Our Story
Sacred Cuisine has been cooking, storytelling, and organizing around Palestinian food since 2015. Our mission is to share the ancestral wisdom embedded in Palestinian culinary traditions, emphasizing our historic connections between food, land, and identity. We believe in the power of food to foster community, understanding, and healing, drawing inspiration from Sufi principles where sharing meals is an act of profound love and worship – thus, Sacred Cuisine. Through our experiences, we aim to highlight the resilience and cultural richness of Palestine.
In Izzeldin’s Words: From Hummus to Heritage
I started my journey in the kitchen when I was living in the United States in 2009. I had no clue that I would one day become a chef, all I knew is that I was deeply addicted to hummus and simply couldn’t survive without it. So, I went out to buy some.
To my surprise, I was shocked by how bad the hummus was, no matter where I went. In the old city of Jerusalem, a 5-minute walk takes you to some of the best hummus in the world. I never thought I would need to make it myself, but from the first time I did so, I came to understand the meditative and deeply relaxing power of cooking. And so, my career in restaurants began.
As a Palestinian chef, I have to ask myself: How do I navigate? How do I do my work? How do I talk about Palestinian food, culture, and heritage?
When I’d first seen the seven flavors of hummus in the refrigerated goods aisle of the American supermarket, I thought: Wow – these guys really love hummus! But I quickly realized that most people had never tasted real hummus, and even worse, knew nothing about its history or where it was from. That’s when I understood how food appropriation and capitalism can ruin flavors, strip food of its nutritional value, and separate it completely from its cultural heritage.
The options in front of me have always been clear. Either I sell my food and try to commercialize it, market it, and lean toward what people already know and feel comfortable with, the familiar dishes and narratives. Or I combine my food with the roots, the heritage, the culture, and the pride of Palestine, presenting it as one complete package of history, knowledge, and flavor.
I founded Sacred Cuisine from my desire to keep those meditative and relaxing powers of cooking in my everyday life, and to spread the history and stories of Palestinian food into the lives of others. Now, as a Palestinian chef, in a time when millions are starving in Gaza, including my family, I can only continue by offering this food with its story, with its narrative, with its centuries of knowledge and knowing, and by helping people understand that this abundance is not just a meal. It is a moment of awareness, a moment of responsibility, and a moment to recognize what is accessible, and what is being taken away.
Sacred Cuisine is an invitation to dive into the history of the Palestinian plate as well as Palestine itself. Come and dine with us and hear our stories.
If you’d like to learn more about Sacred Cuisine, Izzeldin, or Palestinian food, please message us.
Please direct press inquiries to sacredcuisine.media[at]gmail.com.
“It’s a way of bringing peace to one another. When you’re sitting at a table, you’re eye-to-eye. When you share food, you know you can trust one another. When you invite someone to eat, you’re showing them they are welcome.”