Tayybeh chefs bring the flavours of Syria to the holiday table
Vancouver-based social enterprise empowers newcomer women through food and cooking
The Tayybeh Treats Holiday Box features three types of cookies: Nightingale's Nest; Holiday Walnut Maamoul; and Kleja.
EVER SINCE TAYYBEH: A Celebration of Syrian Cuisine launched in 2016, the collective has been making not just the best Middle Eastern food in the city, but some of the best fare in Vancouver period. What makes this organization especially remarkable, beyond the creation of dishes traditionally found in places like Aleppo, Idlib, Damascus, and Homs, is that Tayybeh (pronounced “TIE-bay”) is a social enterprise that helps Syrian women who have had to flee their beloved home country due to the ongoing deadly civil war.
Prior to coming to Canada, the chefs had never worked outside the home. Cooking with Tayybeh has allowed them to provide for their families while keeping the women connected to their culture through the food they know and love—fragrant, colourful, and fresh, loaded with aromatic herbs and often studded with ruby-red pomegranate seeds. Upon arriving in a society completely unlike anything they’d ever experienced, they have found that their work has helped them integrate socially, become more independent, and cope with isolation.
The chefs of Tayybeh stay connected to their Syrian culture through food.
Founded by Cairo-born Nihal Elwan, who wanted to do something to help in response to the Syrian refugee crisis, Tayybeh started out primarily doing pop-up dinners and catering events. A food truck and a growing presence at local farmers’ markets followed. All of those channels have been affected by the pandemic.
Working out of Commissary Connect, the group pivoted to takeout and delivery, recently introducing new items like beet mutabbal (beet and tahini dip with pomegranate molasses) and vegan falafel wrap to its selection of deeply flavourful and evenly balanced fresh and frozen meals. There’s sheesh tawouk (marinated grilled chicken breast with spiced Basmati rice); slow-cooked green bean stew; and freshly baked pies stuffed with olives, spinach, cheese, or beef. They are also hoping to expand their retail offerings of dips like hummus and mhammara (a sweet red pepper spread made with walnuts, gluten-free breadcrumbs, onion and olive oil).
“Not having the women not work was simply untenable financially for them and their families,” Elwan tells Stir. “Every order counts towards making their lives more sustainable. With catering effectively dead, we have had to be inventive to survive and flourish during these trying times.”
Tayybeh’s Christmas menu features sliced roasted turkey on a pea-and-carrot rice pilaf with seasonal baked vegetables and traditional Middle Eastern mashed potato. (It’s $18.50 per person, with a minimum order of four people.)
The chefs are also highly skilled at baking, some passionately so. For the holidays, Tayybeh is offering various festive boxes.
The Tayybeh Treats Holiday Box ($20) features three types of desserts. The delicate and ornate Nightingale's Nest is made with shredded phyllo pastry, pistachio, and honey—a vegan delicacy. Holiday Walnut Maamoul cookies are vegan and filled with walnuts. Aromatic Kleja Cookies, which are also vegan, have turmeric, anise, and cardamom.
Maamoul is considered a delicacy across the Levant, Elwan says. There are hundred of styles and tastes depending on ingredients, proportions, and molds used for decorative design. Whether filled with walnuts, pistachios, or dates, they’re considered a treat because of the long and painstaking process involved in making them. They must not crumble easily but must also keep their smooth texture.
“While all maamoul is special, the most celebrated and patiently awaited is the maamoul prepared for holidays, religious occasions, and personal celebrations such as Christmas and Eid,” Elwan says. “That’s when the real skills in maamoul-making are put on full display. The flavours are simply exquisite.
“Maamoul is also what people often gift each other during special celebrations and occasions,” she says. “A lovely box or bag of beautifully crafted and delicious maamoul is a really charming way of telling someone you care about them. In fact, maamoul is often prepared for the most special house guests and visitors to show them they are appreciated and loved. That’s among the reasons we prepared these holiday walnut maamouls to let Vancouverites know that we appreciate and love them.”
Kleja is traditionally often enjoyed in the afternoon with a cup of tea or coffee; it’s rather light and far less sweet than the maamoul. “The origins of the kleja are quite varied with different iterations of it existing across the region, from Syria, through Iraq, Iran, and all the way to Bengal,” Elwan says. “Ours is the kleja enjoyed in Syria.”
The Tayybeh Treasures Holiday Box ($85) features items such as walnut and date maamoul as well as mhammara, mutabbal, and Aleppo Zaatar. The zaatar comes from a recipe that has been passed down and perfected over generations. Damascus Delights Holiday Box ($55) has a similar selection of savoury goods and sweet treats.
The term tayybeh is the feminine construction of the Arabic word for “kind” or “generous”. In the Levantine dialect, which is a colloquial form of Arabic spoken in parts of the Middle East, the word also means “delicious”. More information is at Tayybeh.
Tayybeh’s Damascus Delights Holiday Box has sweet and savoury goods.
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