Cooking Course in Palestine: The Excellence Center in Palestine invites people from all over the world to come to Hebron and participate in our Palestinian cooking classes in Hebron, West Bank. It is a great chance to engage in the Palestinian culture and share meals with a lot of people in Palestine. You will have the chance to meet a lot of Palestinians, learn Palestinian Arabic and live the daily life in Hebron, Palestine. 

The cooking Palestinian food classes take place in our modern kitchen at the Excellence Center. You will learn how to cook Palestinain vegetarian, vegan and meat meals. You will learn to make traditional Arabic dishes with local Palestinain cooks. Furthermore, you will be introduced to the Mediterranean – middle-eastern recipes. 

If you are looking for a cooking school in Palestine and Israel, this cooking course is for you. The center in Hebron, West Bank provides the best Cooking Classes in Palestine. Palestine and the Levantine countries are known for their delicious Arabic food. To know Palestine and the West Bank even better through the food, take one of the cooking classes. During the cooking lessons you will get to know about the Palestinian – Levantine food, culture, cooking and spices. You will taste different traditional Arabic foods and sweets. 

Make a Special Palestinian Meal at Home

Being able to work in our Palestinian kitchen allows you to participate in these fun, interactive Palestinian cooking sessions. We are sure you will enjoy our cooking classes and you will be able to cook new recipes for your whole family back home. This means that you will always be able to produce a taste of Palestine wherever you are.

Food is central to Palestinian culture

Food is central to Palestinian culture. Friends and family typically gather around the table for a shared meal and great conversation. Friendships grow in the presence of multiple cups of coffee, tea, snacks and sweets. Food is simply adored in Palestine, not only for satiating our hunger but also for the happy memories it helps us to create.

There is a wide variety of fruits and vegetables available and in some Palestinian homes that you visit, you will be served fresh cut fruits and/or vegetables. Sliced apples and oranges are common staples. You may also be served a blend of nuts and seeds or dried fruit when you visit with your host family or the homes of Palestinian friends that you make.

Where? When and who can participate?

The Excellence Center in Palestine is looking for all travellers to the region of Palestine and Israel with an interest in cooking, culture, and Palestine to participate in our Cooking in Palestine Program.

If you are planning a trip to Palestine or Israel, consider visiting Hebron for a few days to gain a rich and authentic cultural culinary experience at the Excellence Center.

Brief Information about the Cooking Course

As a participant in this program, you will spend your days in the Excellence Center kitchen learning how to create tasty, traditional Palestinian meals. Maqluba, mansaf, hummus, falafel, Arabic coffee and tea are a few of the possibilities that await.

We will take you through and show you step by step, how to prepare the most famous Palestinian dishes. By the time you complete the program, you will walk away with culinary and cultural knowledge, satisfied taste buds and new recipes to add to your collection.

The table below gives some general information our cooking lessons

Food in Palestine

Food is a central part of Palestinian culture. Much of the communal gathering occurs around the table for a shared meal and great conversation. In this program, not only will you gain knowledge about Palestinian cooking, culture and customs, but you’ll also have the opportunity to live with a host family in Hebron, furthering your immersion. This allows you to experience daily life as a Palestinian, you will be treated as part of the family and be invited to participate in family activities and attend any family events and social gatherings. 

Food is a great way to bring people together. The shared experience of preparing, sharing and enjoying the delicious meals definitely helps to build relationships and develop a greater understanding of the people here in Hebron.

Host families provide exciting opportunities for visiting internationals to learn more about Palestinian culture, meet new people and improve their Arabic language skills.

A feast for your senses!

Of course we all need to eat to live ,but in Palestine, meal times are about more than just satisfying your hunger. Cooking and eating is a social activity and you will be able to smell the tantalizing aromas, see the varied colours of the ingredients, taste the delicious flavours, touch the food, discover the different textures and hear the sounds of items sizzling in the pan, listen to the voices of those around you, laugh, chat and enjoy the occasion.

Something for everyone

We understand that the idea of trying a different cuisine can be a little scary for some people but there is no need to worry. You will find a wide variety of foods available in Palestine and there are certain to be several  dishes which you will find to your taste.

Rice, meat and plenty of different vegetables are widely available. There are also fruits grown locally which you can enjoy when they are in season.

Vegetarian and vegan food in Palestine

It is perfectly possible to enjoy Palestinian food as a vegetarian or vegan. Although most Palestinians include meat in their diet, it is not difficult to create dishes without meat. There are lots of foods which are vegetarian, such as falafels and hummus, soup, mujaddara, tabbouleh and many more. Most dishes can be adapted to become vegetarian. It is perhaps a little more difficult to find vegan food but there are options.

During the cooking courses, you will be able to select your own ingredients to suit your requirements. One of the regular additions to meals is pita bread which is vegan. Nobody needs to go hungry! Palestinian people are generally very hospitable, they want our international visitors to feel comfortable and happy and will do what they can to help you enjoy your stay.

Sweet treats

Palestine is famous for its sweets and desserts- if you have a sweet tooth there are lots of tempting concoctions for you to try! You can also learn to make some of these dishes yourself. For example Kinafah is one of the most  famous and much desired sweets for Palestinians.  It was originally made in Nablus and that’s why called “Kenafah Nabulsia“. It contains cheese pastry soaked in sweet, sugar-based syrup. 

