My mother originally came from Aleppo, but I grew up in Damascus, where she moved once she got married. The two cities have very different cuisines. Like all Syrian mothers, mine cooked every day, making recipes from one city or the other. Generally, Aleppine dishes use a lot of chili, while those from Damascus feature milder spices, like cumin, cinnamon or nigella. For example, in Aleppo, stuffed zucchini are grilled and served with yogurt and rice, while in Damascus, they are directly cooked in the yogurt.

I often preferred the Aleppine flavors. I always loved to eat and try all sorts of things as a child. I became a foodie, but I never actually cooked while I was in Syria. After graduating from high school, I studied business management and started working for a children's television channel. I would purchase broadcasting rights, especially for foreign cartoons. I stayed there for 12 years.

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