Palestinian Cooking in Nazareth

More than a year ago, when I first started my research for this trip I came upon a blog, Galilee Seasonality, written by Abbie Rosner, an olah (f) (one who has immigrated or “returned” to Israel; (m) oleo  (pl) olio  who came to the Galilee in the 1980’s.  I contact Abbie and she referred me to herbook that had just been published, Breaking Bread in the Galilee, which describes the foods and culinary traditions of the bible, many of which are still practiced today today.  As my time got closer I reconnected with Abbie and we arranged to meet as part of my own exploration of the foods and cuisines of Israel.  This was a day I had long looked forward to, and proved to be one of the best experiences of my trip.

Abbie and her husband live in a moshav (village) called Allone Abba.  She arranged for me to stay in a “tzimmer” (a guest house) in nearby Bet Lechem HaGlalit.  Both communities, located in the Galilee about 10 km from Nazareth, are former Templar colonies whose beautiful architecture is well represented. 

Templar architecture

We started our day visiting Nazareth and its extensive shuk (market place). Nazareth,the largest Arab city in Israel. It was here, in Christianity and according to the New Testament, that it was revealed to Mary that she was carrying the son of God.  Ruling of Nazareth changed hands many times throughout history, from the Byzantines in the fourth and fifth centuries, to the Arab, the Crusaders and the Ottomans. It saw its best days in the 1700’s under the Christians, who developed it into a flourishing religious, educational and commercial site.  In the 1900’s the Arab Muslim community began to grow as their members moved into the town from the desert where they had been farmers (falach – remember from the post about Bedouins?).  In the present time Nazareth is a mix of both Christian and Muslim communities, and its cuisine is a fascinating influence from all over the Middle East. 

Our first stop was at Deewan al Saraya, where we met Ali Hassam Abu Ahmed, who created this small, charming restaurant as a place for people to gather. With my deliciously strong coffee I was introduced to Katayef, mini-pancakes that are filled with either a feta-like sheep cheese called jibni or  a mixture of nuts; we enjoyed several of each.   

Mr. Abu Ahmed was delightfully welcoming.  He asked to see the photos I was taking and was impressed enough to ask me to take specific shots and send them to him for his use in the restaurant.  I was complimented and honored.

In a narrow pathway, off the main commercial section of the market, Abbie took me to a backpacker heaven – a guesthouse called Fauzi Azar.  The building, formerly the home of the Azars, a wealthy family in Nazareth, was built in 1830.  The high ceilings with frescos, it’s beautiful arches and open courtyard are reminiscent of the Ottoman era. In 2005 Maoz Inon, an international backpacker himself, wanted to open a hostel in Nazareth for backpackers and other travelers.  He negotiated with the remaining Azar family, and together they formed a partnership which resulted in this facility, which has become well-known and respected throughout the travel world.  Supported in part by local volunteers, it has also become important in Nazareth, interacting with and supporting the local community.


Tidbit about Maoz Inon:  He founded the Jesus Trail, a 65 kilometer hiking trail in the Galilee which connects important sites from the life of Jesus as well as other historical and religious sites. 

Next we entered a building of many rooms, each having a specialty of one of nuts, grains, sweets and hundreds of herbs and spices for sale.  El Babour was build during the Templar period as a place for the city’s farmers to grind and store their grain. Early in the 20^th century the building was leased by Jarjoura Kanazi, who imported more modern equipment.  The mill, still managed by the Kanazi family, continues to provide services for the farmers in villages surrounding Nazarath.

Bulgur before grinding

While we were at El Babour we were fortunate to experience its function as a mill.  A Palestinian woman had brought her bulgur for grinding.  Bulgur is made from the groats (hulled grains) of different types of wheat, most frequently from  durum which is the hardest of the different types of wheat; it is very high in protein and very low in gluten.  

Adding bulgur to the grinder

Separating small and large ground grains

The woman had already boiled her bulgur and laid it out on the roof of her home to dry, which is required prior to grinding in order for it to be eaten. After the bulgur is ground it is then to a machine where the grains are separated into large and small.  The separator machine basically shakes a screen that the grains pass over.  The small ones fit through the screen and the large ones don’t.  They are then channeled to separate chutes.  She brought quite a bit of bulgur so grinding and separating became a long and tedious process, and her grandchildren came along to help.

