Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil as needed. Each side should be light brown in color. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip onto the other side and cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes. Level it out a little with a spatula so that it is about 1/2-inch, but no more. Scoop one small ladle of the batter and pour it into the middle of the pan.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and add the salt, pepper and spices. In a mixing bowl, add the eggs, onion, zucchini, if using, and parsley and mix well. “This is possibly the country’s darkest hour,” write the authors in the book’s introduction, “but even now in tiny flats in Beirut, Berlin and Bradford, Syrian families are searching out the best tomatoes and lemons, pomegranates and parsley, to re-create the dishes that remind them of home.” “Our Syria” is a collection of traditional Syrian recipes along with profiles of some of the women refugees. An estimated 5 million people have fled Syria since 2011, the beginning of conflict that escalated into civil war. Located on the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, it shares borders with Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon. The war-torn country of Syria has a rich history as a cultural crossroads. Through the project, Itab Azzam, a native of Syria, and Dina Mousawi, who grew up in Baghdad, met dozens of Syrian women refugees and found that their conversations often turned to the foods of their homeland. The London-based authors of “Our Syria: Recipes From Home” came up with their concept for the cookbook in 2014 while working with a nonprofit theater group in Beirut.

Our Syria by Dina Mousawi