Syrian refugee cooks up feasts fit for a queen

Syrian refugee cooks up feasts fit for a queen
Syrian refugee, Zina Abboud, honestly never expected that cooking Syrian food for a living would be one of her options after living in the Netherlands for less than a year.

Abboud is a graduate from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Aleppo and before the revolution began worked as director of advertising in the marketing of hotel and restaurant equipment. 

Due to the difficult circumstances she found herself facing in Syria because of the war, Abboud decided to follow in the footsteps of her children who had traveled as refugees from Turkey into Europe eventually seeking asylum in the Netherlands. 

Abboud experienced episodes of remorse along the way as she followed the difficult journey of a refugee that began with the dangerous boat trip from Turkey to Greece then snaked its way through Europe.

Along the way she was imprisoned in Croatia for three days then spent another five days on the border of Slovakia in freezing cold conditions before finally reaching the Netherlands where she ended up living in a refugee camp while waiting for her asylum application to be processed. 

Struggling with depression and feelings of isolation along the way, Abboud wondered if it had even been worth it to make the dangerous trip.

A few days after entering the refugee camp, a Dutch friend of Abboud’s came to visit and asked permission of the authorities in charge for her to spend New Year’s in her home.

Abboud says that while she was there the Dutch girl surprised her by bringing halal meat and vegetables and asking her to make some Syrian dishes because she thought that her guest was probably missing the traditional food of her homeland. 

The refugee who had been struggling with depression was enchanted by her Dutch host family as well as the elegant and beautiful dining table her young friend prepared for the occasion.

After returning to the camp, Abboud was inspired to start cooking for the Syrian, Iraqi and Afghani refugees who were also living there.

She also became a volunteer in the city of Amsterdam helping to feed poor and homeless Dutch citizens as well as in a large hospital that included a number of Dutch physicians helping Syrians acquire necessary certificates.

Abboud, who came from Aleppo, found the asylum requirements such as standing in line to be given food, intolerable, especially after having lived a good life before the crisis. 

She had already lost so much; her home, her work and all the money she had which got spent on the road to Europe, but refused to let go of her dignity too.

Abboud says that after all she had been through she was not going to allow the cloud of despair hovering over her head to defeat her.

Instead she decided to adopt the same self-sufficient attitude that had made her strong and successful in her previous life in Syria and resolved to once again take charge of her own life and find a way to support herself instead of relying on the charity of others.

After ten months of being in the Netherlands, Abboud was given a five year residency permit on June 1, 2016. 

Obtaining residency was a turning point in her new life and she was quick to organize her papers and approach the Dutch trade department asking them for a license to establish a project company.

Abboud says that the persons in charge were amazed at her request because she had only been in the country as a refugee for ten months.

They explained to her that the support she was receiving from the Dutch government would stop if they honored her request to which she agreed without hesitation.

“Zina’s Kitchen” specializes in cooking Syrian food, particularly Halabi and Armenian dishes, and has established Abboud as the first Syrian refugee to register a private company in the Netherlands.

In addition to her success in preparing foods for conference rooms and buffets, Abboud also provides open buffets for Syrian refugees on a voluntary basis and at no charge. She considers that it is the least she can do for the Dutch government which has graciously accepted Syrian refugees and cared for them.

Abboud delights in telling the story of how she was approached by Dutch security officers as she was preparing authentic Aleppo food for an award ceremony that was going to be held in honor of a Lebanese humanitarian worker.

The officers handed her a picture of four people and asked her if recognized them and she said no. The officers then told Abboud that the woman in the photo was a former "Queen of the Netherlands" and that the royal family had come to taste her food. 

Laughing about it now, Abboud says that at the time she was confused and in shock and was not sure how she should act — but it was the Queen herself who put Abboud at ease.

The former refugee turned successful chef said that after complimenting her on the food she had personally served to the royal party, the Queen of the Netherlands, who treated her with the utmost kindness and respect, simply asked about Aleppo and whether her family was still there. 

Abboud is currently preparing food for another concert event that is scheduled to be held on January 13, 2017. 

The event will also feature distinctive regional dishes and beverages from Syria as well as live performances of authentic Syrian music by the bands Aradah and Mawlawiyah. 

Abboud told Orient Net that ingredients for her authentic Syrian cuisine are easy to find in the local Moroccan markets.

When asked if she thought she might ever return to Syria, Abboud simply said “I hope my country will be fine.” 

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