Pantry Essentials

Zaatar is one of the most definitive ingredients of Belad Al Sham. Many of us eat it everyday, one way or another. However, very few of us actually know anything...

Nabulsi cheese gets its name from the city of Nablus in Palestine where this cheese has been made for centuries. It’s made with mastic, mahlab and nigella seeds for a fresh...

There's magic to having that first bite of a perfectly made eggplant makdous. Early season eggplants are fermented in a garlicky chili paste with lots of walnuts - it’s spicy,...

Most people don’t know how to define ‘tursha’, probably because it is a word that is widely used across different cultures. At Shams, we define it as any vegetables that’s...

Lumi are dried limes that are used across the Arab World and more extensively in the Gulf. Ground them to add an acidic punch to dishes or throw them in...

The classic red shatta completes any table spread and is key to spicing up any recipe. This shatta is prepared simply using dried red chilis, salt and olive oil.

Our green labaneh is inspired by a traditional method used to render an indigenous herb, Hweirneh, palatable.At the restaurant, we’ve adapted this technique using many different kinds of bitter seasonal...

If zaatar is a herb blend, dukka is it’s spice blend cousin. Whereas zaatar has general rules to follow, dukka is unique to every region and home.  Our dukka blend...

Labaneh balls are a funkier version of labaneh as they are left to ferment a little longer and are bursting with umami. Our labaneh balls are prepared by Taymour of Robou Al...

Handcrushed, sun-dried local chillies give a needed kick to any dish, whether as a background spice or central taste they are a pillar of any pantry.

Olives are a staple of any pantry. While there are many ways to ferment olives, we like to take it a step further and marinate the finished product in aromatics...