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17
Nov
Refugees share food and culture with Nidderdale community that welcomed them
A family who fled Syria after their house in Damascus was bombed during the civil war shared an evening of food and culture in Pateley Bridge at the weekend.
About 100 paying guests attended the pop-up event at the Memorial Hall, which was run by Road to Damascus, a catering company owned by refugee Huda Alhamwi.
Huda and her husband Mohamad were resettled with their three daughters in Pateley Bridgein 2022 after being sponsored by the local community.
With support from people in the town, Huda is pursuing a dream to run her own catering business, building on her family’s previous life and work in Syria.
The starters included vine leaves stuffed with aubergine and vegetables and lamb samosas.
The three-course meal was served from a long buffet of more than 10 authentic Syrian dishes, including sembosa (samosas), yalanji (vine leaves stuffed with aubergine), shish barak (lamb-stuffed dumplings), faruji (aromatic roast chicken), mnazaleh (lamb meatballs) and freekeh (roasted green wheat).
Mohamad also played the buzuk – a stringed instrument related to the lute – and gave a poignant presentation on his family’s pre-war life in Syria and resettlement in Yorkshire.
He said:
Leaving our home in Syria was very difficult – we left all our family and friends there. But we love Pateley Bridge, and you are our new family and friends.
Mohamad Alhamwi playing the buzuq.
There was also a quiz on Syrian and Yorkshire culture, as well as a pop-up market stall selling dips and home-made baklava.
Huda’s voluntary mentor, Sue Eland said:
It’s a real privilege to work with such a wonderful family and to have the opportunity to learn about Syrian culture.
This has been a fantastic learning curve for us all, but we hope that local people will support Huda’s dream. Huda and her family cannot return to Syria and so we are her ‘new’ family.
Mohamad and Huda Alhamwi.
Huda and her Road to Damascus team will be holding more pop-up events over the coming months, including at Ripley Town Hall on Saturday, February 14, Outside the Box (Ilkley) on Saturday, March 14, Washburn Heritage Centre on Thursday, April 16, and St Wilfrid’s Community Centre in Ripon on Saturday, May 9.
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