Bamia

Homs is the city associated with okra, in both its meat and its olive-oil form. Small, firm pods are the ones wanted; the large ones turn fibrous and stay tough in the pot. The two versions sometimes appear on the same table, one cold as a mezze and one hot as a main. Size matters here.

Cooked in olive oil

Onion and garlic are turned in olive oil, tomato goes in, and the okra cooks over a low flame. Because no meat is involved it is served cold or at room temperature as a mezze plate. The sourness comes from pomegranate molasses or lemon.

Cooked with meat

Chunks of lamb or beef stew with the okra in tomato, and garlic and coriander go in at the end; those two set the smell of the dish. Plain white rice comes alongside, and the plate stands as a main course.

When and where

Okra is fresh at the end of summer and dried through the winter, and the dried pods give a denser flavour. Ask for it as the dish of the day in the home-cooking restaurants of Homs. The olive-oil version is not on the main-course list; look for it under mezze. Both are worth ordering.