Palestine –Gazan Bedouins are keen on keeping alive traditional roasted watermelon dish

Location: Gaza, Palestine

Language: Arabic

Duration: 00:06:26

Voice: Natural

Source: A24 Gaza

Restriction: A24 subscribers

Date: 27/06/2022

Storyline:

Despite the living poor conditions, people in Gaza are trying to keep their cooking traditions alive and eat their own distinctive seasonal dishes like roasted unripe watermelon Salad (or fatit ‘Ajir as it’s called in Arabic). 

The dish, also known as Qursa or Muleela, is a very popular dish among nomadic people in the strip and among families who camped out on the beach in the early summer.

It is made by fire-roasting unripe watermelon, Arabic for ‘Ajir’, along with chilies, onions, eggplant, and tomatoes mixed with olive oil.

The dough is fire-baked to make bread that is mixed with roasted vegetables to be ready to eat.

Sami Said, a supervisor and responsible for preparing and cooking the salad, told A24 News Agency’s reporter Mohammed Al-Najjar that people visit them from different regions only to taste the fatit ‘Ajir.

Jihad Ibn Said, a guest of the Bedouin, also spoke to A24 reporter and said People, especially the Bedouins in Palestine, are keen on keeping this traditional dish alive.

Many Traditional dishes in Gaza often revolve around fish and seafood are to be found in an enticing cookbook, The Gaza Kitchen, which combines recipes with stories from Gaza. One of its two authors, Palestinian Laila el-Haddad, says Food was always a way for me to stay connected to my heritage and Palestinian identity.

 Shot list:

Soundbite (Sami Said – cook of Qursa):

“Fatit ‘Ajir is a traditional dish. Today is a beautiful day as friends and relatives are brought together. It is also known as Muleela among Bedouins since the dough is fire-baked (colloquial Arabic for the verb ‘Mul’ ) and buried in embers. Unripe watermelon, eggplants, tomatoes, onions, and other ingredients are mixed together. It is very delicious. People impatiently wait for its season to eat it. Sometimes people come to us from different regions only to taste the Muleela.”

Soundbite (Jihad Ibn Said – a guest of the Bedouin):

“We wait a whole year to gather and meet our loved ones to eat this seasonal dish. It is a tradition and habit to gather when it is the season for young, unripe watermelon (‘ajir in Arabic). People, especially the Bedouins in Palestine, are eager to gather to keep this traditional dish alive.”