What a great pleasure it is to have a hakura, or kitchen garden, next to the house – particularly when its yields peak in mid-winter. Yesterday I stripped the hakura of just about all of the swiss chard to make a crispy filo-layered pie. Washing and trimming the fleshy leaves, I realized how viscerally I love fresh greens – wild or cultivated. In fact, new sprouts of waxy luf leaves are unfolding all over the yard, beyond the orderly rows of the hakura. And even if I haven’t mastered the technique of cooking them, I will soon harvest them and bring them to someone who has.
The changing of the year has been a time of self-examination, and now, almost two years after my book came out, I’ve decided that I need to return to what I feel is my calling – to research and write about how the local foods are grown, processed and prepared in traditional ways in the Palestinian-Israeli and Bedouin communities of the Galilee. This time, however, I want to do it in an academic context – to structure my work in an orderly fashion, and to join a community of like-minded people documenting traditional foodways around the world.
Looking for a potential home at the University of Haifa, I have spoken to several faculty members from different departments. With Prof. Guy Bar-Oz in the Archaeology Department, who is a specialist in pre-historic and ancient foodways in this region, I had a particularly fascinating conversation. When I told him my interest in foraging and the process of domestication of edible wild plants that I observe to be happening in our times, he countered with something that stopped me in my tracks. How do you know that the wild mallow that you collect wasn’t once domesticated as a crop some time back in history, and just fell out of use over time and reverted back to a wild state? How do I know indeed! Clearly, there is so much to learn, and I am eager to dive in.
A few days ago, driving home from an exhausting day at a job that is more draining than I’d bargained for, I saw at the edge of the hills an older Bedouin man walking with three frisky little boys, presumably his grandchildren. In his hands were two plastic bags full of freshly gathered luf. My first urge was to pull over on the side of the road and follow him, to ask him about his foraging habits and what he had planned for that luf – his evening meal or perhaps to share with an ailing family member or friend.
But I drove on, more determined than ever that by foraging season next year, I’ll be able to ask those questions not just to satisfy my own curiosity, but to make their answers accessible to anyone who shares an interest in hearing them. And I know that there are many, indeed.
Your project sounds very interesting. I look forward to reading more about it.
What is luf and is there an equivalent in the US?
Thanks! It will take awhile before I publish anything new, but if you haven’t read “Breaking Bread in Galilee”, that’s a good start for now. The Latin name for Luf is Arum Palaestinum and as far as I know, it does not grow in the US, but perhaps it has some distant American relative… Thanks for your interest!
Abbie,
Thanks for the info–is this the plant?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arum_palaestinum
Does it grow only in the Galilee or all over Israel?
Do you live near Yav Ne’el? I have a sister in law there. I have many grandkids in Jerusalem so I try to get to Israel periodically. Is your book available in the US?
I can’t attest to where luf grows outside of the Galilee, but my guess is that it can be found in other parts of the country. I really must emphasize that it is not recommended to cook it unless you are being supervised by someone who knows how to take care of its toxic properties. All things being relative, I suppose I do live near Yavneel, although it is about 40 minutes away from me by car. I live in the Jezreel Valley, between Haifa and Nazareth. And yes, my book is available on amazon.com. I recommend it! Thanks for your interest!
hello
im happy to read these lines..i also have worked hard preparing my big hakura..and u r welcome to visit and see my plants.
regards
adel ayada
zarzir
Nicely done! How late into the year does the Luf grow? Can the leaves survive in a freezer for a few months? I would consider it a treat to taste it in a ” crispy filo layered pie”.
How is the research developing for your entrance to academia.?
Have you heard of an Israeli University that is developing a canabis focused, out patient health service program? The name I heard sounded like “Sharey”.
The past few days and until Tuesday, I am in N.Y.C., assisting the son of a Paris based colleague to find an apartment, and his way around the City. He is a young, and somewhat immature 21 year old who has much to learn about “street smarts”. I have involved Alice and Noah in his informal acculturational experience and trust that he will be smart enough to benefit from their interest.
My own re-entry into Tucson related activities, after what will have been a 3 week absence, begins on Wednesday with a Board meeting of the Borderlands Restoration L3C, followed by a re-immersion into academia and the organization of the S.W. Regional Water Cluster.
At this moment I am enjoying the appearance of bright sunshine on snow covered streets as seen from the upper East Side apartment of Dino and Beth DeConcini, my very comfortable base in the City which they kindly encourage me to use.
Best wishes to all, and a comfortable return to D.C. to Tal.
Love,
Dad
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