In Mas’ada village, which was part of Syria until the 1960s, Druze cook Safa Ibrahim welcomes small groups with prior reservations to her home for meals rooted in Syrian-Druze cuisine. She acquired her culinary skills from her mother, the village’s wedding cook, and her mother-in-law. And after working as a cook in a village restaurant for years, Ibrahim launched her home restaurant, Little Kitchen, feeling confident in her knowledge, talent, and support from her family.
Her meals feature an array of home-cooked seasonal dishes, artfully presented. Offerings include chicken fatteh — shredded pita, chickpeas, and chicken in tahini yogurt sauce; shish barak — dumplings filled with beef and walnuts served with a yogurt sauce; purslane salad with onions, tomatoes, and sumac; bulgur mujadara; fried kibbeh, and more. For dessert, there’s qatayef asafiri or pancakes stuffed with homemade cream and adorned with pistachios.

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array of home-cooked seasonal dishes. photo by: Noam Preisman

“Safaa’s hospitality is the most surprising, delicious, and inviting option in the vicinity of Mas’ada village,” praises Muzna Bishara. “From the moment you see Safaa’s captivating smile, you will feel that you are in good hands, and she will immediately start feeding you like a loving mother, with wonderful and very tasty dishes prepared exactly as Syrian cooks cooked many generations before her.”

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