RAMADAN SWEET ENCOUNTER

I went to the Old City today. It is the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. Things have surprisingly been relatively quiet in Jerusalem especially on the hotly contested Temple Mount despite the ongoing war against Hamas. In fact, at the risk of jinxing things, I must say, it seems more peaceful this year than any of the last five years. 120,00 Muslims worshipped at Al Aqsa last Friday for Ramadan prayers without any disturbances. So, my colleague Shmuel Browns and I decided to get our steps by walking to the Old City and along the way pick up some spices from Isak and Yakoub Muakkat at their Sea of Herbs shop in the Muslim Quarter. Once inside the Old City wall, Shmuel asked if I had ever eaten “qatayef.” I had not, and Shmuel confessed he too had tried it. Qatayef is a sweet pancake-like delicacy stuffed with either walnuts or white cheese and drenched with syrup. It is eaten with the Iftar meal marking the end of the daily Ramadan fast at sunset. Many falafel other food stalls in the Muslim Quarter transform into qatayef stands selling only qatayef during Ramadan. Just in the nick of time, Shmuel and I came across Ghazi Shaheen and his son, Rayan, firing up their griddle. They own Kebab Abu Shaheen, a quaint family owned grill where, during Ramadan, they make only qatayef instead of their standard kebab. I have passed this unassuming kabab joint countless times on the appropriately named “Street of the Butchers” without ever stopping or even noticing it. Today was different. We wanted to try qatayef, and voila! We watched Ghazi pour batter onto the griddle from the same copper vessel his ancestors have used for 150 years. The walls are adorned with photos of Ghazi’s father, grandfather and great grandfather making qatayef the very same way for four generations. Their 300 year old deed to the property from the Ottoman period hangs on another wall boastfully. Rayan proudly pulled out two blades his family has been using for hundreds of years to slice, dice, and mince lamb meat for their kebabs.  After a delightful half hour with Ghazi and Rayan, we finally got the chance to taste our first qatayef, and we were not disappointed. Before leaving, Razi and I befriended each other on Facebook. Razi said, “Today, we are friends, and when Ramadan ends, we will be family.” Inshallah!

Ghazi still using the copper vessels his ancestors used; one for 150 years, the other 50 years

Qatayef on the griddle

The secret ingredient

Just like Great Grandfather made qatayef

And just like Grandfather made Qateyef

The family blades

Happy at last! We’ll always remember our first qatayef