Shish Barak

Shish Barak is a Levantine dish that everyone loves. It requires time and focus, as it consists of dough stuffed with meat and cooked with yogurt, coriander and garlic, which produces a distinctive dish that tastes delicious and looks great. It is served for lunch as a main meal. This dish is considered one of the most famous yogurt dishes in the Levant, especially in Syria. Its name varies from one country to another. In Jordan, it is called “old man’s ears” and in Palestine, it is called “cat’s ears.” Historically, its origins go back to the Damascene kitchen, and during the Ottoman era, it moved to Turkey and was called “Shish Darak” according to one account, like other Levantine dishes that moved to Turkey during the Ottoman era as a result of cultural mixing and were named with Turkish names. The meaning of the name is the military hat because the pieces of shish barak resemble a military hat or closed dough. There are many dishes similar to the ingredients of shish barak in world cuisines, such as Italian ravioli, Afghan mantu, and Chinese dumplings with their different fillings.