Article content continued

Memories such as going to the mountains each spring and collecting za’atar leaves (an herb in the mint family) to dry and picking olives in the fall to press into oil help her maintain a sense of closeness to Palestinian culture, Kassis says. It was when she became pregnant with her second daughter, then living in London, England, that she became increasingly aware of their importance.

Kassis says part of her panicked when she realized her daughters wouldn’t grow up with the same connection to the Palestinian way of life. She started revisiting the culinary wisdom, recipes and stories she had been collecting from her mother, aunts and grandmothers since she left Jerusalem for the U.S. as a teenager more than a decade ago.

“Initially, when I went back through them I thought of doing something just for my own family. And that’s when I looked at them and I felt like, yes these are my family’s recipes and stories but in a way, they’re the stories of every Palestinian family,” Kassis says. “And at that point, I felt that I owed it to the world to share this with them.”

Photo by Dan Perez / Phaidon

The volume includes personal anecdotes, local histories and 150 recipes, from traditional pastries such as za’atar filled flatbreads and Jerusalem sesame bagels (ka’ak) to her maternal grandmother’s luscious fried baba ghanouj and her mother’s versatile nine spice mix.

Adding the allspice-scented blend is an approachable way to incorporate Palestinian flavours into everyday cooking, Kassis says. Another is to use staple ingredients such as freekeh – smoky young green cracked wheat – or maftool (“Palestinian couscous”) in place of rice and other grains.

“There’s no better way to get to know a person than to share a plate of food with them. So here I’m sharing our entire kitchen with you and our way of life,” Kassis says.

“I hope (the book) helps people develop a better understanding of Palestinians – the entire picture of Palestinians rather than just the conflict that we’re so often recognized for… You get a more holistic picture when you understand us as a people. Not just as a people in conflict.”