A Tradition Renewed Every Friday

I am Mousa Tawfiq, 23, a journalist and musician based in Gaza, Palestine. My mother, Sawsan Bajes, 50, whose parents left their farms in Ni’lin village in 1948, spent her childhood in refugee camps in Syria, and learned from her mother how to make perfect hummus and falafel. For my mother, hummus and falafel do not need special ingredients, as she believes that cooking is about love.

Despite all of my father’s complaints about legumes (chickpeas in particular) and his colon pain, my mother has never changed her weekly tradition - breakfast on Fridays consists of hummus and falafel. “It’s a perfect chance for the family to gather during weekends and to eat a warm, homemade meal,” she says.