Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA- Walking down the Damascene old alleys, one can smell the delicious aroma of sugared almonds, dragée (or Mulabas in Arabic) with its charming colors and nice shapes.
Sugar coated almond is a deep-rooted Syrian confectionery which dates back to more than 100 years ago and it has reached the international markets.
Sugared almonds symbolize celebrations as they are served at the weddings, birthdays and other family events.
Sugar coated almonds are produced at ancient Damascene factories that were established from about a hundred years ago.
“We inherited this shop my father who established it in 1923,” one of the owners of the shops which sell this confectionery Nizar al-Syoufi says , indicating that the most famous people who worked in that industry was Tawfiq Qabbani, father of the elite Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani.
Sugared almonds industry passes through several stages as the almonds were made on coal on the first day while on the second day they were roasted in large pots that move in a circular way and they depend in their work on gas turbines.
All the materials used in making the sugar coated almonds such as the almonds and the sugar are available in Syria, al-Syoufi said.
Huge amounts of sugar coated almonds are exported to the most important international markets, according to al-Syoufi who says that this industry depends on the simplicity and precision and the high quality in the production .
There are two types of the sugar coated almonds, the first type is coated with little amount of sugar and it is called in Arabic “al-Ghabra” or in English “the dust” while the second type is coated with large amount of sugar and it is harder and it has different colors.
When the expatriates visit Syria, they prefer to take the sugar coated almonds with them abroad as this confectionery reminds them of their homeland as it has always been connected to the traditions of the Syrians who serve while celebrating family events.
Ruaa al-Jazaeri
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