Let food be one of the many reasons to visit Palestine. Here food is healthy, mostly homemade and best had with friends and family. Communal dining seems to be the best way to dine when in Palestine and the varieties of food items are here to prove us right. Palestinian cuisine uses generous helping of garlic, onion, olive oil, fresh herbs like mint, parsley, coriander and spices like sumac and black pepper to name a few. Palestinians take hors d'oeuvres pretty seriously mostly served with fresh breads, hors d'oeuvre or mezza is often combined with lots of fresh green leafy vegetables. From the land of figs and olives we bring you eight dishes one must try when in Palestine.
Maqluba
The word 'maqluba' means 'upside down' and the dish is aptly named. Maqluba is a popular dish in Palestine and includes meat, rice and fried vegetables and cooked in a pot. The dish is served upside down, hence the name. Maqluba is best served with plain yogurt and fresh salad.
Qidreh
Qidreh is a traditional dish from Hebron, a city is Palestine known to be the second-holiest city after Jerusalem. The dish consists of meat cooked with rice, chickpeas and spiced broth, quite similar to biryani preparation. It is a great dish for community dining.
Couscous
Locally known as maftoul, couscous is a traditional dish made of steamed semolina with chickpeas and stew added to it. Couscous pellets are made by sprinkling semolina with water and later sprinkled with dry flour to turn into separate granules.
Falafel
This spicy deep-fried balls of ground chickpeas is a popular Middle Eastern food. Commonly served stuffed inside a pita bread along with pickles, hot sauce and salads, the dish is a popular street snack.
Kanafeh
It is a popular Palestinian dessert made of semolina dough with a filling of sweetened cheese and butter. Kanafeh is a baked dessert, baked till golden brown and then drizzled with honey or sugar syrup and chopped nuts.
Chicken Musakhan
Also considered as the national dish of Palestine, the dish is goodness served on top of bread. The trick to making this dish is the use of good olive oil, quality chicken and generous dose of sumac, the wonder spice of Palestine. Baked chicken with onions, pine nuts and spices&mdashsounds like a delicious meal.
Sumac
For Palestinians, sumac is an important ingredient. It is mostly used in salads, main course like musakhan where sumac gives the dish its fresh tangy flavour. It's the dried and powdered fruit of the plant that we know as sumac.
Sumaghiyyeh
Going by the sound of it, one can make out that this dish has plenty to do with sumac. Sumac infused water is mixed with sesame paste known as tahini, water abd flour. This mixture is later added to cooked meat (mostly beef), chickpeas and other herbs and spices and finally fried in olive oil and meat broth. It is best had with pita bread.
