me know.<br />I love Shanklish and Labneh (in particular). I can live off Labneh for the rest of my life:-)<br />Again, I&#39;m so glad to see you here, please come again.abufareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05528721595411746558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-19704086358550861162009-10-07T11:30:58.981+03:002009-10-07T11:30:58.981+03:00@Gabriela<br />Sorry to be late in replying to this comment of yours.<br />I, too, hope that one day we can sit together and have a great time drinking and eating in Tartous and Lima.abufareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05528721595411746558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-57961383453338154362009-10-06T23:58:42.095+03:002009-10-06T23:58:42.095+03:00Hello AbuFares, I am new to your blog and have read a few posts so far... you are insightful and hilarious at the same time! I hope to one day meet you, I dont know why, but you seem like such a nice guy that I feel like I already know you, or at the very least that we could be friends... <br /><br />Your post about shanklish reminds me of the homemade shanklish my best friends grandmother used to make in Bmalkeh. That and the homemade labneh - some of the best food Ive ever tasted in my life :)<br /><br />Its kind of a weird thing to say, but thanks for your blog :)Ziggyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08359008120255011866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-29603386219173756152009-08-03T05:04:18.216+03:002009-08-03T05:04:18.216+03:00In spite of the distance, I really hope some day I may join you.<br />This shanklish HAS to be delicious: it&#39;s the only option for something that requires that much love in its making!Gabrielahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03280432296207747625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-17888707663089377072009-06-20T03:51:59.941+03:002009-06-20T03:51:59.941+03:00i loooove shanklish! i found your blog by googling shanklish...haha. i havent had it for about 2 1/2 years..and i miss it teribly. here in the states i have tried every cheese...and none tastes quite like my favorite.<br />i know i sound crazy...but honestly..its my favorite cheesee.looolangienaderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14651386880719631156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-53710248151532945112009-01-29T10:11:00.000+02:002009-01-29T10:11:00.000+02:00i somehow came to stumble across your blog only to leave with a frustrated stomach. i love your in-depth description of shanklish! my mum makes it nearly all the time, i'm going to try to learn this summer when the weather's better... or when i go back to syria in july :) can't live without it...nicoletté al-khalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01671578093535629734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-64348008520048035082008-04-16T09:49:00.000+03:002008-04-16T09:49:00.000+03:00Hello Robert<BR/>Well if you can really make Shanklish on your own then you're not only a good cook but a great chef.<BR/>Indeed I'm very interested in learning the result of your experimentation.<BR/>Thank you for dropping by.abufareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05528721595411746558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-15491454858948657582008-04-15T20:52:00.000+03:002008-04-15T20:52:00.000+03:00I can't believe I found this wonderful page.<BR/>My name is Robert Bahna I was born in Chile, now I live in Miami, My parents both were from Homs, Syria.<BR/>I was brought up on Syrian food I was never thought to cook but because I miss the food I eat when I was a child I thought my self to cook<BR/>After many many tries and failiours I consider my self a very good cook today<BR/>The other day I missed and remember shanklish<BR/>So I tried to make it my self.<BR/>I remember my mother making laban, placing it in a bag and drain the water out of it, add salt and make it in to balls that she dried in the sun , after drying them she will place them in a jar with lettuce leafs and wait till they went rotten<BR/>Wash them and serve it to us, THEY WERE DELICIOUS<BR/>I have done all this, I have now to balls of salted labny drying in the sun<BR/>Wish me luck , I will let you know if it workedRoberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14561511149313870065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-39827356646261747902007-12-31T09:23:00.000+02:002007-12-31T09:23:00.000+02:00@ lê<BR/>Indeed Surke is another name used for Shanklish. It's called so in Banias and Lattakia. When you make a Shanklish Salad (mixed with finely chopped tomatoes, onions and possibly cucumbers) it's called in Tartous Ja3foura or J3ayfira. In Lattakia it's called Bazerkan.<BR/>However the more important aspect in your comment is that you have taken Shanklish to a new level (a level it certainly deserves).<BR/>I wonder in case you do not have a blog of your own, how come?! You should write and let us read. You and I belong to a "setting" generation (as in the setting of the sun). I would love to learn more from your living memory.abufareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05528721595411746558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866567.post-65847766659331126232007-12-30T22:16:00.000+02:002007-12-30T22:16:00.000+02:00Dear Abufares, yeslam temak, first I would like to ask a question? i´ve heard another name for the shanklish, (SURKE) is that a memory falt, do this name exist ?,, in fact if you have quality shanklish you just need some (khebez tanur) and (ers banadoura ) and ( dameet zet) it is done it is a (walime),. ,,I have an eternal but non-mortal duel with my Italian friend Antonio,who insists that past is Italian invention, I say it is Syrian ,it is just like discussing which came first the chiken or the egg ? for me eggs and chiken both came first ,both from Syria,<BR/> last month he ivited mo to a special dinner, he said we will have macaroon with nuts,parmesan cheese, tomatos and manjerona, I had that fantastic diner with him, with the backround of barroc miusic,,,,,,,,, as it came to my turne to invte him to a dinner that the recipe should be similar, what could I do ? ,,,eureka, i got it,<BR/>past, fuzzili<BR/>butter ,,,fat <BR/>shanklish<BR/>fat white cheese( jebne khadra)<BR/>nuts (joz)chupped (not fine)<BR/>mangerona (habaakh)<BR/>tomate ,skined . <BR/>the backround couldent be better than( LAMA BADA YATATHANA) we both are still alive and the duel goes on,,,,lênoreply@blogger.com