The Raqqa, Syria, described in the news is bomb-scarred and ravaged, a city forever altered by its time as a battleground for the many forces fighting for the rule of Syria. But before Raqqa became synonymous with the Syrian Civil War, it was the bustling home city to more than 200,000 people. Located on the northeast bank of the famed Euphrates River, Raqqa marked the heart of a fertile agricultural province, epitomized by the thriving city market where farmers offered a cornucopia of fresh eggplant, cucumbers, beets, and watermelon. Once upon a time, Raqqa was Riyad Al-Kasem’s home, a place where his family shared warm conversation over strong coffee sweetened with lumps of sugar, cultivated cheese, yogurt, and butter, and his grandmother’s honey-laden ekmak.
Ekmak, which means “sweet bread with…
