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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Environment
Nina Lakhani

A Palestinian chef’s quest to preserve his heritage, one dish at a time: ‘This is a political act’

A man wearing a white shirt which reads 'Free Palestine' chopping vegetables on a counter.
‘Our dishes are being claimed by some Israeli chefs,’ says Tamimi. Photograph: Ola O Smit/Reprinted with permission from Boustany: A Celebration of Vegetables from My Palestine by Sami Tamimi, copyright © 2025. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Food is both deeply personal and political for Sami Tamimi, the Palestinian chef and food writer, whose first solo cookbook is an emotional culinary ride down memory lane through the bountiful seasons of his homeland – and an effort to preserve the ingredients, techniques and traditions which have long been targeted by the Israeli occupation.

Boustany: A Celebration of Vegetables from My Palestine is a masterclass on how less is so often more when it comes to creating food that connects with people and how the joy derived from cooking and sharing food can, in itself, be an act of resistance.

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