The Circassian community in Israel is very small and not well known. Originally from a mountainous region in the Caucuses near the Black Sea, they were brutally driven out of their land by the Russians in the 19th century, then embraced by the Ottoman Turks, who settled them throughout their empire. The men were famed … Read More »
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I’ll Have Mine Baladi
For those who are interested in fresh local produce, “baladi” is the term for vegetables that are not raised industrially in greenhouses, but are grown in the old, traditional way. The word comes from “balad” which in Arabic means village. Baladi vegetables can usually be found in the produce markets in Arab villages and are … Read More »
Baking with Balkees
One of the most felicitous outcomes of my research on the local foods of the Galilee has been the friendship that has developed between me and Balkees Abu Rabieh of Nazareth. Balkees is one of the most gifted cooks and bakers I’ve ever met and the love that she invests in each of her creations … Read More »
Farike
On the last day of Passover, which this year coincided with Easter Monday, I got the call. Friends of my friend Balkees – farmers in the village of Mashhad, just outside Nazareth – were making farike and we were invited to join. Farike – for the unfamiliar – is wheat, harvested when the kernels are … Read More »
Through the Grainfields
I recently received a question from a reader of my blog which was particularly timely. He referred to a passage from the Book of Matthew that goes something like: At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. … Read More »