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Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat is her story of surviving the Six-Day War and growing up during the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

War as told through the eyes of a child is very powerful. You are amazed that while they are terrified, they find something good in all the suffering - animal friends, playing with siblings, stealing pastries, and going to a U.N. run school.

In a time when Islam has such a bad name, it’s wonderful that a book like Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood comes out to show people that kids are alike all over the world, no matter their religion or what language they speak. They want to feel safe, have their parents’ love…and not eat lentils.

(Click here for more YA novel reviews.)

In the book, Ibtisam mentions a dish her mother used to make with semolina flour, yogurt, sugar, slivered almonds, and sweet syrup. She called it basbooseh but I after doing an Internet search, the more common spelling seems to be basboosa. It’s also common in Egypt, Lebanon, and Tunisia.

The easiest recipe I found comes from Lubna at Allrecipes.com. She says she got it from her sister-in-law. Pay attention to the reviews as everyone had variations and tips on how they cooked up the recipe. Be forewarned though - it’s sweet!

Basboosa
Prep Time: 20 Minutes - Cook Time: 30 Minutes - Ready In: 50 Minutes
Yields: 12 servings

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cups semolina flour (semolina is the same as Cream of Wheat - don’t use the instant kind, however)
2. 1/2 cup white sugar
3. 1 cup plain yogurt
4. 1/2 cup vegetable oil
5. 3 tablespoons flaked coconut
6. 1 tablespoon baking powder
7. 6 whole almonds, split in half

Syrup:

1. 1 1/2 cups water
2. 1 3/4 cups white sugar
3. 2 tablespoons rose water (you can substitute orange water as well - if you don’t have either, just make the sugar syrup and maybe add a little almond, orange or lemon extract)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the semolina flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, yogurt, oil, coconut, and baking powder. Set aside for 30 minutes.
2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the water, 1 3/4 cups sugar, and rosewater. Bring to a boil, and boil for 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the semolina batter into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan. Slice into squares or diamonds, and place on almond half onto each piece.
4. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light brown. Switch the oven setting to broil, and broil until the top is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oven, and pour the syrup over the squares. Serve warm.

Picture courtesy of Tunisianswife, an Allrecipes.com reviewer.

Other Basboosa Recipes

• From Recipezaar.com
• Egyptian basboosa recipe
• Middle Eastern basboosa recipe from RecipeCottage.com
• Basboosa recipe from Lifespan of Chennette

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