Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ichotshoziwe futhi isetshenziswa njengesinongo, igayiwe ibe yisoso ye-chili ehlukile, noma ifakwe yonke kumasaladi, i-Aleppo pepper inendawo ekhethekile ezweni lokupheka. Njengoba ikhuliswe edolobheni lase-Aleppo elisenyakatho yeSiriya (noma i-Halab), le pepper ibilokhu isetshenziswa amakhulu eminyaka ukunambitha ama-kebab, izitshulu, nama-sauce, okuhlukanisa ukudla kwaseSiriya kwezinye izitsha zaseMpumalanga Ephakathi.
“Ukudla okuhle kakhulu eSyria kuvela e-Aleppo. I-Aleppo inezitsha eziningi ezimnandi, kodwa kukhona okukhethekile okukodwa okungatholakala e-Aleppo kuphela: isosi ye-chili eshisayo,” kusho u-Ali Fakhrdeen, umpheki endaweni yokudlela esanda kuvulwa i-Qasr Halab eSharjah, etshela i-Gulfnews.com.
Le sosi yetshili ebabayo inikeza ukudla okulula okudumile kwaseMpumalanga Ephakathi kanye nezitsha eziyinhloko, njengeqabunga lamagilebhisi agcwele, ama-kebab, nama-meatball athosiwe, ukunambitheka okuyingqayizivele kwaseSyria. Okuhambisana nokunambitheka kwaseSyria, le sosi eshisayo (noma i-shatahlabiya) iza ngezinhlobo ezimbili—ebabayo nemnandi.
“Ilayisi eligoqwe ngamaqabunga amagilebhisi lingatholakala emazweni amaningana aseMpumalanga Ephakathi—eLebanon, eJordani naseGibhithe. Kodwa e-Aleppo, lesi sidlo sihlukile ngoba amaqabunga amagilebhisi agcwele isosi elimnandi le-chili kanye nesiraphu ye-grenadine. Lokhu kusinika ubumnandi obuhlukile ongeke ubuthole kwenye indawo eMpumalanga Ephakathi,” kusho uChef Fakhreddine.
Eminyakeni yamuva nje, ithonya likapelepele ophuzi e-Aleppo ekugayweni komhlaba wonke liye lathinteka ngeshwa, njengoba kunjalo nedolobha ngokwalo, ikakhulukazi ngenxa yengxabano eqhubekayo esifundeni. Njengoba impi yabhubhisa izindawo zezolimo, abalimi abaningi baphoqeleka ukuthuthela ezindaweni eziseduze, kodwa ukunambitheka okuyingqayizivele kukapelepele ophuzi e-Aleppo kuye kwagcinwa ngokucophelela. Imbewu iye yafunwa ngokucophelela, futhi manje abathandi bezinongo kude njengaseCalifornia, e-USA, sebeqala ukutshala upelepele ophuzi e-Aleppo.
Lokhu kungenxa yokuthi upelepele ophuzi uvame ukuzivumelanisa nezimo ezikhulayo ezahlukahlukene emhlabeni jikelele. Bekulokhu kungumngane othembekile wabahambi futhi kwakusetshenziswa ngisho nemali. Kusukela eWest Indies kuya eYurophu, kusukela eSpain kuya eNtshonalanga Afrika, upelepele ophuzi usatshalaliswa emhlabeni wonke, uhlanganiswa kalula nezinhlobo zendawo. Ngakho-ke, upelepele wase-Aleppo uphinde ube nesitembu esihlukile sase-Aleppo.
Ama-pods ale pepper ane-conical, angamasentimitha angu-5 kuya kwangu-10 ubude, anesikhumba esibushelelezi, esicwebezelayo, nesiqinile. Inesilinganiso sokushisa esincane kakhulu, cishe ama-Scoville Heat Units (SHU) ayi-10,000. Ngenxa yokunambitheka kwayo okuyingqayizivele, okuhlanganisa ukushisa, ubumnandi, kanye nezici zezithelo, ama-Aleppo chili pepper asetshenziswa kabanzi ekudleni kwaseSyria.
Isizini kapelepele eLevant iphela ngasekupheleni kwehlobo nasekuqaleni kwekwindla. Phakathi nalesi sikhathi, umndeni ngamunye uqoqa upelepele osele bese uwomisa—hhayi ngokuphelele, kodwa ngezinga elithile kuphela—ukuze wenze isosi kapelepele obomvu.
“Lena isosi esiyisebenzisela ukwenza isosi iMuhammara—izingcezu zesinkwa, isosi ye-chili, uwoyela womnqumo, kanye ne-cumin. Izithako ezine kuphela ezanele ukwenza lesi sidlo sokudla okulula, ngoba isosi ye-chili yiyo enikeza isosi iMuhammara ukunambitheka kwayo okuyingqayizivele,” kusho uChef Fakhreddine.
