Maftool is a Palestinian traditional dish that has special and close ties to the Palestinian people’s heritage. The refugees of the Beit Daras village insisted to have it at the Great March of Return east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Maftool is one of the oldest dishes in Palestine and the Levant; the Mashreq and the Arab Maghreb differed over its origin but they agreed that its main component is wheat.
The way it is prepared differs from one country to another in terms of the items added to it although its name in the Arab East is ‘Maftool’ it is called ‘Koskosi’ in the Arab Maghreb. It also has several names in the Arab East such as: Bhabathoun Kisa Barr Marmaoun Paspason Keskason Dehairja and Almaghribia.
In one of the tents at the Great March of Return east of Khan Younis a number of young people gathered to cook Maftool as the smell began to spread in the place after it was about to get ready.
During the process of preparation Mohammed Abu Jamous one of the people behind the idea told the PIC: “The people of Beit Daras are famous for making Maftool and they wanted to share this dish at the Great March of Return to remind people of their stolen land.”
He noted that Maftool was also called Jawla the Arabic word for ‘round trip’ and Kasaber the Arabic word for beef noting that Jawala is made of wheat where women walk on the top of flour while Kasaber is beef which is put on the top of the meal.
He pointed out that the town of Beit Darras is famous for this dish because it is famous for wheat. In the harvest season women make this dish for their husbands sons and relatives who work in the wheat fields during the season he added.
He said that the women of Beit Daras prepare Maftool throughout the night explaining that it is made manually and requires a great collective effort and that this food was made in memory of the martyrs of Palestine.
Maftool is made of wheat flour that is converted into small balls as small as lentil and then cooked on water vapor. Once partially cooked Maftool is added to meat or chicken’s soup. Then Yakhni is added to it which is made of a mix of vegetables such as carrots pumpkin potatoes onions and tomatoes. Maftool is served with meat which is of a high nutritional value and it is a famous dish in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The village of Beit Daras is located 32 km northeast of Gaza City. It is 50 meters above the sea level. Its land area is made of 16357 dunums. It is surrounded by the villages of Majdal Sawafir Batani Isdud and Hamama.
