Palestinian

Palestinian cuisine is Levantine cooking with two signatures: sumac and za'atar. The Palestinian olive oil from the West Bank hills is fruity-pungent — globally awarded — and it underwrites every dish. Maklouba ('upside down') is the centerpiece: rice + spiced meat (lamb, chicken, or beef) + fried vegetables (eggplant, cauliflower, carrot) layered in a deep pot, simmered, then flipped onto a wide platter so the bottom (which was the top during cooking) faces up — caramelized, golden, dramatic. Musakhan is roasted chicken on flatbread piled with sumac-stained sautéed onions — the Palestinian national dish. From Nablus comes knafeh Nabulsiyya — semolina dough over salty white cheese, baked, soaked in rosewater syrup, eaten warm so the cheese pulls in molten strands; this is the dessert that defines a city. Maftoul (hand-rolled cracked-wheat couscous larger than North African couscous) is steamed and served with chicken stew. Despite occupation, the cuisine endures and is increasingly celebrated globally.