Ghazal al-Binat literally means the flirtation of girls (also a famous Egyptian film), and it's kind of like candy floss-- thin ethereal whipped threads that melt in your mouth-- stuffed with a sweet pistachio filling.
Check out Andrew Zimmerman tasting Syria. Okay, so the script is a little, umm, dumb-American sounding, but it's a nice intro into some of the weirder foods of Syria, and a flattering portrayal of the Syrian people (which is quite accurate!).
Also, hello, Foreign Policy has a food issue! People after my heart. I highly recommend this piece, "Eat, Drink, Protest."
In more local news, growing my own mache lettuce:
Beautiful early summer market produce:
if only my nasturtiums ever looked like this:
Happy summer everyone!
That's a fascinating video! I too made orange olive and red onion salad on the 4th ;)
ReplyDeleteI planted nasturtium seeds and at least they germinated. No flowers as yet.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely photos. Summer is such a fun time!
ReplyDeleteHello!!
ReplyDeleteI want to nominate you for the Versatile Blogger Award. I love your blog and have been reading for the last year!
The rules are as follows (as they were told to me):
1. Thank the person who awarded you and link back to them in your post.
2. Tell 7 Random facts about yourself.
3. Pass the award on to 7 new found (or old favorite) bloggers.
4. Contact each blogger you want to pass the award on to and let them know you’ve done so, and let the giver of your award know you accept it… or not.
Great video! Well done!
ReplyDeleteI disagree on the literal meaning of the pastry "Ghazal al-Binat", and the given transliteration.
ReplyDelete"Al-Banat", not "Al-Binat", literally means "girls". However, it is commonly used in most Arab countries to address "female laborers".
The word "Ghazal" does mean "flirtation". However, the correct transliteration of the Arabic word used in the pastry should be "Ghazl", which has a totally different meaning. The word "Ghazl" literally means "spinning".
As such, the pastry, which is made in Syria and Lebanon, and not only Syria, is called "Ghazl Al-Banat" because it resembles drafted wool in textile factories, where the laborers are mostly females.
Best.