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Saturday, February 5, 2022

This Week in Palestine: A Palestinian gingerbread house baked by Riyam Kafri AbuLabban.

A Palestinian gingerbread house baked by Riyam Kafri AbuLabban.
 

"The Palestinian kitchen, like other kitchens, is in flux as it borrows and receives inspiration from other cuisines. Why not freekeh risotto? Why not hot cross buns with a cardamom-cinnamon Palestinian twist? (Visit Fadi Kattan’s Instagram account to sneak a peek.) And why not build Palestinian-style gingerbread houses?

 

Gingerbread houses are a nineteenth-century German tradition that became popular after the Brothers Grimm published Hansel and Gretel. There is something magical about a house completely edible from top to bottom, even more so amidst the spirit and charm of the Christmas season. Under the spell of gingerbread houses and the holiday season, I wanted to create a family tradition that fit with my children’s experience of Palestinian homes. I also wanted them to know that Christmas is a Palestinian holiday, that Jesus Christ is Palestinian."   Riyam Kafri AbuLaban