Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Maha Salah
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Warbat
I love how these pastries, mostly made in the Levant and served at weddings and graduations, are super easy and quick. They are absolutely perfect for dinner parties because they can be made one or two days in advance and baked immediately before eating. The extra fine semolina used in...
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Awameh
I don’t know about you guys, but when I hear fried dough, my interest is instantly piqued. Awameh or luqmat al-qadi, as some Arabs call it, is one of those desserts that are made across the Middle East. In Arabic, the word “awameh” translates to “to float” or a...
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Shakriya
Let me start off by saying this is one of my absolute favourite dishes. It takes me straight to my grandmother’s house and is the definition of comfort food for me. Although this is most famously a Syrian dish, some Jerusalemites (like my grandmother) make it regularly. The Jerusalem...
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Warak dawali
Just like most Arab dishes, the way grape leaves are prepared differs not only from one country to another, but also from one household to another. Even the name of the dish is different, as Palestinians and Jordanians call it warak dawali or warak enab (warak is the Arabic word for leaves while dawali is Arabic for grape vine and enab is Arabic for...
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Fatteh baitenjan
Fatteh is a classic Levantine dish that usually involves pieces of bread that are toasted, fried, stale, or fresh then covered with other ingredients. The name is derived from the Arabic word meaning crushed or crumbs while baitenjan is Arabic for aubergine. Every country, and even every household, makes...
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Mansaf
Mansaf is the dish Jordan is most famous for. You will find it at every occasion or social gathering, be it a wedding, graduation, holidays, or just a plain old family gathering. There is really nothing more Jordanian than a platter of Mansaf! The dish has three main components: lamb, rice...
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Turkish Kumpir
Kumpir is the Turkish version of a baked potato. While Americans think of a baked potato as having butter, sour cream, chives and maybe even some bacon, and Brits think of a jacket potato being served with butter, cheese, beans and maybe even tuna and sweetcorn, the Turks have...
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Maftool
Maftool, derived from the Arabic verb fatala meaning to twist or roll, is a grain traditionally served in Palestine, as well as some parts of the Levant, made of whole wheat and bulgur that is traditionally hand-rolled. This is usually done with the help of a metal sieve-like tool....
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Israel's arrest campaign against Palestinian parliamentarians
Introduction According to international law and even the Israeli legal system, no one should be detained for their political beliefs. However, this is not the reality in the occupied Palestinian territories. Elected Palestinian political leaders are arrested and detained regularly as part of Israel’s effort to hinder Palestinian political processes,...
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Weighing up the Jordanian-Palestinian Confederation
Introduction The idea of a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation, which first emerged four decades ago, has resurfaced in recent months and is creating something of a controversy. The origins of the concept go back to 1972 when King Hussein of Jordan offered a plan to establish a federal united Arab kingdom to...
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Why are Palestinians voting with their feet in the Israeli elections?
FACT SHEET Although the Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel have the right to vote in the Israeli elections, many have chosen not to, due to the fact that Israeli politics have been overrun by anti-democratic parties that are preventing the voices of the Arab minority from being heard. Since 1949,...