Also fun to see among the colorful stalls were more new foods as well as a variety of cooking and baking instruments.  I might have to think about adding more cabinet space in my kitchen.

Kaleb for making Hubs Kaleb

All kinds of kitchen stuff

For picking sabras (prickly pears)

Molds for Arab cookies

Used to create holes in veggies for stuffing

Time for Lunch

Abbie and Balkees

After walking what seemed like miles through the shuk, Abbie took me to the home of Balkees Abu Rabie, her friend and partner in the culinary tours.  Balkees is a Palestinian woman, wife and mother of four children, and daughter of a felach (farmer) who has grown up around the foods of the Galilee.  Their culinary tours typically end with a meal cooked by Balkees, but in this case, I had arranged in advance to learn to prepare some of the dishes we would be eating for lunch.

Stuffed kara

Our menu consisted of: orange lentil soup, “hubs kaleb” (a type of bread), tomato and mint salad, “mahshy warqenab” (stuffed grape leaves) with freekah, stuffed “kara” (a type of zucchini) with rice, pickled baby eggplant and “ck ma ajhway” (date cookies). 

Hubs kale is a type of bread made for special occasions and contains nigella seeds, sesame seeds and anise. Nigella seeds are tiny black seeds, grown primarily in Egypt and India.  After the dough is prepared it is separated into portions which are each pressed into a designed form called a “kale”, then baked.  This was one recipe Balkees would not share!

Dough being pressed into the kale

Dough 

Finished Hubs Kaleb

Taking the pressed dough off the kale

Dawali, also known as “dulma” or “yabre” have different fillings and spices, depending on the country in which it is made.   The ones we made were very tiny, with maybe ½ teaspoon of filling.  They were filled with freekah spiced with allspice. 

Rolling the leaves

Finished Mansy warqenab

Freekah is ancient.  So ancient that it is mentioned in the Torah in Vayikra chapter 2, verse 14.  Freekah is the green grain that comes from the wheat when it is picked early and hasn’t dried yet.  The wheat stalks are picked in the spring, as opposed to early summer when the grains are dry.  They are burned in a fire where everything but the grain disappears; the green grain is still moist and won’t burn.  The grain is then ground.  Because it’s young it is full of vitamins and minerals and has four times the fiber as brown rice.  It is usually ground coarsely, and is not able to be ground into flour as more mature, dry wheat is.

Tidbit: Agriculturally, the barley harvest took place during Passover, the wheat harvest around Shavuot, after the counting of the Omer 50 days after the 2^nd day of Passover, and the final harvest on Sukkot. 

Tidbit: Omer is a measure of grain. 

Freekah

 Caak mah Ajhway

These cookies were the most fun to make.  Essentially they are dates that have been ground into a paste, and covered with dough. Then the ends are connected and the whole cookie is decorated with a little pincher before baking.  Making these cookies is a very time consuming endeavor, but they were deliciously sweet and the dough was flaky like the perfect pie crust.

"Decorating" the cookies

The little pincher used for decorating

Ready for baking

Finishing this meal with caak mah ajhway and a cup of tea was a perfect ending to a wonderful day.

Balkees' Kaak ma Ahjway – Date filled Cookie Rings

For the filling, In a meat grinder combine 

  1 kilo Medjoul dates (pits removed)

  2 Tbsp corn oil

  1½  Tbsp. cinnamon

  ½ tsp ground cloves  

Set aside

(if you don't have a meat grinder, you can use packaged ground dates or I might try the food processor).  

For the dough, mix together 

  1 kg flour, 

  1 pkg. (10 gr) baking powder

  4 heaping Tbsp. sugar

  1½ Tbsp. ground Makhlab (sifted) 

  pinch of salt.

Melt together 400 gr margarine and 200 gr butter and let cool.

Mix butter and flour mixtures together by hand.

Add 1 1/2 cups warm water, or as necessary to attain a soft, tacky dough.   Don't overmix!

Squeeze out 1" balls of dough and form into little canoes.

From the date mixture, form small, pinky-sized rolls. 

Put a date roll on top of the dough canoe – pinch the dough over the date to cover it, then roll it out to make a long piece of dough.  

Pinch the two edges together to form a ring.  Decorate with a special pincher tool or a fork (not mandatory).

Bake at 200 C (350 F) for about 12 minutes, until the tops of the cookies start to brown.