The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey

Not many cookbooks focus as much as this one does on the lives of those who cook and consume the recipes shared. Some of the personal stories are heart-warming, some are heart-wrenching, but all demonstrate the daily challenges of living in Gaza, one of the most politically unstable regions in the world today. Some of the challenges include water shortage, food rationing, power outages, and political constraints (restricted movement and regulations governing fishing and land use). The narrative also highlights the ways in which the population has adapted, such as increased agriculture, success of fish farms, repurposing what is available to aid cooking, and adapting recipes to include what is readily available.

The recipes are divided by their ingredients or function into eleven sections, with each section averaging about ten recipes. Interspersed with the recipes are the personal stories of the men and women living there. The book does state that the recipes are those cooked in homes, not those served by catering companies. Some of the ingredients may not be readily available to American readers. Also, the recipes do not document the servings per recipe. The point of the book may not be to help us cook foods from Gaza, but instead to document––through food––the everyday lives of those who live in Gaza.