Shakshuka

On a busy street near Bethlehem in the neighboring town of Beit Sahour is one of my favorite restaurants, Zuwadeh, that serves my favorite dish, Shakshuka. It’s not simple to get to these days. It’s in the West Bank on the other side of the partition wall. As an American I can go back and forth relatively freely. If checkpoints are open that day. That’s not true for my Palestinian friend that lives in Bethlehem, but works at the Alliance Center in Jerusalem. These are the hard realities of life we have to wrestle with in very different contexts. 

My few visits to Zuwadeh are memorable; the famous Arabic hospitality, always on full display. It’s a lovely cafe/market where you can get delicious sandwiches, salads, and Mankusheh which is similar to a flat bread pizza. You can also find fresh local eggs, pastries, coffee, and other treats. 

During the two years my family lived in the Middle East I tried Shakshuka at every restaurant we visited that listed it on the menu! Shakshuka is a dish of poached eggs in a spicy, savory sauce of tomatoes, peppers, and onions seasoned with cumin and paprika. Each restaurant’s version is a little different. Some sauces are chunky, some smooth. Others garnish the dish with feta, herbs, basil, and even occasionally sausage. Zuwadeh’s Shakshuka is served with Armenian sausage, parmesan cheese and freshly baked bread. 

My family has been back in the States for a year now and we miss the food of the Middle East. If there was one meal I could go back and eat it would be Zuwadeh’s Shakshuka! Its spicy richness reflects the warm, fragrant, colorful culture it was birthed from. 

I share about my time in Palestine because over the last few days as news of a ceasefire fills our screens, I think of real friends in those places that the policies affect. I think of the food and music, conversations and hospitality I’ve experienced behind a wall of partition. Traveling has taught me that we can always find humanity and even make friends in unique places. I’ve learned curiosity leads to empathy, empathy leads to understanding, and understanding leads to acceptance. May the Lord make us curious and give us the gift of friendship wherever we travel.

By Beck Gambill