In a typical Syriac family, especially in the homeland, women do most of the cooking. In the villages of Turabdin the food was traditionally cooked on the Tfayo (f.), an open fire made between two stones on which the pan was placed. The men were primarily concerned with farming and women would aid them in that. The men would also go hunting. In the autumn they would slaughter the animals. After cutting the meat into slices, the women would then preserve the meat so it could be consumed later throughout the year. It was not common to have meat on a daily basis. It was also not common to have fish because it was not easily available in Turabdin. People would consume seasonal and regional vegetables and herbs.

Kutle and Apraxe are typical Syriac dishes, which take a lot of preparation time for the women but they are also dishes that bring the whole family together.

In the villages of Turabdin the bread is baked in a Tanuro, a traditional ‘clay oven’. The tanuro in Turabdin was built above the ground, had a round shape with one small hole in the lower part and a bigger opening in the upper part, which was used to stick the dough to the side of the tanuro. The bread is baked deliciously crunchy!

A saying about food is: U muklo d adyawma ṭraye l ramḥël w lo u šuġlo ‘leave the food of today for tomorrow but not the work’.