Listen 11 min MORE Anas Atassi attests that he didn’t have horak osbao, a lentil and pasta stew with tamarind and pomegranate, until he was an adult. Photo courtesy of Interlink Books.
Sumac is a popular spice in Syrian cuisine, made from a berry that’s dried and ground. Chef Anas Atassi was raised in Saudi Arabia but returned to Syria every summer, where the spice was used from breakfast through the evening’s dessert. He also describes different types of za’atar, including a version that his grandmother still makes and ships to him in Amsterdam. Atassi shares a dish for horak osbao, popular in Damascus and Aleppo, from his latest book, “