Palestinian cuisine shares many dishes in common with other countries in the region, including Lebanon and Syria to the north and Egypt to the southwest. Falafel, sfiha, tabouli,hummus and baba ghanoush are ubiquitous. Some of the dishes most popular with the Palestinian people include musakhan, maqluba and rice-stuffed chicken called djej mahshi
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Worlds Largest Kanafeh
Their knafeh - a sticky mix of vermicelli, syrup and cheese - weighed 1,765 kilograms (3,891 lbs) and was 74 meters (243 feet) long. The sweets were laid out on a tray stretching across Nablus' main square and were quickly devoured by tens of thousands of visitors.
The measurements were certified by the Palestinian Standards Institute, and organizers said they'll submit the results to the Guinness Book of World Records. Mohanad Rabi, a local real estate developer who has been in touch with Guinness, said he is confident the record would be accepted. He said he was unaware of previous attempts to bake super-size knafe
The message of today is that we want to live in peace, Rabi said. We can build our nation and our future.
in 2009 , a Palestinian man from Nablus set the Guinness world record for baking the world's largest knafeh pastry, the Palestinian Man News Agency reported.
His record-setting pastry measured 75 meters long and two meters wide, and had an estimated weight of about 1,350 kg.
Eid and Ramadan
I remember spending the night in my grandmother’s house during Ramadan just to watch her cook the famous Ramadan meal. To my family and to me Ramadan is basically a month when everybody invites other family members and friends to eat after fasting for a whole day. Ever since I could remember, all of my family would gather around the table in the holy month of Ramadan and dine after a long day of fasting. I still remember the smell of msakhan , tabouleh and all the different food my grandmother used to make as a Ramadan meal. After eating, we would all go to the television room and watch series that are only aired in Ramadan. During T.V. commercials my dad and I would start preparing for making katayef; the traditional sweet that is made during the Holy month of Ramadan. We would spend an hour just talking and making katayef. When Ramadan ends all of us would wait for Eid; a celebration that happens after Ramadan. We would start the day by hosting our family and friends. As a tradition we make mamoul; which is a sweet we make during Eid but not only Muslims do this, Christians in Palestine make them in Easter to represent Jesus crown of thorns. We serve the mamoul with black Arabian coffee also as a tradition. Then we would end the day by spending the evening in a restaurant that makes a special Arabian night, where you spend the night listening to Arabic songs and people serving Arabic food.
katayef
Katayef is the traditional sweet that is made during the Holy month of Ramadan. It's well known in all Arab Countries. It is really simple to make, and as long as they are pinched closed, they should come out great!!
Ingredients:
6 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of yeast (ferment)
6 cups of milk
3 cups of fresh Kushta cream
3 cups of homemade kushta
3 cups of minced walnut
1 cup of powdery sugar
1 tablespoon of rose water
2 tablespoons of orange-flower water
1/2 cup of lemon jam
1/2 cup of fine pistachio
6 cups of frying oil
3 cups of Syrup
Preparation:
1 Mix the flour, yeast (ferment) and the milk until you get a soft and combined dough.
2 Keep it aside until it gets double the size.
3 Fill the pouring bad (that has a steel head) with part of the dough.
4 Start pouring small circles on a steel pan you have put on the fire.
5 You can make the circles as big or as small as you like.
6 After 1 minute of pouring the circles turn the Katayef to the other side for 2 seconds and then we take them off the steel pan.
7 Mix the finely minced walnuts with the powdery sugar, rose water, orange-flower water.
8 Take 1 teaspoon of the mixture and distribute it at the middle of the Katayef .
9. Do the same thing with the Kushta, take 1 table spoon and distribute at the middle of the Katayef.
10. You can make 6 of the walnut mixture and another 6 of the Kushta filling; it depends on the quantity you want from each.
10. You can make 6 of the walnut mixture and another 6 of the Kushta filling; it depends on the quantity you want from each.
11. Close the Katayef (with the filling inside) to make a half moon shape. Close it tightly by pressing on the edges of the dough.
12. Fry the filled Kateyef with the oil until it gets a golden color.
13. Take them out and put them in the Syrup for few minutes.
14. Take them out of the Syrup and serve them hot.
Msakhan
Meltingly tender chicken with the lemony flavor of sumac and the sweetness of caramelized onions,musakhan (المسخن) is a favorite dish of Palestinians everywhere. Sheets of flatbread encase the chicken as it cooks, protecting it from direct heat and soaking up delicious juices. Musakhan is traditionally eaten with the fingers. Sometimes spelled moussakhan ormusakhkhan.
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
· Chicken, cut into serving pieces -- 1 (3-pound)
· Dried sumac (see variations) -- 1/4 cup
· Ground cinnamon -- 1 teaspoon
· Ground allspice or cloves -- 1/2 teaspoon
· Ground nutmeg -- 1/4 teaspoon
· Salt and pepper -- to season
· Olive oil -- 1/4 cup
· Onions, thinly sliced -- 3
· Lavash bread -- 2 large pieces
Method
1. In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, sumac, spices, salt and pepper. Refrigerate and let marinate for at least 30 minutes, or preferably for several hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high flame. Add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, and brown on both sides. Remove to a plate and set aside.
3. Add the onions to the skillet and sauté, stirring often, until the onions are cooked down and beginning to brown, 15 to 25 minutes.
4. Line the bottom of a baking dish large enough to hold the chicken and onions with a sheet of laviash bread. Spread half the onions over the bread, then place chicken over the onions. Top the chicken with the remaining onions. Cover the whole dish with the remaining sheet of lavash bread, tucking in the sides to seal the chicken in. Sprinkle the lavash bread with water to lightly moisten it.
5. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through (an insta-read thermometer inserted into the dish should register around 180°F). If the bread starts to burn, cover it lightly with aluminum foil.
6. Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest about 10 minutes. Remove and discard the top bread and serve the chicken in its dish.
Variations
· Sumac is a common spice in the Middle East. The ground berries of a Middle Eastern bush, it can be found in most Middle Eastern markets. If you can't get it, use 3 tablespoons of paprika and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Of course, the taste won't be quite the same.
· Palestinians use bread called shrak or marquq for this dish. More commonly available Armenian lavash bread is very similar. Or use 2 or 3 pieces of pita bread that have been split in two horizontally.
· Some cooks add a big pinch of saffron to the sautéing onions. You can also garnish with toasted pine nuts or almonds.
Boston pizza
When I first entered Boston Pizza, I thought it was ok; every other restaurant had basically the same style, for example Chances R . Never the less I thought it was clean and looked nice. We waited for about five minutes for someone to show us to our table, not because it was busy but there was no one at the door. The restaurant was filled with kids because there was a birthday party so I thought it was noisy and I had trouble hearing my family talk. Because of the birthday party all of the waitresses were busy with the other table that we had to wait for 15 minutes until someone asked us for a drink. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to ask the waitress any questions because there were only five and all of them were serving the birthday table. My brother and I decided to order the chicken parmesan while my older brother chose the Jambalaya and my mom wanted the home made lasagna. Surprisingly we didn’t feel the time we spent probably because we were talking and watching the soccer game which was aired in the television beside us. The food looked great, the presentation was good and the food was delicious, I could say it was worth waiting for. My mother thought that the lasagna was a little bit spicy but she loved it. My chicken parmesan was delicious. I loved the pasta with the tomato sauce on top and the chicken. In conclusion I would say that the food was delicious and the atmosphere was friendly, seeing the kids running around made it feel like home. Though it was slightly loud.
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