Sharjah24: Zina Abboud, was the celebrity chef who inaugurated the popular ‘Cookery Corner’ at the 40th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) 2021. The audience not only got to watch her but sample a couple of local delicacies from Syria and beyond that came out hot from Abboud’s kitchen.

The mouth-watering Lahmeh-b-karraz has a sweet and sour taste, like the washneh cherries, explained the chef. “The ingredients in the dish are lamb meatballs and pureed cherry juice. The juice is boiled until it thickens to which the meatballs are added. The tangy appetiser dish is garnished with pine nuts and parsley then served with pieces of Arabic bread cut in triangles,” she added. 

Moving on to the second dish, the Turkish cheese burrak, Zina shared that originally the burrak was mostly made meatless and comprised feta and mozzarella cheeses, minced parsley, frozen spinach, egg yolks, milk and butter. She rolled the dough explaining her audience that the rolling process is similar to that of the kunafa. The savoury stuffing mix is filled inside the thin sheets of roll, then folded and baked for a classic Mediterranean pie. “The fillings can be varied depending on one’s taste,” the chef clarified. 

Zina Abboud’s Mijn Syrische Keuken by Xander Publishers, and the first Syrian cookbook to be published in the Netherlands, is currently available at SIBF 2021.

Chef Zina Abboud is the first female Syrian migrant to open a business in the Netherlands, Zina's Kitchen, bringing with her the experience she gained from cooking in her grandmother’s home in Aleppo. She is joined by 10 other celebrity chefs from 10 nations who will be leading a variety of masterclasses designed to instil a love of global cuisines in the visitors of the Sharjah International Book Fair 2021.