I-Aleppo ingenye yezindawo ezindala kakhulu ezihlalwa abantu emhlabeni, etholakala eceleni koMgwaqo iSilk. Ukumbiwa kwezinto zakudala lapho kuqale ngeNkathi Yethusi Yasekuqaleni, cishe ngo-3000 BC.
Kodwa-ke, uma ulandela intuthuko yakamuva yokudla kwaseSyria, uzobona ukuthi iphrofayili yokunambitheka kwayo ayishintshanga. Umpheki uFahrdin ukholelwa ukuthi lokhu kungenxa yokuthi izitsha zaseSyria azikwazi ukulungiswa ngezindlela ezingezona ezendabuko.
Uthe: “Uma ufuna ukunambitha ukudla kwase-Aleppo, kumele ukupheke usebenzisa izindlela zendabuko, hhayi ezingavamile.”
Osebenza naye, uHassan Obaid, umpheki wesizukulwane sesithathu emndenini, wavuma. Uyise wayesebenza njengompheki ehhotela elikhulu e-Aleppo, futhi wafunda amakhono akhe okupheka kuyise. Umpheki u-Obaid uyaqiniseka ukuthi amadodana akhe azoqhubeka namasiko okupheka omndeni, nokuthi isizukulwane sesine sizozuza ifa lothando lokupheka.
“Ngokuphathelene nokudla ngokwako, ngeke uqaphele noma yiziphi izinguquko. Ukunambitheka kuhlale kungashintshile izizukulwane ezintathu. Kodwa manje, ngenxa yentuthuko yezobuchwepheshe kanye noshintsho olukhulu endleleni yokuphila, sishintshe indlela esivezwa ngayo kuphela. Kodwa ukunambitheka kusalokhu kufana,” kusho u-Al-Obaid, umpheki waseCasal Harab.
Yingakho ama-kebab manje esegaywa ngomshini kunokuba anqunywe abe yizicucu ezincane ngokwesiko, futhi indlela esetshenziswa ngayo isibe yesimanje. Kodwa ukunambitheka kusalokhu kuphelele. Esinye isibonelo sokuchazwa kwesimanje kwesitsha sendabuko ushizi we-halloumi othosiwe, i-appetizer ethandwayo eMpumalanga Ephakathi.
“Ushizi we-Halomi ubulokhu uyishizi we-halomi—ukunambitheka kwawo akukashintshi kusukela esikhathini sikamkhulu wami kuze kube namuhla. Kodwa ngokuzumayo ngaba nomqondo wokusonga ushizi we-halomi enhlameni ye-kunafa (vermicelli) bese ngiwuthosa. Ngale ndlela, ungazwa ngasikhathi sinye usawoti weshizi we-halomi kanye nobumnandi benhlama ye-kunafa,” kusho uChef Obaid.
Ukudla kwaseSyria kuhluke kanjani kokwaseGibhithe noma kwaseLebhanoni? Ngokusho kukaChef Fahrdin, “ukunambitheka kwe-halal” okuyingqayizivele okunikeza izitsha ubusha bazo.
“I-Syrian kib nayo ihlukile, inokunambitheka okuhlukile kwe-halab. Sisebenzisa inyama yemvu egayiwe, ukolweni oqhekekile, ama-pistachios, ama-walnuts, imbewu yamapomegranate, kanye nezinongo. Vele, kukhona nesoso elimnandi le-chili. Lezi izithako eziyinhloko ekugcwaliseni, okuphinde kulungiswe no-anyanisi kanye nesiraphu yamapomegranate,” kusho yena.
Ama-kebab nawo ayahlukahluka; ama-Aleppo kebab asebenzisa inyama eningi, okwenza athambe futhi abe mnene. Kukhona nezinhlobo eziningana ezahlukene.
“Zizofaka amafutha engeziwe ukuze ama-kebab abe mnene kakhudlwana, kanye namantongomane. Engikuthanda kakhulu yi-kebab kaBilla Mukasarata, eyenziwe ngamantongomane noshizi enyameni egayiwe,” enezela.
Kulabo abazama ukudla kwaseSyria okokuqala, uChef Fahrdin uyeluleka: “Qala nge-muhammara, bese kuba yi-kibbe ne-yaranga, bese kuba ama-kebab ekugcineni.”
Uma ufuna ukuzama ukudla kwaseSyria, nansi iresiphi ekhethekile evela ku-sous-chef we-Qasar Halab uHassan Al Obaid—indlela yakhe ehlukile yokupheka ushizi we-haloumi othosiwe.
• Songa izingcezu ezintathu zeshizi le-halloumi enhlama ye-kunafa bese uthosa kakhulu cishe imizuzu emine.
• Thosa i-za'atar entsha ngokwehlukana bese uyibeka epuletini. Faka ushizi we-haloumi othosiwe phezulu bese uhlobisa ngama-olive amnyama aqoshiwe.
Isikhathi sokuthunyelwe: Disemba 31-2025