Toronto’s Agha Khan Museum made the perfect setting for an evening’s celebration of Syrian art, history and culinary delights.
Outside, the Louvre-esque glass pyramid cast its golden hue on the nearby gardens, turning the rectangular pools of water into shimmering sheets of sequinned fabric. Inside, the glass and stone corridors created an undeniably sleek canvas against which a vibrant collection of art from Muslims civilizations spanning the world was displayed.
We gathered in a room full of exquisite ancient pottery, wine in hand, to toast a night of Syrian fine dining inspired by a special exhibit at the Agha Khan Museum. It was part of the new Winterlicious Culinary series, featuring some of Toronto’s top chefs making delicious food at unique venues.
Commercial Director of the Agha Khan Museum, Peter Carruthers, began the night by speaking about the history of Islamic Art, an abundant heritage - artistic, intellectual, and scientific - that can be found through centuries of Muslim civilization from the Iberian Peninsula, to Africa, and to China. A beautifully curated assemblage of art and artefacts from this movement makes up the permanent collection at the Agha Khan Museum.
Mark McEwan, owner of the McEwan Group, is a partner in all food and beverage for the Agha Khan Museum including its onsite restaurant Diwan. He addressed the group next, speaking about the joy of creating the Syrian-inspired dishes for the night’s menu, a cuisine he described as pure, aromatic and flavoured with a variety of spices.
The food wasn’t the only source of nourishment that night. The evening began with a guided tour of Syria: A Living History, a temporary exhibit of artwork and artefacts from great world civilizations that lived in Syria spanning over 5,000 years.
A very passionate and informed art historian walked us through the highlights of the collection, teaching us about its subtleties.
In present day, it seems that Syria is defined by a single narrative; stories of only war, destruction and displacement dominate our consciousness. The art exhibit, however, paints a much more historically accurate picture of Syria. Through this collection, Syria is exposed as a land of cultural diversity, where civilization after civilization produced historical continuity through art, craft, literature and resourcefulness. The exhibit makes it clear that what remains of Syria today is not the tattered images of destruction we are so accustomed to seeing on the news, rather a rich legacy of creativity, culture and resilience that is sure to inspire for countless future millenia.
After the tour, we hurried down to the restaurant, eager to dig into the main event of the night: the meal.
The dining room of Diwan was an open, airy space with its large windows and high ceiling. The walls were tastefully decorated with wooden panels that were brought in from Syria. The panels were decorated with a rich design and golden calligraphy.
We were seated in large groups on long tables, a setup that encouraged immediate introductions and a casual conversation.
The meal was served family style, a way of serving food that seems to suggest abundance and kinship. We passed giant plates of food around the table, naturally tuning into mindfulness, making sure everyone was served.
The starter consisted of assorted traditional dips and spreads served with pita and flatbread.
A fattoush salad followed, the acidity of the tri-coloured tomatoes smartly balanced with the sweetness of honey lime, mint parsley and pomegranate. Crispy strips of lavash added a carby substance to the dish.
The mains consisted of a tender, moist and gently seasoned lemon roasted chicken with a sweet cilantro mint pesto, and a rich seafood stew made with an Aleppo saffron broth, pan-seared salmon, calamari, shrimp and mussels and tomatoes. The flavours were subtle and perfectly balanced.
To go with it, we had Syrian-style rice with crispy onions, a dish seasoned richly, yet mildly, making it the perfect canvas for the mains without becoming a forgettable part of the meal.
On the side were sumac and Za’atar marinated vegetables with honey harissa, perfectly cooked throughout while maintaining a nice bite, the flavour deliciously nutty.
Dessert was simple: a heavenly piece of baklava served with mint tea.
At the end of the night we all walked away with our bellies and minds full of a new appreciation of a rich culture we knew little about.
Syria: A Living History is on display at the Agha Khan Museum until March 26th, 2017.
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