Refugee shares a taste of homeland by creating business selling traditional Syrian ice cream ‘bakdash’

The differences between Syria and Canada remain as vast as the ocean between them, but a young refugee has discovered a sweet way to remain connected to her home country while giving others a taste of the place she was forced to leave behind. 

Fleeing Damascus for Turkey amid an increasingly war torn nation, Weam Aladas and her immediate family members were finally able to settle in Canada after a four-year-long sponsorship application process last summer. Now, the 22-year-old is taking advantage of the opportunities afforded to her by launching Old Damascus with her first cousin Ruba, a Syrian ice cream company producing bakdash — famous in the landmark Middle Eastern capital, but unheard of, until now, in Canada’s. 

Similar to gelato in its stretchy texture, the Aladas' say they are attempting to mimic the original sweet treat, complete with arabic gum taste, rosewater and a plethora of pistachios.  

“It’s very different. It looks like it’s vanilla [flavoured] but once you [eat] it you can taste the richness of the rosewater and the ingredient used to make it stretchier,” explains Ruba.  

Although a year ago, the idea was only just that, Ruba’s father, who owns the Portugese Bakery on Nelson Street, was able to provide an industrial kitchen and, thanks to a plethora of instructional YouTube videos along with much trial and error, the two began selling their confectionery creation.

Four months later and the number of orders has been steadily ramping up and, although the typical customer is Middle Eastern, they say that they are happy to welcome anyone and everyone who is game to try out a new tasty treat.  

“Canadian customers love the pistachios and the different texture that [the ice cream] offers because you don’t really find that here,” they explain of the gumminess unique to bakdash, which allows the final step of preparation whereby the stretchy concoction is rolled, giving it a distinct swirl shape with pistachios coating both the inside and outside layers.  

To Ruba and Weam though, bakdash isn’t just any old regular ice cream, but a taste of nostalgia for long-ago family traditions.  

Ruba loses herself in a reverie of Eid celebrations in Syria explaining, “Once you say the word ‘bakdash’, everyone knows what it is.”  

Leaving everything you know behind isn’t easy, explains Weam, but given the state of the country, fleeing was their only option.  

“Sometimes I was at school and there were bombings. We had to get down on the ground. It was very hard.”  

Born in Canada, Ruba admittedly lacks first-hand knowledge of the refugee experience, but having lived in Syria for three years and, through stories told to her by her Syrian born parents, the concept isn’t a completely foreign one. And the girls haven’t simply won’t allow differing backgrounds to act as a barrier.

“When Weam [first arrived in Canada], I didn’t know a word of Arabic and she didn’t know a word of English so it was hard to communicate. Now Weam speaks fluently in English and Ruba speaks fluently in Arabic,” they emphasize when explaining how their relationship is more like that of sisters now.  

The future is rife with possibilities for Old Damascus, with hopes of incorporating a wider variety of desserts and having their products picked up by other businesses across the city. The ultimate dream is to open their very own storefront one day.  

“I guess you could say it runs in the family,” says Ruba of her father, who is a baker, and Weam’s father, who was a prominent chef in Turkey. “My dad came here with maybe $50 and he started off working at Mcdonald’s for I think $8 or $9 an hour back then. He’s really proud to see his brother’s daughter and me working together. We hope one day that we can go back to Syria and have [bakdash] there too.”

Bakdash is available for pick-up (48 Nelson St.) or delivery upon request. To place an order or for more information check out Old Damascus on Instagram.