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Express Tribune
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Preserving Palestinian palates
Sami Tamimi, the acclaimed Palestinian chef who comprises half of the duo behind the popular Ottolenghi deli and restaurant empire (the other half is his fellow Jerusalemite and business partner, Israeli-British chef Yotam Ottolenghi), has paid tribute to this culinary tradition of "farming and foraging and eating what is growing in your backyard" in his forthcoming cookbook Boustany, or My Garden in Arabic, which will be released in the US on July 15. "The whole idea started from the COVID-19 lockdown," recalls Tamimi when speaking to Reuters. "When you're in a situation like lockdown, you really get homesick because you want to be with your family and eat the food that brings you comfort. I wanted, in a way, to transport myself to being with my family back home. But because I couldn't, I started cooking simple dishes [...] It started with me just writing these recipes and, six months later, I had 300." In Boustany, the chef talks about his family and his past without going into politics – primarily because the book was already finalised by October 7, 2023. However, in conversation with Reuters, Tamimi turns his attention to weightier matters, such as the importance of promoting and preserving the Palestinian people's rich culinary heritage — not only amid the destruction of Gaza, but in the face of what he sees as the longstanding appropriation of traditional Palestinian dishes. Erasure of Palestinian food "The thing that really winds me up is seeing so many Israeli restaurants opening in the UK and Europe and America that are basically selling our food in the name of Israeli new cuisine," he comments. "What they do is take a dish and take it out of context. They don't have any backstory about where this dish comes from, what kind of tradition is behind it. It gets worse when they don't even bother to change the name of the dish." The chef explains that maklouba (a traditional Palestinian dish of layered rice, meat and vegetables that is flipped before serving, earning its name meaning "upside down" in Arabic) appears on menus as maklouba; mujadara (a popular Levantine dish of lentils, rice and crispy onions) is mujadara. "I'm not saying all these dishes are Palestinian, but they have their own history and heritage and rituals, and claiming all of that I find it so frustrating," he laments. However, when it comes to preserving Palestinian cuisine, Tamimi knows there is a long way to go. "Luckily, we have some really talented chefs that are pushing the boat towards preserving and putting our food under the limelight in a good way," he acknowledges. "But it took a long time because, coming out of trauma, people are focusing on other things to rebuild and preserve. Food was the last bit." Without Israeli occupation Tamimi explains that he knew he wanted to learn "other cuisines" from a young age, and it was only later that he realised how important the food of his homeland was to him after he moved to Tel Aviv. "But I didn't want to do traditional Palestinian food because, first of all, it takes hours to make," he recalls. "And there's no market for it. It sounds horrible, but when you do traditional food like this in a restaurant, it's a bit like peasant food. People don't appreciate it." Later, however, Tamimi found a way through after experimentation. "I worked in a Californian grill place in Tel Aviv for a few years and I started to combine bases of Palestinian food into new ingredients," he remarks. "And it worked. It was fun because I could stay true to a dish but kind of elaborate on it, and this became my style. I want to think that if Israel didn't occupy Palestine, Palestinian food would be evolving into something that I do today. Cooking ultimately became Tamimi's way of imagining a Palestinian cuisine unhindered by decades of displacement, destruction and occupation. "I mean, people were kicked out of their country, people were losing their homes. In that situation you just stop and think, what are the things I can hold onto? And food was one of them," he says. Lingering guilt Younger Palestinians, it transpires, are far more receptive to Tamimi's endeavours than anyone else. "The older generation is probably more protective [of the original recipes] but the newer generation likes what I do," admits Tamimi. "I get it quite a lot from young Palestinians where they say some of the recipes that I do conveys the whole flavour of what their mom cooks, but it takes a quarter of the time. I think the older generation will probably laugh at me. What mess are you making with our food! But the newer generation are accepting it." Amid the destruction of Gaza and the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, Tamimi feels the pressure of preserving of his Palestinian culinary heritage. "I'm doing my bit by introducing more and more people to the culture, to the food, to what happened there," he maintains. "Because I feel like the more we talk about it, the more we put it under the spotlight, the more positive things will happen." The guilt of being away from home, however, is something he struggles to ignore. "I feel I have a responsibility, but I also feel bad because I'm away from home," he rues. "It's a price that I have to pay because if I was back in Jerusalem, I would never be where I am today because of its limitations. I'd probably be driving a bus!"
TimesLIVE
a day ago
- General
- TimesLIVE
Sami Tamimi on Palestinian cooking and cultural preservation amid the destruction in Gaza
The ongoing war in Gaza has destroyed much of its cultural heritage, but amid the rubble, one Palestinian staple endures: the common mallow plant. The spinach-like leaf, which forms the basis of a traditional stew called khubeze that has helped many Gazans stave off hunger, is one of many native plants at the centre of Palestinian cuisine. Sami Tamimi, the acclaimed Palestinian chef who comprises half the duo behind the popular Ottolenghi deli and restaurant empire (the other half is his fellow Jerusalemite and business partner, Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi), paid tribute to the culinary tradition of "farming and foraging and eating what is growing in your backyard" in his cookbook Boustany (My Garden in Arabic) which will be released in the US on July 15. The timing is poignant. In a recent conversation with Reuters, Tamimi emphasised the importance of promoting and preserving the Palestinian people's rich culinary heritage, not only amid the destruction of Gaza, but in the face of what he sees as the longstanding appropriation of traditional Palestinian dishes.
