How A Syrian Restaurant Became A Boston Fixture During The Great Depression - Tasting Table

"Walk through Boston's neighborhoods today and you'll find Thai, Korean, Italian, Indian - the city's food scene has come a long way. But in the 1930s, if you wanted something beyond American fare, your options were sparse. That's what makes Deeb G. Salem's decision to open The Nile all the more remarkable. Right in the heart of the Depression, this Syrian immigrant and his wife Rose decided to open a restaurant on Hudson Street, transforming it into one of New England's most talked-about dining destinations."

"The Nile started in a single room with a mostly Syrian customer base, but Deeb Salem wasn't flying blind. He'd worked through enough New York restaurant kitchens to know how to run an operation. Back in Boston in their newly-built restaurant, he kept the pastry work for himself while Rose took on the role of the restaurant's head chef and John Salem - their son - manned the grill. By the 1950s, people outside the Syrian community were showing up."

"The restaurant's signatures were lamb, including lamb mishwi (shish kabobs) and kharouf mahshi - a hearty dish consisting of a whole lamb leg stuffed with " hashweh", a combo of spice-laced rice, meat, and nuts. Diners would wrap up their meal with baklava - crisp phyllo layered with pistachios and honey - handcrafted by Deeb. The humble restaurant and its food were so good that, soon, celebrities passing through Boston would make the stop to have a bite."

Boston's culinary options were limited in the 1930s, and Syrian immigrant Deeb G. Salem and his wife Rose opened The Nile on Hudson Street during the Depression. The couple combined Deeb's pastry skills, Rose's role as head chef, and their son John's grill work to serve mainly Syrian patrons from a single-room restaurant. By the 1950s the menu and clientele expanded to include non-Syrians, with signature dishes centered on lamb mishwi and kharouf mahshi stuffed with hashweh, and baklava made by Deeb. The Nile adapted by adding American dishes and became a destination for locals and visiting celebrities.

Read at Tasting Table