Fatteh

The name comes from breaking bread by hand: fatta means to crumble. Pieces of toasted or day-old flatbread go in the bottom of the dish, boiled chickpeas on top, then yoghurt whipped with garlic and tahini, and last of all pine nuts or almonds fried in butter. The hot butter is poured at the end and the plate reaches the table before the crunch dies.

How many kinds there are

The most common is made with chickpeas (fattet hummus). Beside it are the aubergine version (fattet makdous), one with meat, and a heavy Damascene version made with lamb trotters. All of them share the same order: bread below, yoghurt in the middle, hot fat on top.

Where to eat it

A breakfast and late-morning dish; most places do not carry it on the evening menu. The hummus and ful shops of old Damascus put it out from eight until midday, and then the pot is empty.

How to order it

If you want the bread to arrive before it softens, ask for it on the side. One plate usually feeds two; ordering ful and tea alongside is the standard Damascus morning.