Even as a child, Hala El-Assal learned to appreciate the culinary diversity of her home countries. Growing up with Levantine cuisine, legumes continue to play a major role for the passionate chef to this day. d'Hala Delikatessen combines flavors from around the world into vegan chutneys. In doing so, down-to-earth recipes rather than modern food trends dictate the list of ingredients. Daughter Sofia handles marketing and sales for the family-run manufactory.

Conversation with Hala and Sofia El-Assal of d'Hala

Sofia, do you even dare to step into the kitchen as the daughter of a passionate cook, or have you inherited the passion?

Sofia: Well, I’m not as passionate in the kitchen as my mother — she is definitely the expert there. But I grew up with this variety, and it is a joy for me to share her treasures with the world.

Hala, what inspires your chutneys?

Hala: Levantine cuisine — the cuisine of my homeland, the Levant: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine — is one of the most diverse in the world. We combine legumes, pomegranate molasses, tahini, fresh herbs, sumac, za'atar — and translate that into contemporary chutney recipes.

What distinguishes your chutneys?

Hala: We work exclusively with natural ingredients: lots of fresh vegetables, high-quality legumes, traditional oriental spices. Vegan recipes, with no animal ingredients, no artificial flavors. Instead of creating the same taste everywhere, every variety is meant to have a clear flavor profile.

Which varieties do you have?

Among others, lentil-pomegranate, chickpea-eggplant, spiced tomato chutneys with sumac, and bean chutneys with oriental herbs. Each variety tells a story from the region.