Besieged Leaves
Ingredients
– Mulberry leaves
– Oil
– Water
– Salt
– Spices
– Lemon juice
Preparation
“Today’s dish uses mulberry leaves. After harvesting and chopping the leaves, sauté them, then add water and cook for about half an hour, adding salt and spices. Finally, add lemon juice.
Side effect: Eating too much may cause diarrhea.” *1
1* The recipe comes from a Facebook page created to share ideas for crisis meals during the war in Syria. Its description: ‘The page is not intended for mourning or for those who come in and pity us. We are happy. We explain that we try to be as pleasing to the Almighty God.’ [https://www.facebook.com/hesar.food?fref=ts&__mref=message_bubble]
Food as Punishment and Weapon
From the beginning of the protests in Syria, government forces have been using a pacification tactic first employed in 1982: government troops surround the rebellious city or district, cutting off supplies of electricity, water, food, and medicine. The city is then subjected to bombardments until elite military units enter and comb through house by house, arresting anyone suspected of supporting the opposition. […] Cities controlled by opposition armed groups on the outskirts of Damascus and in the Homs area have been besieged for many months, some since mid-2012. By March 2016, they had received virtually no humanitarian aid, and the lack of food, medicine, and medical care has resulted in countless casualties. Total blockade has been implemented in only a few locations. Residents of other besieged cities may smuggle food across the front line, risking their lives each time, or buy it from government soldiers at vastly inflated prices.*2
2* Syrian War and Humanitarian Crisis: A Reporter’s Guide. Author: Wojciech Wilk
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/hesar.food?fref=ts&__mref=message_bubble
