"This is the season of Eid, a season of blessings. It's true that we're not going as big as the celebrations before the war, when I used to keep working and baking until dawn on the day of Eid. The cookies the family are preparing this year are not just for their own household, but also include extra orders from customers and neighbours around them, giving the family a little extra money ahead of Eid al-Fitr."
"In front of a blazing oven fuelled by a wood fire, Samira and her daughters take turns baking. This, they say, is the hardest part of the task due to the lack of cooking gas, yet they remain absorbed in completing their work."
"Thank God, the demand is very good despite the high cost of food ingredients. But people want to live and reclaim a little of the taste of Eid. Recent events have complicated Samira's preparations, as border closures and rising prices affect ingredient availability."
In Gaza, families continue preparing traditional Eid baked goods despite severe hardships following the October ceasefire. Samira Touman, a 60-year-old mother, works with her daughters to prepare kaak and maamoul cookies using wood-fired ovens due to cooking gas shortages. The family bakes not only for household consumption but also fulfills customer orders, providing crucial income. While celebrations are smaller than pre-war times, families remain determined to preserve Eid traditions. Rising food ingredient prices and border closures complicate preparations, yet demand for traditional cookies remains strong as people seek to reclaim cultural celebrations and normalcy.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]