I love supporting local small businesses, especially ones that have such a rich and meaningful history like Tayybeh. What started off as an opportunity to provide work for, and raise funds for, many war-torn Syrian refugees, is now a full fledged catering company.
Originally, the women of Tayybeh took their traditional family recipes and offered it to the public by way of ticketed dinners. Their authentic food grew in notoriety and their business had to follow. They now provide “premium Middle Eastern fare at office lunches, banquets, conferences, receptions, social events, weddings, and other functions” (as taken from their website) and their retail offerings have expanded to include dips, pita chips, spreads, and even frozen meals.
They have done a few pop up shops and as a result, I have been able to try most of their retail items. At said pop ups you are able to sample their dips and narrow down on the ones you want to take home.
Their Mhammara sweet red pepper spread is their most popular of their dip. Traditional Syrian style with red pepper, walnuts, gluten-free breadcrumbs, onion and olive oil. Zesty with pops of salted tang, this is the most flavourful of their assortment.
The Mutabbal is smoked eggplant with Tahini and olive oil. It has a lumpy pudding-like texture where you can make out the chunks of eggplant. This is definitely their more milder dip.
And they pride themselves on their smooth Syrian style hummus. It is unlike the Mediterranean various, and has a texture and flavour all its own. Worth trying, as my favourite of their current collection.
And to eat all the above with, they have home-style pita chips you can pair up. Thick and crispy, coarse cut chips that make for the perfect scoops.
On this specific occasion I would get to try some of their kitchen items, which they make available frozen. Pre-made and ready to take home to heat up.
Sambousek is essentially a pocket pie, typically served as a mezze or appetizer. Available in either beef or cheese as frozen packs of 6. You simply bake in the oven, or in our case, the air fryer.
The meat one was stuffed with spiced ground beef, onions, and pine nuts. It was peppery and ate light. I would have liked a more saucy filling to better balance out the dry dough when reheated.
The cheese one ate like a dumpling with a salty buttery taste. I just would have liked it with more cheese filling. But I did like the natural taste and texture of the dough.
A fatayer too is a type of pie that is stuffed. However, its dough more closely resembles flatbread: thick and chewy. The cheese one was as expected. And spinach one was citrusy and herbaceous with a rosemary-like seasoning.
For entrees we had the Mesahhab Roast Chicken Frozen Dinner for Two. An assembly of roast chicken legs served with Tayybeh’s spiced Basmati (Mandi) rice and roast seasonal vegetables. It was a good amount of food, but for my tastes I found it on the bland side. The chicken was cooked perfectly juicy, but outside of the spice rub on the skin, I didn’t get much f seasoning. It would have been nice to have a gravy of some sort to dip the meat into, and to drizzle over the gently salted root vegetables and rice. Although, it wouldn’t be all that authentic, after that.
I originally asked for their meatball stew, which looked amazing in photo. Large round cooked balls of beef drenched in with plenty of sauce (which would have also addressed all the issues I stated above). However, there was a mix up and I ended up with their Falafel Frozen Dinner for Two. I am not a fan of falafel: the deep fried fritter made from ground chickpeas, broad beans, or both. I always find them dry and their texture grainy. Hallmarks of the dish that I naturally don’t like. So this one was not for me. It at least would have been nice to have a sauce or a creamy dip for the falafels that felt very plain.
In summary, you can dive more into authentic and traditional Syrian cuisine with Tayybeh. As a women driven enterprise every meal, product, and service you enlist from them goes to support newly immigrated Syrian women and their families. This support gives them the opportunity and the ability to start again and build. So when you try something new, not only are you supporting your community’s local, small businesses; but in this case it goes out further than that.
Tayybeh
401 Industrial Ave, Vancouver, BC V6G 2R7
(604) 363-2602
tayybeh.com
