Syrian dessert culture developed primarily in two distinct urban centers — Damascus and Aleppo — each with its own confectionery traditions, family-run sweet shops, and regional specialties. Damascus, as the capital and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, developed an elaborate pastry tradition associated with its historic covered souks. Aleppo, in the north, was a major trading hub on the Silk Road and developed a distinct sweet tradition influenced by its proximity to Turkey and its historic Armenian and Kurdish communities.

Barazek are sesame and pistachio cookies — thin, crisp, and coated on one side with sesame seeds and the other with crushed pistachios — considered one of the most specifically Syrian preparations and strongly associated with Damascus. Halawet el jibn is a cheese and semolina sweet rolled around ashta cream, served with rose water syrup and pistachios — made across the Levant but with a version particularly associated with Hama. Maamoul, knafeh, and baklava are all common across Syria with regional variations in nut choice, syrup flavor, and dough technique.

Syrian confectionery historically used Aleppo pistachios — a specific variety grown in the region around Aleppo considered among the finest in the world — as a primary ingredient across pastries, ice cream, and confections. The civil war has severely disrupted pistachio farming in the region.

The Syrian civil war, which began in 2011, has resulted in over 500,000 deaths and the displacement of more than 13 million people — more than half the pre-war population. The destruction of Aleppo’s old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, included historic souks and sweet shops that had operated for generations. Syrian food culture is now substantially a diaspora food culture, with Syrian pastry chefs and confectioners operating in Turkey, Lebanon, Germany, Sweden, and the United States. Many traditional Syrian preparations are now more consistently available outside Syria than within it.