sunday food for thought
beautifully rich palestinian cookbooks to introduce your palate to
(note: the original headline of this post: ‘from the river to the sea’ has been brought to my attention as a very controversial slogan/statement. as i’ve reflected on the opinions of this saying from numerous people, i have decided to change the title as to not detract from the main point of this post which is highlighting the works of these talented palestinian cookbook authors and the palestinian culture.)
when i first started to teach myself how to cook, i relied a lot on cookbooks. i’ve always been a reader but diving into the world of cookbooks was something new and interesting for me. i would take my time looking through cookbooks and bookmark the ones that seemed interesting to me, ones that seemed like they would be easy to follow along for a novice like me and along on a similar vein, ones that seemed like they were cookbooks i could eventually work up to once i got better at understanding how to cook or just simply follow along with a recipe. but mainly, i looked for ones that felt familiar and comforting even if they were of a different ethnic cuisine than i had grown up with.
i didn’t teach myself how to cook by making a lot of american food. instead, i tried learning by following recipes from other cuisines like palestinian, persian, ethiopian, thai, southeast asian and italian. one of my favorite cookbooks of all time, one that i would refer back to over and over was zaitoun, recipes from a palestinian kitchen by yasmin khan.
zaitoun focuses on yasmin khan exploring the cuisine and food culture of palestinian communities throughout the west bank and through the kitchens in the diaspora. she emphasizes that throughout history, ‘national and cultural identity of the [palestinian] people have never waned and neither have the delights of the cuisine’. food, whether it be by eating together or learning about someone else’s cuisine, is a way for us to connect with our loved ones, to ourselves, with strangers, with people who are vastly different than us. as edward espe brown says, “one of the primary ways we connect with each other is by eating together. some of the connection happens simply by being in the same place at the same time and sharing the same food, but we also connect through specific actions, such as serving food to one another or making toasts: ‘may i offer you some potatoes?’ ‘here’s to your health and happiness.’ much of our fundamental well-being comes from the basic reassurance that there is a place for us at the table. we belong here. here we are served and we serve others. here we give and receive sustenance”.
in zaitoun, yasmin khan mentions that ahlan wa sahlan is often used as a greeting and while it means ‘welcome’, it also means something deeper which translates to: may you arrive as part of the family and tread an easy path as you enter. as palestine faces a genocide, it is vital that we emphasize their voices as best as we can and that we honor their rich culture and appreciate their contributions to the culinary landscape.
here are some of my favorite recipes i’ve made from zaitoun along with another favorite palestinian cookbook and a few others that i have added to my cart for a deeper exploration of their history as a people and their culinary history.
one of my favorite mazzeh from zaitoun is gazan smashed avocado (pg 54) which was taught to yasmin khan by her friend ahmed, a gazan playwright and author. it is creamy from the avocado, a bit tangy from the labneh, rich from good olive oil and incredibly savory and satisfying when paired with flat breads.
i first learned how to make kefte from zaitoun. this recipe specifically, kefte bi tahini (pg 192) was my first foray into using lamb as an ingredient in my own kitchen which had always seemed intimidating. after making this recipe a few times, i felt more confident in making my own variations of kefte.
zibdiyit gambari (spicy shrimp and tomato stew, pg. 158) is one of my favorite dishes i’ve made from zaitoun. it’s spicy, garlicky and fragrant with the smell and flavor of dill. it is one of those dishes that manages to taste familiar but new all at once. it is perfect with warm rice.
my favorite hummus recipe comes from michelle nazzal’s self published cookbook. this cookbook is so special because it is very personal to her and it’s apparent how her family's history is threaded throughout the recipes. her hummus recipe is an act of love that produces the creamiest hummus.
these are 3 additional cookbooks on palestinian cuisine that i have added to my cart and am looking forward to exploring and cooking from. do you have any to recommend? if so, i would love to hear in the comments.
reem kassis is a palestinian writer and cookbook author. the palestinian table was written to preserve traditional palestinian dishes as well as introduce western readers to the cuisine of palestine.
“the palestinian table spans our entire geography from the mountains of the galilee to the valleys of the south, from the coast of yaffa all the way to the west bank. it is scattered across the globe and built from memories of a time when most of us lived in the same land.”
baladi means ‘my home, my land, my country’. joudie kalla pays homage to traditional palestinian dishes while adding her own influence and twists that reflect the country’s many different landscapes and seasonal ingredients. purchase here.
craving palestine is a cookbook that was made by the contributions of a diverse community of palestinian public figures. recipes ranging from the coast of gaza to jericho, from nablus, through bethlehem and jerusalem and jenin and hebron. a non profit cookbook available on kindle.
like so many others, these past couple weeks, i have been paying attention to the stories that are coming out of gaza due to the atrocities that are occurring. i have also been finding myself incredibly emotional when reading stories of the heart of the palestinian people and how they so strongly believe that palestine will be free. i have seen clips and read stories of how they are so full of hope despite everything they have experienced and are continuing to experience. a story in particular really touched me where older palestinian men and women have kept the keys to their homes because they do believe that one day, they will return to their rightful homes. we must also believe this. the resilience and the rich culture, spanning from their fashion to the cuisine, of the palestinian people is something that should never be forgotten and should also be highlighted and forever celebrated.
these are 3 actions you can take:
email congress to stop the genocide of palestine
text CEASEFIRE to 51905
i am following suit from viv’s substack and if you are a free subscriber and you do any of these three actions, i will comp you two weeks of a paid subscription where you can access the archives and read pieces in full.
Beautiful as always
❤️