The reputation of truly tasty fare travels around like wind…and that’s exactly what happened with Syrian Malake Jazmati and her cooking talent. Her reputation went around the German capital, where she had arrived as a war refugee two years earlier, and even beyond. Her dishes had quite impressed the German chancellor Angela Merkel.
In 2015, her husband risked his life and went on board one of the ships that transported thousands of Syrians to Europe. Once in Germany, he was given the refugee status and was able to send for his family to join him fast.
Soon after her arrival to Berlin, the 30-years old lady originating from Damascus became one of the many exemplary stories of refugees succeeding in a country that had welcomed over a million of them.
Within two years, the young woman was able to establish her Middle Eastern cuisine catering business, which was very well received by the Germans, which encouraged her to publish a cooking book filled with popular recipes.
Malake Jazmati, who had to flee Damascus, declared, “My life in Germany is great”. She is proud that she no longer relies on welfare money that the German government allocates to new refugees.
Her business, Levant Gourmet, caters famous Syrian dishes to dinners and receptions.
The German chancellor loves Shawarma!
About 600,000 Syrian refugees have reached Germany since the beginning of the Syrian war in 2011, and many of them are facing great difficulties due to language obstacles and unemployment. While 40% of refugees of all origins inside Germany are still on the unemployment registries, Malake Jazmati was fortunate enough to have been invited to the German Chancellery last Spring to be in charge of preparing the finest Middle Eastern dishes for Angela Merkel.
The German chancellor declared that she loved the Shawarma that the young woman had made for her.
One could say, behind every great dish lies a Syrian mother! Malake made sure to teach her daughters the art of fine cuisine.
The German Queen of Fava Beans and Chickpeas
In 2015, 98% of Syrian arrivals received refugee status, while they dwindled to 30% nowadays. The rest receive a temporary protective status that allows them to reside legally for a year, with no right for family reunification.
Malake Jazmati faced tremendous challenges for integration in Germany, where she still has difficulty in understanding all of the culture’s aspects. “It’s quite a technology-dominated society”, she says. But she thinks that the dishes of fava beans and chickpeas that are so popular among Germans constitute a positive introduction to her own culture.
Her dream is that Syrian cuisine is one day internationally acclaimed the same as French or Italian cuisines are.
Malake Jazmati reminds the Syrian refugees, crushed by their country’s national tragedy, of the taste of their mothers’ cooking, thanks to hers.