In our ongoing conversation about the foods of the Galilee, my close friend Balkees Abu Rabieh and I recently had a particularly enlightening chat about tea. Her mother-in-law, Balkees told me, meticulously picks the various herbs that grow in the garden outside her house – sage, zaatar, zuta (white savory), louisa (lemon verbena), chamomile – even rose … Read More »
Culinary Historian
Dry as a Bone
Dry as a bone. That’s what these autumn days in the Galilee are like. The sky is cloudless, the sun, relentless and the air, brittle. My jars and tubes of creams are serving overtime. Now I understand why people here have always rubbed their skin and hair with olive oil. When the seasonal rains don’t … Read More »
A Green Olive Harvest
The first serious bout of winter rain descended several weeks ago, marking a traditional and unofficial opening of the olive harvest season in the Galilee. In fact, late September is too early for olive picking, which generally extends from late October through November. But that first rain fulfilled its function of washing off the summer … Read More »
Autumn New Year
After the dramatic autumns of my East Coast childhood, living in the Galilee has accustomed me to a more gradual and nuanced approach of the season. Here, the beginning of fall is marked by the brief appearance of a wispy white flower, a chill in the evening air, and the return of clouds to the … Read More »
A Time to Fast, a Time to Feast
The month of Ramadan, that started this year on August 1st, has passed the halfway mark. For observant Muslims, this means less than two more weeks of the daily fast – that extends from the pre-sunrise meal through dinner at sundown. Lately, I’ve been waking up at 4 AM with the sound of the Muezzin’s … Read More »