ABSTRACT
Palestinian cuisine in Israel is usually perceived by Jews as a limited reservoir of culinary knowledge that has undergone little change and as having, therefore, little potential for entering the domain of upscale dining. Although Palestinian domestic kitchens have become modern, incorporating new food stuffs and technologies, this change has only slightly affected Palestinian food in the public sphere. State agencies, and the public in general, still see Palestinians as a group which modernisation has skipped. Palestinian restaurants offer a limited variety of dishes consisting of what Palestinians consider as restaurant food, and Jews as typical Palestinian food. Many women have ceased to prepare traditional and laborious dishes, some of which symbolise a period of scarcity,1 due to lack of knowledge and/or time, or necessity. However, inclusion of these dishes on restaurant menus is still considered as an offence to Palestinian women as they raise doubts about their domestic knowledge and ability (Gvion 2006, 2009, 2014; Stein 1998).
