Tabkha: Recipes from Under the Rubble

Tabkha: Recipes from Under the Rubble is a remarkable cookbook written by Palestinian chef Mona Zahed from a tent in southern Gaza. Compiled on her phone during unimaginable hardship, the book gathers twenty-two ancestral recipes that carry the flavours, memory, and resilience of Gazan home cooking.

Before October 2023, Mona ran a thriving catering business in northern Gaza, known for beautifully presented dishes prepared for family celebrations and community gatherings. In Tabkha, she shares some of her most beloved recipes, dishes that reflect the generosity and warmth at the heart of Palestinian food culture. Each recipe is paired with an illustration by a different artist, creating a visual feast that celebrates both cuisine and creativity.

Published by Slingshot Books in collaboration with the mutual aid collective Coffees for Gaza, this cookbook is as much a cultural archive as it is a collection of recipes. The second edition includes two additional recipes and artwork by Palestinian artists Aya Ghanameh and Aliaa Betawi.

As Mona writes:
“We are actually cooking from the rubble, whether it be the rubble of destroyed houses or the rubble of our souls. Our recipes are beautiful and very delicious, and we are distinguished by them.”

More than a cookbook, Tabkha is a testament to the enduring spirit of Palestinian cooking, an invitation to taste, remember, and honour a cuisine that insists on life.

All profits from the book go directly to Mona Zahed, her family, and families supported through Coffees for Gaza.

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Binding: Hardback

Year: First published Feb 2025

Edition: Two