Al-Qalam 
By Ismail Suder
A Durban-based Palestinian family has started a hands-on kitchen that teaches women the art of preparing authentic Palestinian cuisine – with the best part being that they can take the sumptuous food home.
The Palestinian cooking classes being offered at 66 Harris Crescent, Sherwood, is the brainchild of the extended Shat family who immigrated to South Africa to carve out better lives for themselves, at a time when Israeli oppression against Palestinians was becoming unbearable.
Kufiya Academy, as it is known – in conjunction with PalFood RSA – hopes to keep the Palestinian heritage alive with its theme – “A Culinary Journey Through Palestine.”
Asked how the Palestine culinary kitchen started, Abdelrahman Shat, a Palestinian student in Durban whose family runs the business – said: “Kufiya Academy was established by the Shat family in Durban not only to offer cooking classes, but to develop a spectrum of hard skills, soft skills, and arts that add real value to people’s lives. The cooking stream was started by Nada and Amira Shat, hand-in-hand with PalFood RSA—which also belongs to the Shat family.
Most cooking classes (for a maximum of eight women per class) run for between 2.5 to 3 hours. The cost is R500 per course which includes all the ingredients and use of equipment – and a certificate would be issued at the end of the course. He said 10% of proceeds will go towards supporting the children in Gaza.
Students can take classes in preparing traditional maqluba and musakhan. Sweets delights include ka’ek; ma”amoul; basbusa & kunafa. There are also classes in manakish & dough making – and learning how to make a traditional Palestinian breakfast and Palestinian styled salad.
Shat said all the ingredients required in Palestinian cooking are widely available in South Africa.
“Core ingredients such as chickpeas, bulgur, tahini, fresh herbs, quality olive oil, spices, are widely available. We source specialty items and teach smart substitutes while keeping authenticity.
He said the new project was a “series of hands-on classes and workshops. Our vision is to capacitate and familiarise the people of Africa with our skills, culture, and stories through practical learning.”
“Our logo draws from the well-known kufiya (keffiyeh) – a living emblem of Palestinian resilience and belonging. The kufiya is part of our heritage – its motifs (the fisherman’s net and olive leaves) symbolise livelihood, rootedness, and hope. We use this design to signal our purpose – culture you can wear, taste, learn, and pass on,” he added.
Shat told Al–Qalam that the family have also launched the “Arabic Conversation Club” to teach conversational Arabic.
“We have launched the Arabic Conversation Club to provide a genuine, supportive environment for people in South Africa to practise Arabic with native speakers from Palestine. Expect small, interactive circles on everyday topics (greetings, shopping, travel, family & faith), rich cultural context (idioms, etiquette, stories) and practical outcomes help in building confidence, listening fluency, employability, and social cohesion.
“Beyond food, we teach hard skills (baking fundamentals, kitchen safety, menu costing, basic food entrepreneurship and soft skills (teamwork, strategic management, customer service, cultural communication), plus arts such as tatreez (embroidery), storytelling, drawing, Arabic calligraphy & lettering, and dabke basics”.
For more info please contact them on WhatsApp 074 086 0197.
