Palestinians are known for their hard work in farming, care for sheep, and embroidery. They are world renowned for their olives, olive oil, and lamb cheese. Furthermore, each town has a distinct and unique style of embroidery. Townsfolk would recognize where travelers are from just by looking at the needlework on their garments. Unfortunately, knowledge of this craft was not passed down in my family. Our food however, was successfully passed down to my generation.
Each Arab country has a unique dish that contributes to the creation of the Middle Eastern palate. Maqluba is one example of a classic Palestinian meal that is widely enjoyed and cooked by other Arabs. Maqluba translates to “upside down” and is a dish that is usually served in big gatherings since the proportions are big. This dish usually requires a big pot with a mixture of fried cauliflower, fried eggplant, fried onions, meat (chicken or lamb), and rice. The spices and range of fried vegetables depend on the chief’s preference and is usually unique to each household. A large array of recipes for desserts were also passed down in my family. Kanafa is my favorite one among all of them. Kanafa is believed to have originated in Palestine though now it’s considered to be a Middle Eastern dish shared by all Arabs.
My family likes to keep to themselves so they bought a huge tract of land in the middle of old Katy about twenty-five years ago. My parents live in a twenty-acre land right next to my grandparent’s ten-acre tract of land. My grandfather was a man of the sea, he used to make a living by fishing in the Gaza strip before he moved to America. He used to make a long drive to Galveston almost every morning to fish with a large fishing net. Watching him skillfully cast the net looked like a work of art. I stood at the shore and patiently waited for him to drag the net to me so I could help untangle the fish and drop then into the cooler. I also spent a lot of time at home helping my grandfather with tending to his large garden. I used to help with watering the plants and collected squash, cucumbers, okra, tea leaves, string beans, figs, and grape leaves. Whenever I bring the harvest into my grandparent’s house the scent of the kanafa’s sweet syrup reaches my nose. Once the vegetables are washed and put away, I’m given a slice of kanafa as a reward for my hard work outside.
My grandmother spent a lot of her time teaching my mother how to cook traditional Arab dishes. She spent most of her day preparing food either in the kitchen or the living room. I used to help her with cleaning the vegetables and bringing ingredients she asked for. When I got older I helped with chopping vegetables and chopping the shredded dough that was used for making my beloved kanafa. I preferred to make the dough very finely chopped, a hard feat to accomplish with a mere knife. Despite my endless patience my mother would urge me to go faster and not worry about the consistency of the dough.
My grandmother spent a lot of her time teaching my mother how to cook traditional Arab dishes. She spent most of her day preparing food either in the kitchen or the living room. I used to help her with cleaning the vegetables and bringing ingredients she asked for. When I got older I helped with chopping vegetables and chopping the shredded dough that was used for making my beloved kanafa. I preferred to make the dough very finely chopped, a hard feat to accomplish with a mere knife. Despite my endless patience my mother would urge me to go faster and not worry about the consistency of the dough.
I don’t know much about my family’s time spent in their home country. My knowledge solely comes from what they allow me to know and little bits of conversations I overhear in social gatherings. My grandfather lived in a Palestinian town that was completely wiped off of the map. He shared quite a few horrific stories about his childhood spent in that city during the war. He didn’t share much else besides small details about my uncles. My grandmother was the most reluctant to share information about her childhood and how she learned to cook. I understood her reluctance since I knew from other family members that she was abused by her stepmother and forced to take care of the house hold while her step sisters go out to gain a proper education.
Years later my grandparents moved to stay with other family members in Jordan. My mother continued to cook the dishes she was taught and is proud of how well she cooks them. Many of her friends request for her to make these dishes for numerous social gatherings and parties. The most requested food item was the kanafeh since her friends don’t know how to make it like she does. I came to realize that I wasn’t the only one in my houshold who appreciates this sweet and cheesy dessert. My siblings and father join me in the race to get a piece of kanafa during birthdays and holiday celebrations.
Years later my grandparents moved to stay with other family members in Jordan. My mother continued to cook the dishes she was taught and is proud of how well she cooks them. Many of her friends request for her to make these dishes for numerous social gatherings and parties. The most requested food item was the kanafeh since her friends don’t know how to make it like she does. I came to realize that I wasn’t the only one in my houshold who appreciates this sweet and cheesy dessert. My siblings and father join me in the race to get a piece of kanafa during birthdays and holiday celebrations.
Kanafa Recipe
Kanafa:
- 1 1/2 packets of Kataifi shredded fillo dough
- 3 cups of unsalted or sweet white cheese
- 2 tablespoons of Ghee (Clarified butter)
- ¼ cup of butter
- Chopped pistachios
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- Use a food processor to finely chop the shredded fillo dough. In a bowl, mix the shredded dough with the melted butter and ghee.
- Press this mixture into a low edge baking tray or pan to make the bottom layer.
- Chop the sweet cheese and spread it on top of the shredded dough to make another layer.
- Cover the tray with foil and bake for 30 minutes in 350-degree oven or until edges are golden. Make the syrup while the kanafa is baking in the oven.
- In a sauce pan you will mix 1 ½ cup of water and then add 1 tablespoon of lemon. After it comes down to boil turn the stove to low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Once the kanafa is done flip the kanafa upside down onto another same sized pan then broil the top until golden brown. This should take 5 minutes.
- When the kanafa is ready, pour the hot syrup over the top and garnish it with chopped pistachios. Cut it into squares, serve, and enjoy.