From Maklouba to Musakhan: How Social Media Is Keeping Palestinian Cuisine and Culture Alive
Words: Saiba Haque
Make it stand out
That recipe that you are making at home right now, what was it? Was it a recipe for hummus? Did the TikTok that you got the recipe from specify it as Israeli hummus, Palestinian hummus or a middle eastern dip. I can certainly assure you that the latter two of the three options ring truest, but why does it matter who can claim hummus and who can’t? The answer lies within the chasm of genocidal occupation and the importance of gastronationalism (nationalism of food) in a time of brutality.
From Manaeesh to Maklouba to Musakhan, many food creators are not only recreating accurate recipes of Palestine’s most adorned dishes, but are also spreading awareness of Gaza through their voiceovers and donation links. This small act of resistance has big cultural and political implications - it is an urgent matter of not letting culture and cuisine get hijacked, appropriated or died out.
Gastronationalism has been long opined over, with nations hasty to claim a dish as their own. Foods such as hummus and maklouba are not only regional to Palestine, but also eponymous to middle-eastern and levant regions - with hummus making itself popular all the way over in Greece. Shakshuka - a mainstay on breakfast #foodtok - is not solely Palestinian, it is also regional to North Africa and the middle east. Despite this, many refer to shakshuka as an Israeli dish.
It is distinctly important to distinguish whether a cuisine is formed through immigration or whether it is taken over as a result of occupational genocide. So the current specifications of Israeli hummus or Israeli shakshuka is particularly gruelling as it is a result of occupation of land and culture rather than the sharing or fusion of food and culture that we are more used to seeing.
Food is political and the concept of gastronationalism is not at all a futile topic at this time, especially considering the topic involves a genocide that has lasted for decades. In such arenas, specificity of cultural heritage and cuisine is absolutely key for the preservation of a culture. Genocide’s purpose is to not only eradicate the people, but also to kill any form of continuation of the next generation, which includes hijacking the culture and heritage of those being eradicated. Those leading the attack then either fully end the culture they are murdering or go on to claim it as their own. It is increasingly important to not let heritage, including cultural cuisine, die out with this genocide. For many Palestinians worldwide, making their own cuisine is a symbol of resistance and resilience, as they stand up and claim their culture and maintain their collective identity.
As activist and owner of Palestinian restaurant, Shakeshuka in London, Haleem Kherallah tells me,
“Representing Palestinian cuisine accurately is an act of resistance in itself against the Israeli occupation and it is important that I as a Palestinian continue informing people of Palestinian cuisine alongside bringing awareness to Gaza.”
Kherala also cited his reasons for opening his restaurant, explaining, “I was in New York and noticed an old Israeli friend who used to work in my father’s restaurant opened up his own in New York where he sold Shakshuka as ‘Israeli Shakshuka’. The same shakshuka that he learnt to make in our kitchen. I was sick of my culture being stolen. Which is why this is very important for me.”
The restaurant has garnered its fair share of popularity on TikTok not only for providing authentic Palestinian food despite Islamophobic hate, adversity and animosity, but also for giving out freshly prepared food to University students in London forming encampments to pressure universities to divest and call for ceasefire.
There has been a noticeable shift in wider discussions amongst civilians around the world especially in the past two decades. The introduction of the internet and social media pushed people to know more about the world around them, bypassing any agendas set by traditional media sources and news outlets. In present time, TikTok is playing a crucial role in bringing awareness to the atrocities of the genocide; visibility of which has noticeable led to further activism, protest and resistance along with widespread solidarity for ceasefire in Gaza. It is on the app where Palestinian culture and cuisine are being kept alive globally. Additionally, creators on TikTok are also making food content notifying people of the BDS boycott on Israeli imported food goods, as produce grown in Israeli territory is grown in occupied land.
The surge of acknowledgement in regards to the cuisine of Palestine has actively maintained a culture from dying out, and the boycott list has resulted in more actively aware consumers of food and produce. To think, if social media did not exist, awareness of cultural cuisine and heritage would be eradicated alongside its people. The act of resistance is still alive along with the spirit of the Palestinian people, and it lives on partially thanks to the sharing of knowledge of Palestinian cuisine across social media.
Repeatedly upon the release of aid for Palestinian civilians at Rafah, there have been targeted attacks on those seeking aid. Much of what reached the ground got destroyed along with many casualties caused amongst the crowd. Aid workers from the World Central Kitchen were air-striked by Israeli officials. Many people of Palestine are unable to consume adequate nutrition, let alone participate in making their own cuisine.
