Shorbat Adas

Red lentils are simmered with onion and garlic, seasoned with cumin and turmeric, then blended smooth. Two more things arrive with the bowl: lemon to squeeze in, and cubes of bread fried in olive oil. There is no milk or cream in it. The body comes from the lentils themselves.

Why it is the first spoonful of iftar

Because after a long fast it is hot liquid that does not tax the stomach. In Ramadan the call to prayer is followed by dates and water, then immediately by this soup; the main dishes come later. That order does not change in Damascus. Restaurants serve it the way households do.

How it differs from Turkish lentil soup

The ingredient lists are almost the same; the flavour comes from elsewhere. In Turkey the bowl is finished with hot butter carrying mint and chilli flakes. In Damascus the dominant spice is cumin and the sharpness on the plate comes from lemon. The fried bread cubes are standard here and are not there.

Do not confuse it with adas bi hamod

There is a dish often mixed up with it: adas bi hamod. That one is not a soup. It is thick, made with whole green lentils, chard, plenty of lemon and garlic, eaten with a spoon and ordered separately. If both appear on the menu, say clearly which one you want.

Where to drink it

On the soup line of almost every restaurant, all year. Some breakfast shops put it out in the morning too. Most kitchens make it without meat, but some use meat stock — if you do not eat meat, ask rather than assume.