Food Writing & Culinary Appropriation | الكتابة عن الأكل والاستيلاء على المطبخ

The appreciation of food comes when the people-centered in that story are the people who have cultivated that food and made that food. Food is an anchor not just of culture, but of friendship, love, and community in the Middle East. In Palestine, food (like the land and people) have become a target for settler-colonial conquest. The Zionist occupation has claimed Arab indigenous cuisine from Palestine and the region as their own — hummus, falafel, couscous… It has exploited the labor of Palestinian cuisine, stolen it, and denied such actions.

In this panel, Palestinian chefs Reem Assil and Fadi Kattan come together to speak about this and more. Reem is founder of Reem’s California restaurant and author of Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora. Fadi is founder of Fawda restaurant in Bethlehem and Akub restaurant in London, UK.