For Ramadan, Tayybeh's all-female team of Syrian chefs creates takeout iftar
The Vancouver-based social enterprise cooks up a multicourse meal to mark the holy month
Tayybeh is a social enterprise comprising an all-female team of chefs from Syria.
RAMADAN 2021 MARKS a notable moment for many in Canada: a little over five years ago, the first wave of Syrian refugees arrived, fleeing a civil war and devastating humanitarian crisis that is ongoing.
The Canadian government’s commitment was to welcome 25,000 Syrian newcomers; in fact, since November 2015, about 45,000 people from Syria have resettled all across the country. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 45 percent of Syrian refugees are under 18 years old.
Some of those who now call Vancouver home are working to support their families, staying connected to their roots, and sharing their culture all through food. Tayybeh is a social enterprise that celebrates Syrian cuisine. Marking its fifth anniversary this fall, the culinary venture is made up of women from cities such as Aleppo, Idlib, Damascus, and Homs.
To celebrate Ramadan, Tayybeh has launched a glorious multicourse iftar menu for takeout, the term denoting the meal Muslims eat to break their daily fast once the sun has set.
Tayybeh’s iftar meal to go includes dates, which are typically first eaten to break the fast during Ramadan.
Tayybeh’s Ramadan menu begins traditionally with dates. Lentil soup and crunchy pita chips and cheese samboosak (a savoury pastry) are included. hen you get to choose a salad (fattoush, beet tabbouleh or malfoof/cabbage salad); sheesh tawook chicken or kebab in tahini sauce); and a side (mandi spiced rice or rice and vermicelli). It finishes with baklava for all. (The meal for four starts at $98.)
Add-ons, besides savoury items like hummus, include a variety of traditional Ramadanian desserts to share, such as knafeh (made of shredded phyllo pastry) and ataiyf (stuffed pancakes) with various fillings.
The Ramadan menu is available throughout the holy month, which this year goes until May 12.
In response to the pandemic, Tayybeh shifted its focus from catering to fresh and frozen meals and items to have at home, available via delivery via various platforms including FromTo or pick-up from its base at Commissary Connect (401 Industrial Avenue).
Fresh Prep carries some of Tayybeh’s products, such as falafels, hummus, and pita chips, as part of its add-on menu.
Ramadan Kareem means “generous Ramadan” in Arabic, while another common greeting is Ramadan Mubarak, meaning “blessed Ramadan”.
More information is at Tayybeh.
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