Sharing our favourite foods

Moments of Freedom is a project led by New Scot women in Clydebank, in partnership with Outside the Box and West Dunbartonshire Council. In this blog the group shares the importance of food in cultural sharing.  

Back to Normality  

Ever since our group sessions have returned to Centre 81 in real life, we have been talking a lot more about our favourite foods and recipes we tried during lockdown.  

Food is an important part of cultural sharing, and it has been interesting to find out about similar dishes between the two cultures.  

Festive Treats 

Before Christmas we talked about different desserts that are eaten during religious holidays in Syria.  

One of the women shared her favourite, Maamoul cookies. Maamoul is a butter cookie that can be filled with various dried fruits or with nuts. It sounds delicious! Other recipes shared by the women for desserts like Knafeh and Qatayef led to a wider conversation about the interest people might have in Syrian foods the women recommend.  

We have started to share these recipes and foods on our Twitter and Instagram and have been well received.  

Burns Supper  

For Robert Burns Day the women shared Ghraybeh, a Syrian alternative to shortbread! Ghraybeh is made with ground almonds and versions are found in most countries in the Arab world.  

Keep an eye on our social media pages for more recipe ideas and let us know how you get on if you try any!