Based in the Old City of Jerusalem, Izzeldin Bukhari (عزالدين البخاري) of Sacred Cuisine (بيت البركة ) promotes traditional Palestinian cooking. Cooking that reaches back to its initial vegetarian and vegan roots. If you haven’t yet heard of Sacred Cuisine, you can probably remember Izzeldin from SAHTEN, where he shared with us the recipe for the Hemp Seed Tabboula. As a fellow skater, he understands all too well the importance of healing from various injuries, and so he put together a dish perfect for sprains and breaks, but also for your daily dose of calcium and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

When in Palestine, it’s easy to come under impression that meat plays a key role in the local cuisine and currently, with the abundance of readily available livestock, that is often the case. Traditionally, however, Palestinian cooking was predominantly vegetarian or vegan, rooted in foraging, with meat playing the role of a delicacy, reserved for special occasions.

In his work, Izzeldin breaths life into this tradition, whilst also modernising Palestinian cooking. Facing ongoing occupation, loss of land, and appropriation, many people stick to tradition in the hope of preserving old customs, and in case of food, traditional recipes passed through generations. Whilst this preserves the integrity of a cuisine, it can often also lead to its standstill. Pizza, burger and other western-themed joints pop up more and more in Palestine as an alternative to traditional cooking. To counteract this, Izzeldin focuses on helping Palestinian cuisine evolve, making it more sustainable and nuanced, whilst keeping it deeply rooted in Palestinian customs, with strong focus on local produce, health benefits and with community at heart.

We caught up with Izzeldin to learn more about Palestinian cooking, Sacred Cuisine, veganising dishes and healthy food for skaters.

Izzeldin: I am Izzeldin Bukhari, born and raised in the Old City of Jerusalem, Palestine. I moved to the USA when I was 22 years old and lived there for about 7 years. It was at that time that I discovered my passion for cooking, while trying to replicate the hummus and falafel flavours I grew up eating in the Old City. I found the cooking process to be meditative and this allowed me to connect with and follow my heart.

Sacred Cuisine came to be after I failed at creating a few businesses and decided to re-evaluate my motives for doing so. I believe the reason my previous attempts failed was because I was too focused on making money. This realization brought about a change in direction and approach. The philosophy behind Sacred Cuisine is to establish a business that allows me to do what I love in a way I am comfortable with, while drawing inspiration from my Sufi roots, my passion and love for cooking and creating, and my commitment to preserving our culture.

What are the events you organise with Sacred Cuisine and what communities are they tailored towards?

I: I organise events which give expression to different aspects of Sacred Cuisine and Palestinian cuisine in general.

These include events which highlight:

Somi Food (the roots of veganism in our culture)
Food Tours focused on exposing the local way of eating and preparing food in the Old City of Jerusalem
Stories of dishes and the narratives surrounding them
Raising awareness about different environmental issues we face in Palestine and globally
Mindful eating and connecting spirituality with food
Cooking classes to share the techniques of vegetarian and somi cooking

Sacred Cuisine serves as a platform to connect and bring together like-minded people. People who believe in freedom and justice, taking every living being and mother earth into consideration and working toward minimizing suffering locally and globally.

Can you tell us a bit more about the Palestinian Food Tours and the idea behind them?

I: It is a way to introduce people to Palestinian life and culture through food. The Food Tours are designed to share not just the food but also the best of what the Old City of Jerusalem has to offer. It’s a place which, in my eyes, has many hidden treasures and being from the Old City myself, I love to share our culture and heritage with visitors from all around the world.

During Food Tours, I focus on sharing histories, and teaching about Palestinian ingredients and cuisine.

Most of the people who join my Tours are tourists and expats but I have also had locals, who are interested in exploring the Old City of Jerusalem and Palestinian food culture more deeply.

What are some of the regions you explore and why?

I: Each and every area has its own unique treasures. Exploring this is a lifelong process and there is always something new to learn and talk about. My work has taken me to various regions in Palestine and each of them has been an educational experience for me and my clients as a result.

For example, in Jericho - the oldest city in the world - they still use the ancient system of irrigating their fields. The old city of Jerusalem was the place where the famous Maqlubah Dish acquired its name, and the town of Birzeit was known for being the area in Palestine where olive oil was stored in wells. Wells were the traditional place for storing olive oil in the past.

Do you have any memorable experiences from the Tours and events?

I: Doing what you love becomes a series of many beautiful experiences and memories.

The great thing about my line of work is that I get to meet people from all walks of life and learn from them. Obviously as a chef, meeting other chefs is especially memorable. One of the highlights has to be when I met celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. He is really humble and has a genuine appreciation for and understanding of food as a source of joy and life. Getting to take him on a Food Tour to the place I grew up in and eat the most amazing food and seeing him share my enthusiasm, was a true honour for me.

Another memorable experience was my collaboration with Hantour tourism to create Jericho Food Tours where we visited farmers, harvested some produce from all over the city, and finished the tour with a cooking class after which we all sat and enjoyed a meal together. It was one of the best events held by Sacred Cuisine.

In your interviews you talk about using local products, what are the benefits of this approach?

I: Using local ingredients is the best way to support local businesses and hard working farmers. It also serves the purpose of strengthening communities and allowing them to flourish.

From a health and ethical point of view, eating locally contributes to harmonising our bodies and living with the environment around us.

You also mention the medicinal benefits of traditional Palestinian cuisine, how does this apply to the Palestinian cuisine nowadays?

