For a Palestinian family newly relocated to Cape Town, starting their own food business meant more than just a venture to sustain the family while they seek refuge in Cape Town.
Every part of the process, from collecting ingredients at shops to preparing the dishes, evoked strong emotions and memories of cooking with family, as well as a deep longing for their homeland.
The Palestinian Kitchen was recently established as a means to support themselves financially and assist their families in Palestine.
Although still in its infancy phase, the Palestinian Kitchen is able to cater for large and small gatherings providing traditional taste of Palestine through well-known dishes and sweet treats.
Authentic items on the menu include maqluba, kabsa, ouzi, falafel and hummus, fattoush, shakshuka, and maamoul, among others.
The identities of the family members have been withheld to protect their relatives in Palestine.
SMread: US-Ukraine step towards mineral deal
New home
IJ from Ramallah in the West Bank said a family member who had been living in South Africa suggested they relocate to South Africa, mentioning the support the country has shown for Palestine would make the process easier.
The family then went on to sell their household items and gathered money for the trip,
“The Palestinian Kitchen is more than just cooking; it’s emotional. When we cook, we remember how we were cooking with my grandmother, my family all together. We make maamoul (date-filled cookies), we make it especially on Eid and I remember when I was a child, my grandmother and the neighbors would sit together to make these cookies. So when we cook every dish, we remember our families. Oh, we miss Palestine,” she said.
“Every step we remember Palestine and our family. And even my grandmother sends me recipes to put in the menu and when we cook, we video call them and they advise us- ‘no, don’t do that, do this instead.”
MB, from Nablus in the West Bank said it was no easy decision to leave their families and homeland, but the worsening situation in Palestine made it necessary
She began considering leaving after soldiers occupied her family home for a day, trapping her entire family—including her elderly parents and siblings with special needs—in a single room without water, food, or access to a bathroom.
She said this took place throughout the refugee camp, with soldiers moving from home to home.
MI, from Nur Shams Refugee Camp in Tulkarm, West Bank, described life under Israeli military control as extremely difficult due to the checkpoints restricting freedom of movement.
The West Bank, under Israeli military occupation since 1967, is littered with over 600 military checkpoints and blockades.
An educator employed in a different city, she was unable to continue working as the checkpoints made it difficult to travel and left her exhausted before the day had even begun.
She described how Israeli settlers and soldiers frequently raided homes, forcibly removing families without regard for children, women, the elderly, or the sick—whether in the dead of night, intense heat, or brutal cold.
SMread: Death of Aliya Begum: family seeks justice
Mass displacement
The mass displacement of Palestinians has left many homeless.
“We can’t enter Palestine now. It’s closed. And in the refugee camp, the Israeli people start to kick the people out of their houses. So there are a lot of homeless people now in Palestine. I’ve never in my life seen a homeless person in Palestine. Now, people are homeless in the street,” IJ said.
“So it’s difficult. There’s a lot of pressure that we have to succeed. This should work, we don’t have another choice.”
The family is currently seeking asylum status in South Africa, however their applications at Home Affair have been rejected on the basis that they were reportedly “safer” in the refugee camps and that South Africa was geographically far from Palestine.
They reject these reasons and say that similar rejections—on weak grounds—have been widespread among other Palestinian applicants.
“So now, if I want to work, or I want to study, I can’t do anything because I don’t have papers. I want to learn how to drive. I can’t apply for driving at school because I don’t have papers and other stuff. I can’t open a bank account because I don’t have papers,” IJ said.
One of the family members said Nur Shams is currently under siege by Israeli forces and that her in-laws were forcibly removed from their home during the cold weather.
For the first time in 20 years, Israel has sent military tanks into the West Bank and have expelled around 40 000 Palestinians from their homes.
Orders can be placed one to two days in advance, and the family plans to expand their offerings to single and family meal options.
They have also requested assistance with English tutoring and encouraged people to support their business, which is currently their sole source of income.
For more information, follow Palestinian Kitchen on Instagram for the latest updates (palestinian_kitchen_cpt) or Whatsapp +27 60 274 6137.
