ALEPPO, Syria — Street food in northern Syria from Afrin to al-Bab has acquired a new culinary dimension from Syrians displaced from eastern Ghouta, who brought with them the rich desserts they used to make at home.

For the displaced, selling the sweets that are special to their regions at the markets is a way to meet their everyday expenses. Some of the newcomers have opened shops that bear the names of their hometown — Ghouta, Douma or Daraya. Others go by the name Shami, which means Damascene in Arabic.

For the people from Aleppo countryside, who are used to the Aleppo cuisine — the archrival of Damascene cooking for centuries — the sweets from eastern Ghouta are a novelty. They are characterized by the abundant use of cream, ghee and nuts such as hazelnuts, almonds and pistachios. The dough is often dipped in a sugary syrup with just a hint of rose water, making the dessert richer than Aleppo's sweets with cinnamon and orange blossom water.

Many of the desserts carry the same name. Baklava exists in both cuisines but the shami baklava's fillings are richer, with a mix of chopped pistachios and Arabic ghee between the flakes of dough. Namoura, a syrup-soaked semolina cake, is prepared differently as well, with cream added to the recipe.