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Haneen Farahat, a refugee from Gaza, stood in her Cairo kitchen layering slices of fried eggplant on to the sides of a pan, an essential step in preparing maqlouba, a traditional Palestinian dish, one of many that she serves at her budding business.
The scene is a sharp change to the months spent in Gaza seeking refuge, evading Israeli bombs and carrying her children from one place to another in a desperate search for safety, before arriving in Egypt. Despite being away from her home, she found the opportunity to turn a hobby into a livelihood.
Haneen, 32, along with her family, was forced to leave her homeland after 15 months of constant Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip. They are among the 115,000 Palestinians who have sought refuge in Egypt since the start of the war, according to the Palestinian Authority's embassy in Cairo.
Despite a ceasefire agreement that came into effect on January 19, the future remains uncertain for displaced Palestinians.
Culinary heritage
As a respite from the looming uncertainty and grief, the cloud kitchen Haneen runs with her mother and family members became a source of hope. Also known as a ghost or virtual kitchen, it is a commercial space that focuses on preparing food exclusively for delivery, without a dining area or shopfront.
Offering authentic Palestinian dishes such as maqlouba and musakhan, the venture has not only become the primary source of income for the displaced family but also a way for them to preserve their culinary heritage.
Maqlouba, which translates to "upside-down", is a layered rice dish featuring tender meat, fried vegetables such eggplant and cauliflower, and aromatic spices. The dish is named after the way it is served – in a pan that is flipped upside-down on to a large platter to reveal the beautifully caramelised vegetables on top.
Musakhan, on the other hand, is a hearty dish of roasted chicken baked on top of fresh taboon bread, flavoured with caramelised onions, sumac and pine nuts.
"Before we evacuated to Egypt, we missed having food as the war was going on," Haneen tells The National. "We spent months in Gaza without eating meat or fresh vegetables. There were only canned foods like hummus and fava beans, which aren't good for one's body."
Determined to nourish their bodies and souls, Haneen and her family decided to share their love for Palestinian cuisine with their new community. They created an Instagram page for their cloud kitchen, which quickly gained popularity among Egyptians, Palestinians and westerners.
"The people of Gaza are not all fighters or terrorists," she emphasised, referencing the common stereotypes related to war that surround Gazans. "We love life and we must live. We must make the foods we love so that we can stay alive. These are the things that tie us to our homeland."
Haneen's passion for her culinary heritage has also led her to host cooking workshops, teaching eager participants how to prepare delicious Palestinian recipes. For many, it is their first taste of Palestinian cuisine and Haneen takes pride in being the one to introduce them to these flavours. The majority of her customers are Egyptians. However, she is also often visited by fellow displaced Palestinians.
The journey to Cairo was not an easy one. On the first day of the war on October 7, 2023, the family awoke to the sound of missiles. Despite repeated eviction orders by the Israeli army, Haneen's family initially refused to leave their home.
But on October 14, tragedy struck when a nearby building was hit by missiles, killing Haneen's sister-in-law, and wounding her husband and children. Barefoot and surrounded by black smoke, Haneen carried her injured children through the streets to seek refuge at the hospital.
After weeks of moving from one shelter to another within Gaza, Haneen eventually made it through the Rafah border crossing on March 9 last year, a day before the start of Ramadan.
Among the last wave
She and 11 of her family members paid the due fees required to leave Gaza for Egypt. They waited for 20 days before they were cleared for departure to safety travel on to Cairo.
She was among the last wave of Palestinians allowed to leave the enclave before Israel took control of the Rafah crossing in May and prevented anyone from exiting.
Two months after her departure, she launched Haneen's Gaza Kitchen, turning her love for cooking into a source of hope and resilience for her family and community.
Haneen's story echoes the feelings and experiences of many other Palestinians who have relocated to Cairo, where they have tried to rebuild their lives by opening food outlets. The vast majority of displaced Gazans in Egypt now live in a vibrant enclave of the capital, which has come to be known as 'Little Gaza'.
As more refugees like Haneen start restaurants and businesses, they not only rebuild their own lives but also contribute to the vibrant tapestry of their adopted city.
"My wish for Haneen's Gaza Kitchen is for it to grow with support and become a restaurant," she says, her eyes filled with hope. And with the support of the Little Gaza community and the resilience of the Palestinian people, there is a good chance her dream will one day become a reality.
