NABLUS CUISINE

I haven’t actually said that much about Palestinian food so far. I’m not sure how I’ve neglected this as one of the best things about being in Palestine is the food.

Put simply, food is fresher, tastier and almost always healthier over here. Highlights include falafel (the best in the world, so I’m told, although I can only testify that it’s better than the one I had in Bucharest, the only other time I’ve tried it), “kufta” (although I’ve discovered this can be a little hit or miss), kebab (much better than back home) and “shawarma”.

Shawarma is kind of like the doner kebabs we get in Edinburgh, with the big elephant’s foot slab of meat, only it’s either turkey or chicken meat that’s used. It’s served with salad either in a wrap or as a sandwich in a mini-baguette.

Most often I opt for either falafel or shawarma, which you can get pretty much anywhere. (In Nablus, a falafel with bread and salad costs 3 shekels, which is about 50p. In Tel Aviv, it you'd be lucky to get one for under 20 shekels.)

The main type of bread that’s used is a type of pitta bread, only different to what I’m used to in that it’s a wee bit like Italian focaccia too. Given the fact that Britain doesn’t really do bread very well, it’s no surprise that this is better than back home.

Veg over here is often pickled in such as way as to give it a strange-looking colour. It would not be unusual to see pink cauliflower or fluorescent-orange broccoli. When I asked someone why they do this they said, “It’s what my mother did”. Silly question, really.

In terms of home-cooked food, from what I can remember most dishes begin with an “m” and involve rice in some way. I’ve sampled a few home-cooked meals and have been very impressed so, if you’re ever in Palestine and offered a food beginning with “m”, say “aywa” (yes). Chances are it’ll be decent.

I’ve noticed people don’t really do lunch over here. Instead they’ll have a late breakfast, sometimes well into the afternoon, and a main meal in the evening. I quite like this routine.

One other local delicacy in Nablus I should mention is called “kunafa”. This is a strange combination of white cheese (which I think is goat’s cheese) and a ridiculous amount of sugar. It’s fair to say it’s an acquired taste, although I’ve been warned by Hakim, the Director of Project Hope, not to say “ana bakrah kunafa” (I hate kunafa) for fear of offending the good people of Nablus.

Here, takeaway food does not come swimming in grease.