Shaʿifūra (شعيفورة) or jaʿifūra (جعيفورة) is a

Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

salad consisting of

shanklish Shanklish ( ''shanklīsh'' or شنغليش ''shanghlīsh''), also known as chancliche, shinklish, shankleesh, sorke, sürke, or eddesh, is a type of cow or sheep milk cheese in Levantine cuisine. Name The origins of the name are unknown; some ...

cheese with chopped tomato, onion and olive oil. Shanklīsh or ''sourkah'' is an intensely flavored ball-shape cheese that has been cured with

thyme Thyme () is a culinary herb consisting of the dried aerial parts of some members of the genus ''Thymus (plant), Thymus'' of flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are native to Eurasia and north Africa. Thymes have culinary, medici ...

. Shaʿifūra salad has a popular origin, and in each home it is prepared in a different way. It may also include cucumber, green pepper, carrot, parsley or fresh mint, all finely chopped. It is served as a ''

mezze ''Meze'' (also spelled ''mezze'' or ''mezé'') (, ) is a selection of small dishes served as appetizers in Eastern Mediterranean cuisines. It is similar to Spanish cuisine, Spanish tapas and Italian cuisine, Italian Antipasto, antipasti. A ''me ...

'' for breakfast or dinner. In restaurants in Banyas,

Tartous Tartus ( / ALA-LC: ''Ṭarṭūs''; known in the County of Tripoli as Tortosa and also transliterated from French Tartous) is a major port city on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. It is the second largest port city in Syria (after Latakia), an ...

Latakia Latakia (; ; Syrian Arabic, Syrian pronunciation: ) is the principal port city of Syria and capital city of the Latakia Governorate located on the Mediterranean coast. Historically, it has also been known as Laodicea in Syria or Laodicea ad Mar ...

and other villages of the coastal area of Syria, shaʿifūra is served to customers as an

appetiser An hors d'oeuvre ( ; ), appetiser, appetizer or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the meal, or th ...

. In the last century, people from the coast repopulated central Syria (

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

Hama Hama ( ', ) is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located north of Damascus and north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one o ...

and

Salamiya A full view of Shmemis (spring 1995) Salamiyah (; also transliterated ''Salamiyya'', ''Salamieh'' or ''Salamya'') is a city in central Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate. It is located southeast of Hama, northeast of Homs. It ...

), bringing their taste for shanklīsh and shaʿifūra. It is also known as bāzarkān (بازركان), a name possibly of Turkish origin, and is sometimes called simply shanklish salad (سلطة شنكليش). It is the most common way to serve shanklīsh, as the sweet taste of the tomato contrasts with the cheese. Because of its strong flavor, shanklīsh is known as الروكفور الشامي ''al-rukafur al-shami'' ("Syrian

Roquefort Roquefort () is a sheep milk blue cheese from southern France. Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, European Union law, EU law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may bear the na ...

").

References

Levantine cuisine Salads Syrian cuisine Vegetarian cuisine {{Syria-cuisine-stub

See also

References