Meet the woman who introduced kimbaps to Gaza
Samah Haboub, renowned for her delicious Palestinian meals, has launched an online Korean food business.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — “The kitchen is my breathing space,” says Samah Haboub, explaining that whenever she feels sad, bored or anxious, she seeks refuge there and starts mixing ingredients without any plan, just letting her hands and her culinary heritage guide her.
But the 35-year-old chef from Gaza City has extended her talents beyond the rich Palestinian recipes she prepares for family and friends. A few months ago, she launched a Facebook page that introduced Korean food — noodles, salads and Korean sushi known as kimbap — to her city.
“In 2014, my husband, daughter and I visited my brother, who lives in the South Korean city of Gwanju. I was interested in their cuisine and I enrolled in a six-month-course that teaches foreigners to prepare Korean food,” she said.
Even for a cook familiar with the many different spices of Palestinian cuisine, Korean food seemed spicy, with its use of chili pepper flakes and hot sauces. “According to Koreans, spicy food boosts the happiness hormones,” Haboub told Al-Monitor. “For that reason, they prefer their food spicy. Still, Korean cuisine is rich and healthy. It contains lots of seafood and not much fat.”
