Samali

Samali is a sweet from Syria with a long history and has long brightened the lives of the peoples of Anatolia and the Mediterranean basin. Travelers brought the sweet to Izmir on the western coast of modern Turkey and then to Istanbul. This took place during the era of Ottoman rule which exceeded 400 years and unified the populations of various regions. The cuisines of these diverse populations traveled from region to region and were adapted using whatever ingredients were available. In Greece, samali from Istanbul was sold by traveling street vendors and has always been a favorite sweet of children. It is a pan-baked sweet, made with semolina, water, eggs, sugar, baking soda, and runny yogurt. It is baked and then a sugar-based syrup is poured over it.