Journalist and activist Leyla El-Haddad pointed out that the erasure of cultural memory as well as physical destruction is accelerating in the ongoing genocide process in Gaza, and said, "At such a time, Gaza cuisine and food have become one of the important areas where Palestinians can protect both their past, their honor and humanity." he said.
Leyla El-Haddad, journalist and activist, co-author of the award-winning book "Gaza Cuisine: A Palestinian Culinary Journey", told the AA correspondent how Gaza cuisine developed under the influence of difficult conditions and how it reflects the resistance of the Gaza people.
While Haddad was preparing the "Gaza salad" specific to Gaza cuisine, he also stated that cuisine is not just about recipes, but is one of the most powerful forms of expression that reflects the cultural memory of a people, the geography they live in, their history and identity.
Haddad, who was born and raised in Gaza, said that the majority of the population of Gaza consists of the children and grandchildren of people who were expelled from various parts of Palestine during the Nakba in 1948, and therefore every ingredient used in Gaza cuisine carries the memory of the towns and villages where Palestinians took root.
Noting that food is one of the strongest ways to preserve the cultural memories of people who were exiled to Gaza from different parts of Palestine, Haddad said that although Gaza is a small place in terms of surface area, it hosts a rich culinary memory.
Haddad mentioned that the erasure of cultural memory as well as physical destruction has accelerated in the genocide process that has been ongoing in Gaza since October 8, 2023, and said, "At such a time, Gaza cuisine and food have become one of the important areas where Palestinians can protect both their past, their honor and humanity." he said.
Underlining that food is political in nature and that each dish tells the history of a people, their geography and production conditions, Haddad stated that Gaza cuisine also tells about the richness of this region, which has been at the intersection of trade routes throughout history, the legacy of the people who took refuge here after the Nakba, and the effects of the Israeli blockade on daily life today.
Preserving cuisine is one of the ways to preserve cultural memory
Haddad noted that food culture has a great meaning in the Palestinian context and said:
"Cooking is a way to preserve and transmit our history and to resist cultural erasure. I call this 'culinary resistance'. Because in an active erasure process, people are forced to lose not only their land, but also their dignity and humanity. They are left dependent on food aid and are dehumanized. In such an environment, food becomes one of the most powerful tools that can preserve memory and identity. On the one hand, the food system has been deliberately collapsed and hunger has been used as a weapon. On the other hand, Palestinians have turned the same food into a tool of resistance." brought it."
Haddad stated that while writing the book "Gaza Cuisine: A Palestinian Culinary Journey", they aimed to document the history, politics and daily life of Gaza, as well as recording the recipes, and stated that this book, beyond teaching Palestinian cuisine, also aims to show Gaza as a place where ordinary people live, like others.
Haddad emphasized that Palestinian cuisine is important because it is an area where Palestinians can protect their culture, history, honor and humanity from occupation, and said, "What makes the cuisine important is that it is one of the rare areas that foreign intervention cannot reach." he said.
The most rapid and designed example of mass starvation in modern history
Reminding that Israel, which committed genocide in Gaza, systematically deprived the Palestinians of food sovereignty, Haddad stated that the Israeli blockade on food and beverage entry has been continuing for many years before 2023.
Haddad mentioned that during the blockade, the people of Gaza found a way to overcome these restrictions by establishing greenhouses and developing new methods, and were largely self-sufficient in vegetable production until the genocide.
Stating that approximately 97 percent of Gaza's arable agricultural lands and fruit-bearing trees were destroyed during the genocide, Haddad described this situation as "one of the fastest live-streamed destructions in modern history and at the same time an example of designed mass starvation."
Haddad noted that Israel's indiscriminate attacks target agricultural areas, fisheries, irrigation systems, wells and production infrastructure, eliminating people's ability to produce their own food.
Pointing out that the aim of Israel's indiscriminate attacks is not only physical destruction but also to erase the memory of the place, Haddad pointed out that the invaders aim to make the people of Gaza forget the agricultural knowledge, local products and culinary culture inherited from their ancestors.
Haddad stated that trying to break people's resistance by preventing access to food is a strategy used by settler colonialism throughout history, and said, "A similar strategy was applied in Gaza. Since food inflow has been kept under control for years, hunger could be turned into a weapon in a short time." he said.