Palestinian food is delicious! Most of the ingredients are known to Westerners - no raw meat or weird fruits. There are some notable exceptions, but mostly the food is pretty normal. (Oh yeah, we have been served Billy Goat Gruff on occasion, but other than that…) The spices are just used differently. Two of the main dishes below use a lot of cinnamon and allspice which is typical of many recipes. Try one or both and let us know how you like it.
In the cities, many Palestinian families have proper dining rooms. However in the villages and refugee camps, it is still the custom to sit on the floor and eat from a common dish. When we eat from the common dish, we begin with the food immediately in front of us. We continue to eat in the shape of a piece of pie. My area of eating never touches my neighbors.
Palestinians Mothers are WONDERFUL cooks ! Much of their conversation revolves around cooking (their way is always best!) and where to buy or harvest the foods necessary at the best prices. Being a frugal buyer is as important as being a good cook. A proper Arab Mother will be both. (AND raise the children AND sometimes hold a job outside the home !)
One student returning from University told us once that he was ten years old before he realized that his name was not “Kool, kool !“ “Kool” is the directive (order) for eating ! His Mom was telling him, “Eat, EAT !”
If one is a particularly welcomed guest, it would be common for the host (or hostess if it is a more liberal home and all are eating together) to debone your cooked meat on the plate in front of you and/or even try to feed you with it. That is usually followed by much laughter as all enjoy the meal together.
Ma'luba
(Chicken, vegetable and rice dish)
Ma’aluba means up-side-down. This dish is very typical and is often served in Palestinian homes… something like we would serve for Sunday lunch. It is a special dish for Pals. It can also be fixed with chunks of beef, but we prefer chicken.
Ingredients:
One chicken cut into pieces
2 Potatoes
1 Large Eggplant or
1 Small Cauliflower
3-4 Onions
2 Ripe Tomatoes
Cinnamon
Allspice
Salt
Pepper
Rice (not Uncle Ben’s) you want the sticky kind.
Cook the chicken in a large sauce pan on top of the stove until done. Season with salt, pepper, 2-3 Big Tablespoons of Cinnamon and 1-2 Tbsp of Allspice. The broth should be brownish by the time the chicken finishes cooking. KEEP the broth.
While the chicken is cooking, peal the eggplant and slice in to ½ inch slices and slice the potato the same, cut onions into pieces as well. Sauté each item seperately. Drain on paper towels. (Do not sauté the tomatoes)
In a very large saucepan layer the items. Lightly grease the bottom of the pan and then place sliced tomatoes on bottom of the pan. Layer the eggplant, potatoes, and then onions. Place chicken pieces on top of that.
Now cover with rice. The rice will seep down and fill in the vacant spaces. Pour chicken broth over the whole mixture. It should cover the rice by ¼ of an inch or more. Add water if you need to in order to cover all the rice. Place on top of the stove and cook until the rice is done. Remember that the rice will swell while cooking so your pan should NOT be full to the top to begin with. When the rice on the top gets done, remove from heat. You can add water if it isn’t getting done on the top.
Before you serve it, you must turn it “up-side down”. To turn, place a large tray or plate on top of the finished product. Place one hand on top of the plate and one hand on the bottom of the pan and flip. This will be heavy so you may need a little help from a friend. You can leave the pan where it is for a minute or so and then lift gently, straight up. The Ma’luba should stand in place and look like a vegetable cake !! ENJOY !!!
Sitt Sofia's Chicken
(Chicken and vegetable dish)
This recipe is not as common as Ma’luba, but has typical Palestinian spices and is eaten in many Palestinian homes.
It tastes great and is much easier to prepare.
Ingredients:
One chicken cut into pieces
3-4 Potatoes
Carrots
Onions
Cinnamon
Allspice
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
Season each piece of chicken with a little bit (1tsp-5mgs) of cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper and a LOT (2 TBS-30 mgs) of cumin. Use ½ teaspoon of cumin on each piece. Wash and cut vegetables into smaller pieces. Place all ingredients in a large baking bag. Sprinkle addition seasonings onto the vegetables. Cook according to directions on the baking bags….in a medium oven (350 F.) for an hour and a half to two hours. Remove from oven. Pour onto dish and enjoy!
Tabikh
(which really just means “cooking”)
Brown some ground beef.
Season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon … maybe a bit of allspice (called “all the spices” here J )
In a separate pan sauté 2 onions and 2 or 3 cloves of garlic.
Add to beef.
Add frozen green beans and a large can of diced tomatoes
Cook until heated through.
Quick and easy ! YUM !
Serve alongside rice, if desired. This is a healthy and economical meal. One can use as much or little ground beef as desired.
Peas could be substituted for green beans.
Salata
Salata is eaten at almost every meal. They even eat it often times for breakfast !!
It is basically just cut up tomatoes and cucumbers. Too liven it up a little, you can add very finely chopped onion or other salad makings. Sometimes it is eaten that way but most often it is just tomatoes and cucumbers seasoned with lemon. You can grate lemon peel onto the tomatoes and cucumbers in addition to generously squeezing lemon juice over them. Add a bit of olive oil. Salt and pepper as desired.
Hummous and Baba Ganouj are eaten with the Iftar meal, as well. These are dips into which you put your bread. They are staples of the Arab diet, as well, and are eaten at most Iftar meals. (Iftar is the meal during Ramadan in which you break your fast. It occurs at sundown.)
Hummous
2 Cups of chickpeas soaked overnight in water.
½ Cup of tahina (found in larger grocery stores in the specialty sections.)
bit of garlic or garlic powder
juice of 1 lemon
½ Cup of water or broth from cooked peas
Soak the chickpeas. Drain. Add fresh water and cook until very tender.
Combine in a blender with the other ingredients. Add water (or broth) to thin to desired consistency. Spoon out onto a dish…the paste should be thinner than peanut butter, easy to scoop up with the pita bread. Pour a little olive oil on top. Can also garnish with a few of the cooked chickpeas. Decorate with paprika for color, flaked parsley, as well, if you wish.
Baba Ganouj
(also called ‘Mtubal in some places)
3 Large Eggplants
½ Cup tahina paste
bit of salt
some garlic or garlic powder
juice of 2 lemons
½ Cup of water
Bake the eggplant in hot oven until very tender. ( Burning the eggplant gives the Baba Ganouj a smokey flavor that some people prefer. ) Cut the cooked eggplant in half and scoop out the soft meat of the vegetable. Mash and add the remaining ingredients. Add water at the end if you want the paste thinner. It should scoop easily with fresh pita bread. Garnish with flaked parsley, if desired.
Dessert is usually fruit. Sometimes, Arab sweets are served such as Baklawa. (better known in America as the Greek Baklava) It is very delicious but a little will go a lonnnggg way !
A fun dessert that children like is made with a plain cookie and Nutella. They spread the Nutella on the cookie and think they have a wonderful treat !!Sometimes children eat a Nutella Sandwich made from a half a piece of pita bread with Nutella spread inside ! We think they are lucky because my Mother would never have let me eat a Chocolate sandwich !