Days of Palestine
3 days ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Israel demolishes 623 Jerusalemite homes to erase Palestinian presence
DaysofPal – Since October 7, 2023, Israeli occupation authorities have demolished 623 Palestinian homes and structures across occupied East Jerusalem, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Jerusalem Governor's Office. The statement described the demolitions as part of a 'systematic campaign targeting the Palestinian presence' in the city, with homes, some of them inhabited for decades, destroyed alongside commercial and economic facilities that had served as sources of livelihood for dozens of Palestinian families. 'The demolition list included homes, some inhabited for decades and others under construction, as well as commercial and economic facilities that provided livelihoods for dozens of Jerusalemite families,' the office said. In the latest incident, Israeli bulldozers, accompanied by heavily armed forces, demolished a house in the town of Hizma in northeastern Jerusalem. The office emphasized that this action was not an isolated case but part of a larger effort to displace Palestinians from their city. The governor's office accused Israeli authorities of pressuring Palestinian residents to self-demolish their homes under threat of steep fines or imprisonment, calling the practice a 'systematic racist policy aimed at involving the victims in its crime and exhausting them mentally and financially, with the ultimate goal of driving them out of the holy city.' According to the office, many affected families had spent years paying substantial fines, in some cases exceeding the original cost of construction, only to be denied the right to build legally. Despite their efforts, building permits remain almost impossible to obtain. 'The approval rate for construction licensing applications remains below two percent,' the statement noted, adding that Palestinians are only permitted to build on no more than 13 percent of East Jerusalem's total area, a policy that rights groups have long criticized as discriminatory and aimed at altering the city's demographic balance. The governor's office concluded its statement by calling on international bodies to intervene and pressure Israel to halt these actions, which it described as part of a broader campaign to erase Palestinian presence from the city. Shortlink for this post:
Days of Palestine
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Israel Shuts Down Al-Aqsa Mosque for Second Friday
DaysofPal — For the second week in a row, Israeli occupation forces closed all gates to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Friday, barring Palestinian worshippers from entering for Friday prayers, according to a statement from the Jerusalem Governorate. Israeli occupation authorities shut all entrances to the mosque compound, including Bab Hutta and Bab al-Silsila, after allowing only a limited number of worshipers through under the pretext that the allowed capacity had been reached. The Jerusalem Governorate reported that Israeli forces also stopped worshipers at Bab al-Sahira and obstructed access to the Old City and the mosque ahead of Friday prayers. Despite the restrictions, Palestinian activists and religious leaders issued urgent calls to residents of Jerusalem and Palestinians in 1948-occupied territories to mobilize and flock to the mosque, especially after the compound was reopened on Wednesday following a six-day closure. The calls emphasized the importance of mass attendance and participation in prayer at the mosque, rejecting Israel's restrictive 'quota' policy, which reportedly limits attendance to 400–500 individuals. Activists described the current moment as critical, urging people to resist ongoing Israeli attempts to isolate Al-Aqsa from its surrounding community. 'Being present at Al-Aqsa right now is a form of popular resistance,' said one Jerusalemite activist. 'It's a clear message that this holy site is a red line that must not be crossed, regardless of political or military circumstances.' Last Friday, Israeli authorities completely sealed off Al-Aqsa under the pretext of a 'state of emergency' following the start of Israel's military operation against Iran. Although the mosque was reopened on Wednesday with limited access for some worshipers, dozens of Israeli settlers stormed the compound through the Moroccan Gate the following day under heavy police protection. Shortlink for this post:
Saba Yemen
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Zionist Enemy releases Jerusalemite Detainee, transfers others to Administrative Detention
Occupied Quds – SABA: The Zionist enemy authorities released Jerusalemite detainee Mohammed Talal Areeqat from the town of Abu Dis on Sunday after five years in detention. Meanwhile, the enemy's court transferred detainee Ibrahim Abu Ghosh to four months of administrative detention the day before yesterday. It is worth noting that Ibrahim Abu Ghosh is the brother of martyr Hussein Abu Ghosh and detainee Suleiman Abu Ghosh. In the same context, the enemy's court also transferred detainee Mustafa Mtair to four months of administrative detention the day before yesterday. Mustafa Mtair is the brother of detainees Bilal and Youssef Mtair. Several days ago, enemy forces arrested detainees Ibrahim Abu Ghosh, Mustafa Mtair, and Sanad Al-Badawi from their homes in Qalandiya refugee camp in occupied Quds. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
