Mujaddara

The name comes from mujaddar, meaning pockmarked: the dark lentils scattered through the rice were read as the scars the disease leaves. Lentils and rice cook in the same pot, and onions fried until they are nearly black go over the top. There is no meat on the plate.

How many kinds there are

Made with split yellow lentils it is called yellow mujaddara; made with whole brown lentils, black. Some tables use bulgur instead of rice. When the grains are left whole and separate the dish takes the name mudardara in places, and there is also a version pounded down to a paste.

Where it sits at the table

Its oldest written recipe appears in al-Baghdadi’s Kitab al-Tabikh of 1226, where it is made with meat and served at celebrations. The meatless version was cheap and filling, and for centuries it was known as the food of the poor. Today it also answers for fasting and for meat-free days.

Where to eat it

In the home-cooking restaurants of Damascus, as the dish of the day. It is eaten hot or cold, with yoghurt, green salad and pickles alongside. For a traveller who does not eat meat it is one of the safest plates on a Syrian table.