Mahshi

Mahshi is not one dish but a method: any vegetable that is hollowed or wrapped takes the name. In the Damascene kitchen it is mostly courgette and vine leaf, with aubergine, pepper and sometimes chard beside them. The filling is rice and minced lamb, and cinnamon, allspice and black pepper set the smell of the pot. It cooks in tomato broth, or in water sharpened with lemon and mint.

The word for the meatless one

The version without meat is called yalanji, from the Turkish word for a liar. It is filled with rice, tomato, parsley and a lot of olive oil, eaten cold, and served as a mezze plate. The one with meat is hot and a main course; yalanji is cold and a starter. Ordering the wrong one is a common mix-up.

The hollowing and the filling

Courgettes are cored with a long narrow tool so that the walls stay thin; leave them thick and the vegetable is still firm when the rice is done. What comes out is not thrown away, but fried with onion into a dish of its own. In a home kitchen this takes hours, which is why mahshi counts as food for a crowd and for feast days.

Where to eat it

It is home food first. In a restaurant, look at the daily pot menu rather than the grill list; most places put it out at midday and it is gone by evening. Garlic yoghurt comes with it, sometimes in a separate bowl.