Harak osbao

The name means he burned his finger, and the story behind it is simple: somebody tasted the dish while it was still hot, burned a finger, and the name stuck. It is a Damascus dish. It is also one of the best known entries in the country’s popular cooking.

What goes into it

The base is brown lentils, cooked down until they hold together. Nothing fancy goes in after that. Onion fried in olive oil until golden goes in with garlic and coriander. The sourness comes from lemon juice, pomegranate molasses or tamarind, and which of the three is used changes from house to house.

Boiled squares of dough are then folded in; newer versions use pasta in their place. On serving, pieces of toasted bread go on top and in most places pomegranate seeds as well. Four textures sit in one plate: soft lentil, slippery dough, crisp bread, firm seed.

When it is eaten

A dish of the cold season and of Ramadan. It is cooked at home, comes out for a full table, and is sent round to the neighbours on a plate; that sending is as settled a custom as the dish itself. The sour side is strong, so many people ask for yoghurt or a salad beside it.

Where to find it

In Damascus at restaurants doing everyday cooking, usually as the dish of the day. It is not available everywhere every day, so if it is not on the menu it is worth asking. Your chances are better in winter and in Ramadan than in summer.

The heat carries a warning of its own. Straight from the pot it really is hot, which is what the name has been saying all along.