This isn’t the only delicious sweet you can find. There is also Baklawa, Burma, Muhalabiyeh, Qatayef (mainly found in Ramadan) and many others.

Popular Palestinian meals you can learn to make include:

• Fasoulya Beyda: White beans cooked in tomato sauce and served with rice.
• Fasoulya Khadra: Green beans cooked with a tomato sauce and also eaten with rice;
• Kufta Bethinia: Meatballs (lamb or beef) cooked with Thinia (tahini) sauce and served with rice.
• Kufta bel-bandora: Meatballs cooked with tomato sauce and potatoes. It can be eaten with a spoon or with Pita bread.
• Mahshi Lift: Cooked mostly in Hebron, is made from turnips stuffed with rice, minced lamb and spices and cooked in Tamarind sauce.
• Mansaf falastine: Lamb cooked in a sauce of fermented dried yogurt and served with rice or bulgur.
• Maqluba: Literally means “upside-down” and is a dish that is made with fried Cauliflower or eggplant, meat (chicken/lamb) and rice.
• Musakhan: This is a common and preferred meal for Palestinians. The meal is easy to make and the content is affordable and easy to obtain. The ingredients are: olive oil, sumac, pine nuts, chicken pieces, onions, and Taboon bread. The term ‘musakhan’ means “something that is heated.”
• Zarb: This is a different type of cooking where the meat (lamb or chicken) is cooked under high pressure in an airtight oven under the ground and served with rice and bread. This way of cooking is influenced by Jordanians, especially those who live in the deserts.
• Mujaddara: This is another popular meal as it is very affordable. It is very easy to make and the ingredients are available all year round. This meal contains lentils and rice with fried onions on the top.

When can you join the Cooking Course in Palestine?

You can join the Excellence Center at any time throughout the year. We will work with you to find a time that suits you best. With this program, you’ll choose the start and end dates for your cooking adventure with us in Palestine.

If you are in the midst of planning a trip to Palestine, consider staying one or more days with EC in Hebron for a one-of-a-kind cultural cooking experience. From your very first meal, you will enjoy this enriching time in Hebron with the Excellence Center.

Program Fees for Cooking Course in Palestine

€400 a week, €800 for 2 weeks, €1200 for 3 weeks and €1550 for a month.

The Cooking Course in Palestine fees include pre-departure support, accommodations with a local host family, breakfast, program assistance & coordination while in Palestine, three hours of Arabic lessons, and some visits to different sites in the city of Hebron.

As stated, the program fee includes 3 hours of private Arabic lessons a week or 12 hours a month. If you are interested in continuing to study Arabic once the Cooking in Palestine Program ends, then we at the Excellence Center are more than happy to organize this for you. At the Center, we host Arabic students year-round who come to Palestine to enhance their language skills. You will be welcome.

Travelling to Palestine on your own?

No worries, you’ve come to the right place!

You will meet many Palestinian university and school students as well as community members with a variety of interests. Especially in Hebron, Palestinian people love to meet new people from different cultures and exchange ideas and experiences.

Moreover, the Excellence Center hosts many international visitors from all over the world who will be studying, volunteering, visiting or interning at the center. You will not be the only international visitor at the center and you will be able to engage with other internationals in some educational and community activities that the Center organizes.

Everyone at the Excellence Center – Palestinian students, international visitors, and staff – are like one family and there are always activities to do together. Hebron is a good place for international visitors to stay at and offers a great social atmosphere.

Which Airport Should I Start Checking for Flights to Palestine?

Unfortunately, there are no airports in Palestine; as such it is currently impossible to fly directly into the West Bank. Palestinians use either the airports in Jordan or Egypt to travel abroad. However, internationals can fly to Israeli airports and then cross to Palestine. We believe the easiest ways to get to the Excellence Center in Hebron, Palestine are:

• To fly to Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv Airport (Israel). It takes about two and a half hours from the airport to the Excellence Center in Hebron via shared Taxi.

• You can fly to Eilat airport in Israel and then travel by booking a shuttle or taking a bus to Jerusalem and then to Hebron. The whole trip can last between 6-7 hours.
• You can also fly to Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan and then cross to Palestine, but this route takes more time and is more expensive.

Visa to Palestine

There is unfortunately no way to directly apply for a VISA to work in the Excellence Centre before travelling out to join any courses in Palestine. Upon arrival in Israel, internationals are given a 3 month VISA, applicable to Israel and Palestine.

With this VISA, volunteers are able to travel freely in the Israel and Palestinian territories for up to a 3 month period. Further information about how to obtain a visa can be found here: https://excellencenter.org/how-to-get-a-visa-to-palestine/

Reviews from former participants 

The Excellence Center in Hebron has now over 10 years of experience, and prides itself on the positive feedback received from over 800 international students to the Centre. Rating and reviews can be found through the following links:

• 730 Reviews and ratings on gooverseas.com
• 160 Reviews and ratings on goabroad.com
• Participants’ video testimonials

How to get further information

Should you have any questions about our Cooking Program, please do not hesitate to contact us at: Rafat@excellencenter.org with Cooking Course in Palestine in the subject line.

Any questions?

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact at Rafat@excellencenter.org

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