104 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
I’m sitting at the dining table with Laila
and her wonderful family. We’re tucking into a
rather splendid lunch of red lentil and chard soup
spiked with fiery chillies and garlic, and a zesty
tomato salad called dagga. It’s heavy with dill
and lemon juice. Some of the soup has been
spooned over little pieces of slightly dry, day-old
pitta bread. The bread mellows in the piping hot
soup... It tastes divine, and is such a clever way
to ensure that nothing goes to waste.bomb-proof Toyotas, complete with
inch-thick glass windows and
impenetrable locks. The doors are
so heavy that I have to use both
hands just to pull them open, but
the transport is a requirement for
all foreign nationals given access to
travel around the region. Egyptian
pop music blasts out of the stereo
as we drive along the coast and
back to Gaza City. We pass miles
of sandy beaches that are bizarrely
empty. In a place so densely
populated, it’s strange to see so
much unused space.
I spot a little stall selling fresh
guava. We pull over and, using my
leg, I heave open the heavy door.
The stench of sewage hits me, and
my driver explains there’s nowhereto store or treat sewage in Gaza,
so it goes straight into the sea.
It helps to explain why the beach
is empty. I leg it back to the car
with my fruit, the sweet perfumed
scent of the guava acting as
a natural air freshener.REMARKABLE FOOD
The next day we’re up early to have
breakfast at Akeeleh, an old
houmous shop on the side of
Azaweya Market in the old city.
Houmous is traditional Palestinian
fare and has a fiercely protected
heritage. In the café they sell three
types: original; musabaha, which
has whole chickpeas mixed in; and
ful, a darker dish made with fava
beans. I buy several of each, as well