When Henry Kissinger visited Jerusalem in 1974 for one of his peace missions, the chef at the city’s top restaurant at the time, Mishkenot Sha’ananim, prepared a special platter with six items, each representing a stop on the Secretary of State’s tour: Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel. Food writer Rina Valero, who recounts the story, mentions the six dishes on what became known as the ‘Kissinger Platter’: kubbeh, stuffed vine leaves, stuffed prunes wrapped in goose breast, filo stuffed with chicken liver and veal, cigars stuffed with foie gras and pears stuffed with walnuts and raisins. This selection reflects well the local fascination with all things stuffed. It is a unique phenomenon that doesn’t only apply to top-end restaurants. Absolutely every single one of the city’s numerous cultures has at least one major dish that involves stuffing, often many more, and a few cuisines, like the Kurdish Jewish, have become identified with a particular set of dishes that involve stuffing. Ma’amul cookies, much loved Palestinian staples, are based on a pastry shell stuffed with great deftness with a filling that is loaded with flavour. Numerous versions of mahshi, stuffed vegetables, can be found throughout the region and are much admired by everybody.
