'We eat as if we're at one of the world's best restaurants'

There's always something cooking in Zaatari, the Syrian refugee camp home to over 80,000, just across the border, in Jordan.

- 

Mornings carry the heady whiff of qahwa sada (sugarless Turkish coffee) and the warm aromas of mana'eesh and khubz flatbreads, ready to be paired with jazmaz (eggs in a tomato-onion base) or makdous houran (pickled, stuffed baby eggplants).

Lunch might feature crescent dumplings in yogurt (shish barak), lentils with pomegranate, sumac and onion (horaa osba'o), a chicken-stuffed pastry (rgagah) and a spread of salads. Evenings are for card games, music, chatter, and flaky baqlawah or creamy mahalabia pudding.

"We often joke that even though we are in a refugee camp, we eat as if we were at one of the world's most exclusive restaurants," writes Karen E Fisher, in her book Zaatari: Culinary Traditions of the World's Largest Syrian Refugee Camp (2024).