Dubai resident keeps Palestinian traditions alive through food

When Haya Bishouty stepped into her dining room for her first sufra, she was proud and tense at the same time. This was what she had wanted deep down in her heart, always: upholding Palestinian culinary traditions that are fading away with time.

It was a bright, sunny day in January 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic brought the world to a screeching halt. Bishouty, a former public relations professional whose grandparents are from Palestine, was hosting in her Dubai home what would be the first in an ongoing series of dinner parties that aim to educate people about Palestinian food and culture.

There were about 10 people at the table — family, friends and a couple of acquaintances. Dressed in her grandmother’s dotted thobe, Bishouty eased into her new role, certain that she was on the right track. That night, she went to bed relieved.

“They were all like ‘Ah, the food tastes just like what my grandmother cooked’,” the curly-haired businesswoman says; her eyes brimming with pride. She is aware that she has been able to curate a sensory experience for her guests week after week.

Bishouty, who will turn 33 in a couple of weeks, launched Haya’s Kitchen three years ago. Her motto, she says, is not only to make people — Palestinians and non-Palestinians alike — taste the rich cuisine of the region, but also to serve nuggets of information about the scrumptious spread at her sufra, which literally translates to dining table in Arabic.

“I want to honour my heritage. I am a Palestinian, but I have never had the opportunity to be in Palestine. My grandparents left around 1948 and were never able to go back.

“Haya’s Kitchen is, in a way, a tribute to my tetas (the Arabic word for grandmothers). They have been a massive influence in my life,” she says.

There was a time when Bishouty did not feel “connected to the land (Palestine)” and grappled with what she calls an “identity crisis”. But her sufras, overflowing with traditional delicacies and hearty conversations, transport her and others to a land she has never seen — albeit for a few fleeting-yet-precious hours.

Bishouty, a globetrotter born in Greece, says the community dinners have been an enriching experience for her — something she is proud of.

“In fast-paced cities, we take our food for granted. We don’t really have the time to understand why a certain food is the way it is, why we eat a certain food in a certain season, where this food comes from, and the stories behind that food. I truly believe that food does connect people. We can understand cultures through their food,” she says.

Bishouty stresses that “in Palestine, we have very specific dishes that are native and true to the land”, and that she wants to challenge the misconception that “Lebanese food is Palestinian food”.

“True, we share a lot of flavours across the Levant region, but there are distinct flavours that are from Palestine. So, it’s important for me to keep the discussion going,” she asserts.

Bishouty shares a story from her first sufra, where she served a dessert called mughli, a caraway pudding. The word mughli means boiling something. That’s how this dish is supposed to be made. It’s traditionally made after childbirth — and Palestinian grandmothers serve it to visitors and new mothers. “Palestinians believe caraway has a lot of health benefits for nursing mothers. I added it to my first sufra menu as a symbolic gesture, signifying the birth of Haya’s Kitchen,” she says.

How food should be eaten is equally important, Bishouty points out. For instance, musakhan is traditionally eaten with hand. It’s the “national dish” of Palestine made of taboon bread, onions slow-cooked with olive oil and sumac, and oven-roasted chicken with tonnes of other spices, she continues. Generally, it has a topping of nuts and is eaten with yoghurt.

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