Two Bahraini chefs have joined forces to shine a spotlight on some of Palestine’s most traditional dishes and personal stories to raise funds for the occupied territory.
Chef Lulwa Sowaileh, who has worked in kitchens all over the world, and Darseen Café founder and Chef Bassam Al Alawi, cooked up a selection of exceptional meals to highlight the country’s cuisine, cities and educate people about the flavours and stories that emerge from these heart-felt dishes.
Mr Al Alawi and Ms Sowaileh
The dinner, which was organised in collaboration with the Amana Creative Collective Hub at Darseen Café, Bahrain National Museum, aimed to highlight the heartache and bloodshed the people of Gaza have had to face.
“We want to keep sharing the stories of the people of Palestine and a way to do this is through events like this,” Mr Al Alawi told the GDN.
“It is not just a genocide of people, but of family history, recipes and stories that deserve to be kept alive and shared with as many people as possible.
“We interviewed several Palestinians living in Gaza, Rafah and other areas to hear their stories and share their recipes and thoughts. It is easy to find a recipe online, but it is more valuable to hear the story behind their family recipe and understand why it is important to share their identity.”
Some of the dishes at the event included Musakhan (a flatbread with roasted chicken inside, baked with onions, sumac and other spices), Cucumber Mahshi (cucumbers stuffed with meat and rice, cooked with tamarind sauce), Palestinian Qidreh (meat and rice dish) and Ma’amoul, a buttery pastry filled with date filling.
“Musakhan reminds me of my friend who is currently providing medical care and assistance to Gazans in need.
“It is a dish made by his mum, which he claims, always makes him feel at home. Even though it is a simple dish, it has a heart-warming effect, and is even more special with Palestinian olive oil, which the country is well-known for.”
Traces of the olive tree in Palestine date back 6,000 years. Mechanical presses have been found that date back to 1,000 BCE and stone presses found in olive orchards believed to be from the Stone Age.
“The tree also represents the resilience of Palestinians, and the fact that it can be traced back to thousands of years and it still remains to this day,” he said.
Another dish he highlighted was cucumbers stuffed with meat and rice and cooked with tamarind sauce.
“It is a dish you don’t hear much about, so I thought it would be great to incorporate it onto the menu.”
He added that the goal was not to just showcase a meal, but to highlight the person who made the dish and the story behind that person.
Meanwhile, an exhibition, titled ‘The Motherland’ is also being held at Darseen Café until Saturday. Several artists donated their works for the event to raise funds for the Middle East Children’s Alliance, a non-profit organisation working for the rights of children in the Middle East.
The group, which has teams on the ground in Gaza, will provide those in need with food, sanitation and water, among other items.
At least 51,240 Palestinians have been confirmed killed and 116,931 wounded since Israel’s war on Gaza began 18 months ago; nearly a third of the dead are aged under 18.
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