I: The best example is our Za'atar blend which we love and consider to be a staple food at every Palestinan table. Za’atar (Oregano/thyme) is full of antioxidants, with research suggesting it to have antibacterial or even anti-cancer properties. In this way, Za’atar can be considered to be a super food.

Another example is Baqleh, known in English as purslane. It grows abundantly in Palestine and is used extensively in salads, stews, and pies. Purslane may aid sleep as it acts as an antidote to caffeine. It is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are known for preventing heart diseases. Purslane also contains important bone-building nutrients like iron, calcium, magnesium, and manganese, which are needed to help prevent osteoporosis.

Arum Palaestinum (Louf in Arabic) is a toxic plant but in Palestine we extract the poison by cooking it. It is packed with minerals and vitamins and is used as medicine for intestinal worms. It also helps strengthen bones and prevent infections in open wounds as well as kidney stones. This is why it’s called Arum Palaestinum, because it was known that Palestinians used it .

What dishes would you recommend specifically for skaters?

I: I recommend the following ingredients which can be found in various dishes:

Khobeza (Malow), Hedge Mustard, Chickpeas, Tahini, Sumac, Za’atar, Purslane, and Freekeh (wheat picked when it’s still green then fire roasted and dried). Most of these ingredients are packed with vitamins and antioxidants and so are considered to be super foods.

Territories around Palestine tend to share a lot of similarities in terms of products used but also dishes themselves, what would you say differentiates Palestinian cuisine from this of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon etc.?

I: Historically before the Arab world was torn apart by invaders and occupiers and divided into small countries, this region was one area called Belad Elsham which included Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and other areas.

This is one of the reasons why there are many similarities in terms of products and dishes. However, it is important to note that each country also has its own specialty and its unique take on dishes which may be shared across the Middle East. The Palestinan cuisine specializes in utilising produce in many ways and improvising. For example green almonds are used in cooking both fresh and dried. Stuffed leaves extend to using six different types of edible leaves besides the grape vine leaves.

Let us take the Musakhan dish as an example: with a few very simple but fine ingredients you can make a divine dish. In fact, the Musakhan dish was invented by farmers competing over who has the best olive oil. Musakhan is a dish that was born out in the olive fields beyond the kitchen borders.

In previous interviews, you mentioned that Palestinian cuisine is slow to evolve and tends to stick to traditional, meat-heavy dishes. You tend to flip this and make more dishes vegan/vegetarian - what motivates you to do this and what’s the response?

I: I feel that living under the continuous threat of losing our land and heritage has created a natural response in us to try and preserve what we can and stick to what we know and have.

Historically, our cuisine is full of vegetarian and vegan dishes. This stems partially from the Lent and Ramadan fasting, times during which people reduced their consumption of animal products as part of their cultural and religious practice. In fact, in the past eating meat was considered to be a luxury enjoyed during special occasions such as weddings. Even from a global point of view meat was not as available as it is today and eating meat everyday was not really possible.

As meat became more available for cheaper prices and with the advent of mass production facilities, the consumption of meat rose. For various reasons that have to do with social and political influences, people started to associate meat consumption with providing better for their families. So what was once a luxury became the norm. One of the drivers of my cooking is to revert back to the roots of our cuisine, because this is our only way to a healthy future for us and our planet.

What are some of your favourite dishes made vegan?

I: Musakhan is one of Sacred Cuisine’s staple dishes. It is a traditional dish made with taboun bread, onions, chicken, and generous amounts of sumac and olive oil. I make mine with eggplants and mushrooms in place of chicken, and rolled in thin bread called Shrak.

I am also known for recreating the delicious flavours of our Palestinian stews such as Bamyeh, Molokhia, and many more only relying on spices, herbs, and the right cooking techniques to create a meatless flavorful dish.

What products do you tend to substitute meat with in various dishes?

I: Traditionally in our cuisine the way to veganise dishes is to substitute meat with chickpeas, which I do use as protein, and also nuts, but I also rely on mushrooms to create a meaty taste and texture.

What’s the role of community in Palestinian cuisine?

I: Let’s take the old city of Jerusalem as a prime example. It is a multicultural and diverse place where people live in close proximity to each other. The Armenian Quarter - one of four main quarters in the city - gave us the Armenian Sfeeha (thin-crusted minced meat pie), which came to be one of the main foods to try when in the Old City. Another is Chaimen, an Armenian spread made out of fenugreek and used to cure meat.

On a personal level, as an Uzbek family who immigrated from Bukhara to Jerusalem in 1616 to establish a Sufi center in Jerusalem, we used to serve Pilaf (similar to Maqluba but with carrots) after our meditations. This dish came to be our contribution to the city’s cuisine.

This certainly does not only apply to the Old City of Jerusalem but to the whole country. Every community has left its own mark and given its own touch to dishes we all love and eat.

Kitchens in general are one of the best places to bring communities together. Everyone has to eat after all! This is especially true at community events and celebrations which bring people together to mark the occasion and provide an opportunity for members of the community to work in harmony to prepare a meal and infuse it with care and love.

For example, during weddings men will do the cooking and serving while women focus on celebrating and preparing for the ceremony. Moreover, in every sufi or educational center traditionally men will work together to cook and feed people as it is part of the teaching.

Make sure to check out Sacred Cuisine, have a taste of their products and if you’re in Palestine, don’t miss their events and food tours!

You can also find Izzeldin’s recipe for Hemp Seed Tabboula in SAHTEN, available through our shop.

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