Exploring the culinary history of Gaza.
Cooking as a means to learn, teach, and express solidarity.
“To talk about food and cooking is to talk about the dignity of daily life, about history and heritage, in a place where these very things have often been disparaged or actively erased.”
—The Gaza Kitchen
I’ve been too restless to write here lately. So many other things feel more important to talk about: Call your representatives, follow the news, stay informed, raise awareness, unequivocally stand with Palestinians and denounce Israeli apartheid. But already I see the media and advocacy fatigue taking hold of others…and I’m no exception. But this is what oppressors rely on to avoid accountability, and for Israel (and the United States/Britain) that has been the strategy for the past 75 years. As of when I’m writing this, there are signs of incremental progress with the temporary ceasefire and general shifts in public support for Palestine. However, we can’t let up the pressure yet, there is a long road ahead before we will see justice for Palestine. We cannot let our leaders continue to get away with their support for the Israeli state.
“Israel’s land and sea restrictions on what Gazans can import and export have consequently subsumed food to politics at every stage of the food chain, Palestinians and human rights groups say.” —VICE
Today I wanted to talk a bit about Palestine, specifically Gaza, through the lens of food to give insight into the rich culinary history of the region while also holding space to learn, advocate, celebrate, and mourn the lives and legacies lost. As someone who works on food security every day, food for me is inherently political, but it is even more so within the context of Gaza. I’m going to do my best to ensure this article is well-researched, but please feel free to share any good-faith corrections or criticisms. This article is heavily inspired by
’s substack that highlighted recipes from Palestinian and Gazan cookbooks, so I highly recommend you check it out. I will not be engaging with any anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian, or anti-Semitic rhetoric, there is no space here for that.“Who could care about food in a context so contentious?”
Many of us are familiar with hummus, tabbouleh, falafel (or ta’amiya as Egyptians call it) that grace the menus of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants. In my neck of the Southern United States, most Middle Eastern cuisine tends to be of the Levantine (Levant region), Moroccan, Persian, or Yemeni persuasion. Palestinian cuisine itself is highly varied, reflective of the topography of coastal plains, central highlands, mountains, and valleys. Gaza’s food traditions are heavily influenced by its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea and the food traditions of Palestinians from many regions who were forcibly displaced starting in 1948.
“However, food scholars note that Gaza maintains its own distinct cuisine, often characterized by generous use of hot peppers, cumin, and dill, and sour fruits like pomegranate, tamarind and plums.”—Maggie Schmitt, The Atlantic
The borders of present-day Gaza were set in 1967, about 25 miles long and 2-1/2 - 5 miles wide. “Historically, however, the greater Gaza District—one of the administrative districts of British Mandate Palestine and, before that, the Ottoman Empire—comprised a much larger region to the north and east. In culinary terms, the Gaza region was both a coastal one of seafood and an interior farming one, rich in vegetables and legumes. This division between coastal and interior cuisines persists today.” (Source)
Since Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade on Gaza in 2007, Palestinians have been heavily restricted by what foods Israeli officials will allow to be imported and exported across the border. Previously, the underground tunnel systems connecting Gaza with Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula were used to ease the siege and access a wider variety of goods (and even livestock). But from 2013-2014 Egypt destroyed many of the tunnels after Hamas took power. There are many accounts of Israeli officials only allowing the most minimal amounts of food across Gaza’s borders in order to maintain their control by creating food scarcity. Similarly, food provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is often of lesser nutritional quality, which has led to a rise in malnutrition, especially among children in Gaza. This parallels food apartheid among marginalized communities in the United States, especially among Native and Black people, and creates a vicious cycle of food insecurity. As of November 2023, Gaza’s food system has collapsed under Israeli bombardment, leaving the Gazans entirely reliant on the limited aid Israel permits through the borders.
Land
“Food was, and always has been, a means to knowing a place and time . . . and everything that entails”. —Lina Alsaafin
This creamy and nutty spiced soup comes from the cookbook Zaitoun by Yasmin Khan, which contains Palestinian recipes that are easily adapted for Western kitchens. I cooked this soup the weekend I came down with a cold and simply wanted something warm, rich, and soothing on my throat. And of course, soup always calls for bread, so I baked a few rounds of mana’eesh to accompany the meal and spread za’atar, tomato, preserved lemon and garlic across their pillowy surfaces.
Sea
This stew is widely considered a signature of Gazan cuisine. While cooking my apartment was filled with the scents of smashed garlic, muddled dill, and ground spices as the onions and shrimp softened on my stovetop. The stew is traditionally cooked in a special kind of clay pot called a jarrah. Both The Gaza Kitchen and Zaitoun feature recipes for this dish, so I took elements of both recipes and adapted them for my home kitchen. Fish features heavily in many Gazan recipes, but the reality is that many of the once-famous seafood markets have become inaccessible to everyday residents. The Israeli siege also limits how far out Gazans can venture to fish, restricting many fishermen from deeper waters where the best catches hide.
Table
“It would not be hyperbolic to say that preparing and enjoying Palestinian food is now more widely, as it was for me then, a form of recognition and a link to a beleaguered land, steeped in traditions of hospitality.” —Lina Alsaafin
Literally meaning “upside down”, maqlouba is an upside-down rice cake dish commonly served at gatherings and celebrations. It’s often layered with lamb or chicken, but I opted for a vegetarian version with eggplant. The rice is fragrant with warm baking spices like cinnamon and allspice. I served this at our family’s Thanksgiving celebration in the hopes it would stimulate some productive discourse. I was super proud that it stayed all together when I flipped it, but I recommend removing the paper towel from the bottom before flipping so your guests don’t accidentally ingest it. Don’t skip the salted aleppo pepper butter either! It really adds to the dish.
Before concluding, if you’re interested in trying any of these recipes or Palestinian fare in general, I really encourage you to look into the boycott, divest, and sanction movement (BDS) when sourcing your ingredients for recipes. It may seem like a little thing, but boycotting products and businesses that direct dollars to Israel is one of the most effective ways to protest the genocide and occupation. The Buycott app is a great tool that that allows you to scan product barcodes to see if they are BDS-friendly.
If you made it this far, thanks for landing here for a bit. I hope this article taught you something new and inspired to learn more about different cuisines and cultures. I know that the preservation of Gaza’s history and food culture is the least of its worries right now, but I wanted to share what I learned in hopes that it might spark curiosity in others who feel overwhelmed by the news and discourse right now. I also hope it offered a [slightly] less grim perspective into the lives of Gazans and the rich culture of Palestine. I recommend checking out food creators @nadiadiaspora and @mxriyum on Instagram for even more Palestinian food content. Take care of yourselves, remain vigilent, and stay informed.