Jerusalem Bread, of Palestine

This bread is home. It's comfort, in a different way for me. I am not Palestinian, but we share many similarities in culture, heritage and most definitely the occupation, as Kurds.

Breads are similar across the regions, but we have small differences here and there that define where someone comes from. Kurds are the invisible nation, spread across many territories we now call home and that has added to our more muddling efforts to settle on one land. This is relatable to the Israeli state on Palestinian land. Across the SWANA region(Middle East), specifically the Levant region, we overlap in history. Ka'ak al-Quds is the bread of Palestine. It is the familiarity I grew up with. Relatives told me this spurred their childhood for them, recollecting memories of purchasing one of these oval delights from the local cart on their way home from school in Baghdad. It is exactly these memories that are similar for everyone's families from back home. It might not have been called the same thing, or made in exactly the same manner, but it is recognition, and familiarity. Everyone will share the same exact story. It is to do with childhood, school, and your walk home. The bread carts or stands lining the roads. This bread, specifically, is like savoring a love letter to Palestine. Their food is a big part of my cooking, I think because we are so relatable to their history and people, and our histories have been interconnected via Salahaddin (a Kurdish leader) and the liberation of Palestine, and I feel a deep connection to that.

I am writing this post to give celebration to a custom bread of the Palestinian people, their region, and land. Food is politics, and I think that's why I am passionate about this, to try and denounce erasure and appropriation without credit. Food appropriation and colonization are important topics, and it almost correlates with food as a weapon. The origins of what we eat have stories. Some of it is not pretty, or pleasant, and that is the reality we need to not hide from. It is, at the end of the day, what makes up that place, and what continues their tradition. However, in relation to Middle Eastern food, most Western countries still do not do enough to give thanks to where foods come from, and by whom. Lebanese food is a favorite across the world, but I can guarantee not enough people really know her long, heartbreaking history that includes many civil wars and a recent catastrophic explosion resulting from the ineptitude of leadership. Food travels across the borders by way of migration, colonialism or exile. Food lands in new countries as a display of culture, via cuisine, for new people. It can dismantle racism, or at least start a discussion around culture and race. But, it can also lose its discourse along the way, when appropriated. My part is to at least try and document our foods and culture from our regions, to hold our original stories. There is a great big mask covering the Middle East, in my opinion, and not enough is known about our brothers and sisters or Kurds, and all we have been through together as a region. Currently a lot of the narrative that still exists is around exotic traveling, cultural appropriation or Islamaphobia or simply hiding the truth by the superpowers.

Bread is such a global item, and I've covered a couple already, but everything has an origin. Even sliced/sandwich bread has history. They are pivotal to us, because not a meal goes by without bread or flatbread in attendance. It literally defines 'breaking bread' for us. It is ready to scoop or shovel food, be a vessel, be dipped, or torn apart. There weren't factories mass producing breads back then, and till today our relatives and locals still rely on the local sellers, in many parts. We are fast forwarding in technology, but we are still held up in tradition in most of the regions, and that in part is due to the underdeveloped situation these nations are in against capitalism and the Western world. Consumption is extremely different in the US, and that much is obvious due to big agriculture and supermarket culture. However, in the Middle East food is remembered with emotions that are tied up to souks, sellers, and local markets. Every region, territory and community in the Middle East overlaps in tradition and food. That is why most of us are so relatable, even with our different languages and dialects. I think Jerusalem bread is underrated and quite frankly, under the radar. You can almost relate it to the Turkish simit bread, and of course the bagel. Fun fact, al-Quds translates to Jerusalem, and ka'ak is the Arabic word for cake. I know it isn't exactly a cake, but this bread is rather hearty, and quite large for a baked good. These aren't as small as bagels. In fact, the Lebanese have their own variety of ka’ak alasreya that translates to "purse bread", because of its shape and size, and hopefully that indicates that these aren't small pieces of bread. Though you will easily want to eat more than one in one sitting, let me tell you.

