Sfeeha

This use of flatbread is similar to Turkish pizza, though the meat topping is different. In Syria, we are familiar with two different toppings: a meat one and a ‘vegetarian’ one. Confusion arises because both have meat. What’s the difference, you might ask? A sfeeha with meat filling has only meat. The vegetarian filling mixes vegetables in with the meat.

Where there are sfeehas, there is a party. If a celebration is coming up, the woman of the house puts in her butcher order for a couple of kilograms of meat. The meat is seasoned with the family recipe, then brought to the local community oven called the ferran. This is where the dough bases for the flatbreads are prepared – just the right number for the amount of spiced meat (more meat, more circles)!