Damascus,SANA- The Syrian countryside is characterized by many popular dishes that were inherited from our ancestors, and each of them has its own rituals and occasions.
One of the beloved social traditions that Syrian families carry out on days like these every year is making of bulgur, or what is known as “saliqa,” which was inherited by the people of the countryside and was characterized by love and simplicity and has not changed,that it has remained preserving the beautiful family atmosphere characterized it since ancient times.
Um Ahmed says that despite the presence of ready-made bulgur in abundance in the markets and shops, she is still keen on preparing bulgur herself, despite her advanced age, in order to recall memories filled with the scent of the past and the days of welfare and blessings.
In the afternoon hours, the rural family collects firewood in order to use it to light the stove on next day, when the wheat grains are ready after washing them several times to put them in large pots in order to boil them until they are ripen.
However, al- Saliqa ritual is not complete without the laughter of children as they gather with relatives and neighbors while waiting for the wheat grains to ripen so that they can have a plate full of them, sprinkled with sugar and making it taste delicious.
After this stage the wheat grains, they later transferred to the roof of the house to expose them to the sun’s rays where they are left for a period of time until they dry, and then they are taken to the mill to be crushed and turned into bulgur.
This story of love began when man discovered wild wheat in Syria and relative stability began near his fields.
The book (The Mystery of Ishtar) by the great Syrian thinker Firas Al-Sawah mentions that the cycle of nature became more important to man’s life after his discovery of wheat, so bread became part of his diet and changed his social customs
Therefore, Syrians deal with bread in their own way, old and young rush to pick it up from the ground and move it out of the way, and Some of them kiss it and place it on their heads. There is a common feeling among every Syrian that bread is a sacred thing and they treat it in a way befitting this sanctity.
Fedaa al-Rhayiah