Like most breads, these all stem from similar doughs I have done in my past posts, such as the pita bread, the lemon cardamom rolls, and even the bagel. The recipe that guided me was from Sami Tamimi’s Falastin. There are different flour contents, for different purposes, and in this case, Ka’ak al-Quds needs all purpose and bread flour. You can get away with using all purpose flour for both measurements, but bread flour, in its white and whole wheat forms, has a richer protein content, thus producing more gluten. This half of the measurement is important, because it will give you that chewier bite, similar to bagels, and the stringy stretchy strands when torn apart. It is what makes this bread classic. However, you can always get away with just all-purpose flour, giving it a slightly less chewier texture, which may be favorable for some. What I did learn from this process, is that white bread flour is not milled the same way across all brands, and I ended up with more of a whole wheat version. Thing is, and I hope I don't lose you here, there is whole wheat and white whole wheat bread flour, but then there is also white bread flour for some brands that looks pure white. The world of flours is more intricate than this bread. I was quite dumbfounded, actually, and this may be new to me, but I guess I need to better realize wheat berries, as there are white wheat berries. White bread flour is also the hardest thing to come by right now. Soon enough I'm calling King Arthur Flour's bakers hotline (there is such a thing - I am actually not surprised by that, we are, after all, in the States). I'm pointing this out, because whole wheat bread flour is tougher, and more grainy (the fibers of the wheat berries), because it is made from the whole berry itself (outer shell, and all), which will make for chewier bread, but also denser. Whole wheat also carries more gluten than white flours, in any form, and can end up fluctuating your levels, which in turn means that it will fluctuate your end product.

The type of bread flour isn't necessarily known or called out for in most classic, original Palestinian recipes, or any of my family recipes to begin with. More so, it isn't a widely known fact about the differences in white whole wheat vs whole wheat (as I am learning), but I definitely know that white bread flour mixed with your all purpose flour will give for a softer, more cushiony interior texture when that bread is torn apart. That is elegance in the form of bread, and what I feel speaks to the originality and tradition of Ka'ak al-Quds.

With that comes the resting stages for bread, which allow for the yeast and gluten to proof properly and activate. This bread, unlike others, has many proofing periods, which may seem exhaustive, but with patience, you will master greatness. Do not skimp on sesame seeds either. This bread is meant to be caked in them, and if it isn't, it will be judged, potentially scrutinized. It would be an offense to the highest degree if presented to a Middle Easterner without enough sesames. Don't forget, Palestine is a big producer of tahini (which is not widely enough exported, alas, I will save that topic for another post), and therefore sesame, in form of seeds or tahini, are crucial to the diet.

Since the occupation, Jerusalem bread has become more and more elusive within Palestine, even though it stemmed from there. It is widely available in Palestine, especially Ramallah, but it is considered a delicacy at this point. Ka’ak al-Quds' are a symbol of Palestinian identity. More importantly, the origin of this bread, and its name help remind the world, and the Israelis, that Jerusalem, is a Palestinian city. It is a touchy topic, but, don't forget, I am also an indigenous person whose people and culture has been subject to oppression and erasure, even through cuisine. Researching our local Kurdish bread online has lead me to realize that most sites and people are naming it Turkish bread, and perhaps their recipes are exactly the same, but a name should never be removed. The same can be said about Jerusalem bread. It is a Palestinian bread that the world does not realize due to its geographical name. One thing remains true, bread is a way of life for us, and it is the heart of any meal. We need to hold onto our heritages, and if that is by way of our breads, then we need to understand how to break bread together, better.

The smell of fresh baked bread is what makes a house a home. It is best enjoyed with a cup of tea, or to us, chai Kurdi (Kurdish tea), which is specific in flavor with hints of spice and brewed in a double tea pot system akin to the samovar. This is to breaking bread in solidarity, for years to come, and hopefully seeing the Jerusalem bread for what it is; Ka'ak al-Quds from Palestine.