Sarasota Herald-Tribune · Sarasota, Florida · 9 September 2018

CP-2018-010

The port city of Jaffa

Old stone buildings and trendy cafes in this historic town

Tali Arbel, The Associated Press, Jaffa

Transcribed from the clipping

“JAFFA, Israel — Just south of Tel Aviv’s glass towers and concrete houses are the white stone buildings of Jaffa, the ancient port town. Jaffa has existed for thousands of years, but today it is one unified city with Tel Aviv, which was founded in 1909. Both Jews and Arabs live in Jaffa, and that’s reflected in the flavors of the neighborhood. Visitors will find a luxury hotel, the Setai, built out of a Crusader fortress that was later a prison and police station. Trendy cafes, galleries, bars and boutiques line narrow streets, intersecting with Jaffa’s well-known Arab hummus spots and bakeries, along with mosques, churches and synagogues. In and around Jaffa’s famous flea market, Shuk Hapishpeshim, are streets dotted with cafes… But don’t forget hummus. In Jaffa, you can’t eat enough hummus, the chickpea puree that’s a bedrock meal in Israel. There’s Ali Caravan’s famous spot on HaDolphin Street, worth waiting on line for. Another crowded hummus disher is Ha’Asli on Yefet Street, cacophonous with families, workers and tourists, all seeking the platters of hummus, labne, kebab and salads delivered to tables minutes after ordering… Those interested in learning how to cook Arab food can also take a class with a local. Myassar Seri has for years been hosting tutorials in her small kitchen. She can put together a multi-course meal for your group to cook, or you can suggest dishes you’d like to try. Among the dishes we made were maqluba, a mound of rice or bulgur and vegetables inverted onto a plate; meatballs cooked in a sauce of tahini and yogurt; the parsley-and-bulgur salad, tabbouleh; and the Arabic dessert knafe. Her version had thin shreds of pastry and nuts cooked in butter, sugar and lemon. Seri also introduced us to what she called the ‘Arabic Parmesan’: yogurt that had been dried in the sun to a rock-hard lump. She grated the block into a powder whose sharp, savory tang did indeed recall Parmesan cheese and added it to a salad of fried eggplant and thin-chopped celery. Prices for her lessons vary per person according to group size.… One of Jaffa’s most popular spots for tourists is the old port. Vessels have set sail here since ancient times; it’s even mentioned in the Biblical story of Jonah, referred to as ‘Joppa,’ where Jonah embarked on the journey that led to his fateful encounter with a big fish… If you go. Myasser Seri: Cooking lessons vary by group size; facebook.com/myassar.seri”

Photograph caption

“People enjoy the day on Jaffa’s promenade overlooking Tel Aviv’s skyline and the Mediterranean sea in Jaffa, Israel…” and “An Israeli shopkeeper works folding a carpet in his store at the flea market in Jaffa, Israel.” · AP Photos / Oded Balilty

Context added by this archive

A travel page about Jaffa in which the word Palestinian never appears. The people are Arabs, the food is Arab food, the dessert is the Arabic dessert, the dried yogurt is Arabic Parmesan, and the shopkeeper in the photograph is an Israeli. The third maqluba in this archive, and the woman teaching it is named — Myassar Seri in the story, Myasser Seri in the box at the end — with her Facebook page printed for readers in Florida.

Cite this item

"The port city of Jaffa," Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 9 September 2018. Covering Palestine archive, CP-2018-010. https://coveringpalestine.org/archive/cp-2018-010

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