(Photo by Beth Kadlčíková Hanley)
Since January 19, 2025, there has been a ceasefire in Gaza. The ceasefire follows 15 months of intense Israeli bombardments that destroyed homes and vital infrastructure. The violence forcibly displaced 2 million people and killed over 62,000. The ceasefire has allowed Palestinians in Gaza to return to their homes.
Despite the ceasefire, the situation in Gaza remains far from stable. Israel has been blocking crucial aid from entering Gaza, where healthcare supplies are in dangerously short supply. Additionally, Israel has stepped up attacks in the West Bank and continues to occupy Palestinian territory illegally.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has called for the mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. The United Nations has described his proposal as ethnic cleansing. There has been international backlash following Trump’s comments and the Israeli government’s continued actions against Palestinians.
Food as a Tool of Resistance
Using food as a means of protest is incredibly potent, particularly for Palestinians and other displaced or occupied peoples. Israel restricts the flow of goods to Gaza while claiming traditional Palestinian food to be Israeli.
Therefore, celebrating and sharing Palestinian cuisine is a powerful act of resistance. Cuisine is closely tied to culture, and traditional recipes keep Palestinians rooted in their homeland. Thus, it is unsurprising that food items such as watermelons and olive trees have come to symbolize Palestinian resistance.
Flavors of Resistance
Created in 2024, Flavors of Resistance is a volunteer-led, Brussels-based collective. Esther co-founded the collective with her colleague Amira, while Roba helps to run the Palestinian cooking workshops. To learn more about their work, I spoke to Esther, Amira and Roba.
Why did you create Flavors of Resistance?
Esther: The violence in Gaza deeply affected me and Amira. We went to protests together but wanted to do more. I attended a maqluba cooking workshop and thought it would be a great idea to organize workshops led by Palestinians..
They could share not only their recipes but also personal stories of resistance. We had known the Palestinian family with whom we organized the first workshop for a very long time. We introduced them to the concept, and together, we developed it even further. Amira and I would organize the workshop on a logistical level, and they would develop the content.
Amira: Flavors of Resistance is a community that offers a platform to community members at the forefront of liberation movements. It centers their voices. We also raise funds for people or partners on the ground who are in need. We rely on a wonderful group of volunteers to help us during the workshops.
Note: Maqluba is the national dish of Palestinians. It is an aromatic rice dish made with vegetables or meat and a blend of spices.
What does sharing the food of your culture mean to you?
Roba: Food is an integral pillar of our Palestinian identity. It is how we preserve our culture, and it is a testament to Palestinian resilience. Many families were, and still are, forced to flee from one place to another within Palestine and beyond.
They have carried their culinary traditions with them. They have adapted them while maintaining their deep-rooted heritage. These dishes hold memories of flavors and places we have never known because we cannot return to our homeland.
For Palestinians, food is more than simply fuel for the body. It is an act of defiance against our erasure and a way to honour our culture, ancestors, and history. Not only are [Zionists] trying to erase our culinary traditions, but they are also appropriating them. They claim that hummus and falafel are theirs!
When people must leave their land, ingredients and dishes become symbols of loss and resistance. They are reminders of what we must preserve.
What is special about sharing Palestinian recipes and stories as a form of resistance?
Roba: Food is inherently political. It has been used as a weapon of oppression by the Zionist entity. We have seen the deliberate use of starvation tactics and the blockade of aid to Gaza. What we eat is never just a meal—it is a symbol of endurance and resistance. It is a means of asserting our identity in the face of erasure.
I have always cherished my mother’s traditional Palestinian dishes. I hope to one day engrave them in my mind: all the details and her secrets to make them taste exactly like home. We now share our maqluba recipe alongside our stories and experiences from Gaza to honour and keep our heritage alive.
How does the money raised directly support those in Gaza?
Roba: As part of the Palestinian team, we are in close contact with our family members in Gaza. We send the funds directly to them, and they make sure the money gets to the people who need it.
The money goes to those living in tents, schools, hospitals, and other makeshift shelters. Our family members used to put together food packages, but when the situation worsened, it became impossible.
Survival became about more than just food, so we decided to provide cash directly to those in need. This way, they could use the money for food, shelter, or something else entirely. It is not perfect, but it is the best way we can help our people navigate these impossible times.
For most of the genocide in Gaza, nothing could get in. Israel had cut Gaza off from the world. We couldn’t wait for a ceasefire or bureaucratic processes to finally allow aid. There were deaths every single minute. Help was urgent.
We had to act fast. We did it the only way we knew: sending support directly through our family networks [in Gaza]. It was about doing whatever we could right there and then to help our people.
What do you hope attendees will take away from your workshops?
Amira: We try to create a homely atmosphere, so we don’t work with professional cooks. We want participants to get a real, personal and familial experience. Our workshops are a great way for people to connect.
Esther: We hope to create networks and inspire actions for collective liberation. At the very least, we can raise awareness and offer attendees a place to meet like-minded souls.
Roba: We hope everyone leaves with a full belly, a smile, and unforgettable memories. We would love it if they felt inspired to recreate the recipes at home. More than learning how to cook our maqluba, we want people to take a piece of our story with them. We weave our heritage, struggles, and testimonies from Gaza into every session.
We want them to realize that this is our way of resisting. By joining us, they become part of that resistance as well. It’s not just about cooking or sharing stories—it’s about recognizing our role in this collective effort. We have a responsibility to help those in need, amplify marginalized voices, and keep learning and unlearning.
This is how we move forward. We stay informed, stand in solidarity, and never turn away from others’ struggles. All struggles are connected. Together, we can make a difference, one step at a time.
What are the next steps for Flavors of Resistance?
Esther: We want to make the content and logistics even better. We have organised several workshops for Palestine (with a focus on Gaza) and two workshops for Lebanon. In March, we will host our fifth Maqluba workshop. We have an average of 30 attendees at the workshops.
Amira: In the future, we hope to organise other workshops highlighting the situation in the West Bank and [the Democratic Republic of] Congo. Future workshops depend on urgency and the ability to assemble a good team of people from the communities.
Roba: Many people are interested in our maqluba workshops. Due to high demand and limited capacity, we revisited the same workshop format and recipe. Maybe, in the future, we will share other recipes and dishes from our Gazan cuisine.
The concept of Flavors of Resistance goes beyond Palestine. It is about shared struggles against colonialism and imperialism that connect us all. It isn’t just about Palestine’s fight: it’s about Lebanon, Syria, Congo, Sudan, and every other place where oppression and imperialism cast their shadow.
Looking ahead, broadening the concept would be a beautiful idea. We could include different communities, centring their voices and their ‘flavors of resistance.’ We could support affected communities directly, amplify their stories, and strengthen the bonds of solidarity that tie us together. We stand united until liberation.
Conclusion
An activist in Brussels who founded Teachers for Palestine attended one of the workshops. She told me, “It is a different form of resistance. I am inspired, and I think others are inspired too, by the sharing of stories. We will be able to tell others about the history and suffering, but also the beautiful things about Palestine.” Collectives like Flavors of Resistance teach us the power of culture and tradition in uniting people in solidarity.
Edited by Khushi Mehta
