This session is all about traditional Palestinian food at it’s best from Musakhan the most favourite dish amongst Palestinians to the very tasty Qidra.
The Palestinian cuisine is a diffusion of the cultures of civilizations that settled in the geographical region of Palestine. Cooking styles vary by region and each type of cooking style and the ingredients used are generally based on the climate and location of the particular region and on traditions. Musakhan is a common main dish that originated in the West Bank. It consists of a roasted chicken over a taboon bread that has been topped with pieces of fried sweet onions, sumac, allspice and pine nuts. A dish native to the Gaza area is Romanieh is made up of unripened pomegranate seeds, eggplant, tahina, garlic, hot peppers and lentils. Qidra is a rice dish named after the clay vessel and oven it is baked in. Rice is cooked with pieces of meat inside of the vessel, often using lamb, whole garlic cloves, garbanzo beans, cardamom pods, and various other spices such as, turmeric, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and cumin. The cuisine of the Galilee is very similar to Lebanese cuisine, due to the extensive communication between the two regions. The mezzeh consists of a wide variety of appetizers, usually including hummus (sometimes topped with meat), baba ghannouj, tabouli, lebeneh, olives and pickled vegetables.
The area is also home to many desserts, ranging from those made regularly and those that are commonly reserved for the holidays. Most Palestinian sweets are pastries filled with either sweetened cheeses, dates or various nuts such as almonds, walnuts or pistachios.