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Recipes from Bethlehem


The chef, food writer and restaurant owner Yotam Ottolenghi interviewed Palestinian film maker Leila Sansour for the Guardian on Friday. He writes:

This week's recipes come from Bethlehem, a city more famous for its long religious history than its culinary heritage. Even so, it's one of the Middle East's most important food hubs and home to some of the most celebrated Palestinian dishes.

Located 10km south of Jerusalem, Bethlehem is a green, fertile oasis on the edge of a desert that stretches all the way to the Dead Sea. Pilgrims throughout history have marvelled at the lushness of the land, with its fig and olive trees, herbs such as za'atar and sage, its wild wheat and greens. Even wine grapes are grown here: the only vineyard in Palestine, Cremisan, is in Bethlehem district.

Film-maker Leila Sansour, who grew up in the city and runs the Open Bethlehem campaign, aimed at preserving the city's identity and multi-faith heritage in the face of recent hardships (notably the wall Israel is erecting in the West Bank), has kindly shared with me some of her family recipes for this week's column.

To read on see: www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/may/29/yotam-ottolenghi-bethlehem-recipes-broad-beans-maftoul-lentils-chicken-stew

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