Hanin Cafe

Hanin Cafe SignThe Hanin Cafe is a regular, community-based Palestinian food, drink and culture event that has taken place at various venues in Cambridge.

The sale of fairly-traded crafts and food products such as organic olive oil, sourced in the West Bank and Gaza  helps to provide a market for struggling co-operatives and family groups at a time when life is very hard.

In February 2009 we  supported the very successful Gaza fundraising event at St Andrew’s Hall, Chesterton. We offer a warm welcome and a friendly café where you can meet old friends, make new ones and enjoy home-made Palestinian food. Any profits made by the Café are ploughed back into the project.

Forthcoming Events

Gaza Fundraising Event

Saturday 20th February 2010

7pm – 10.30pm

St Paul’s Church and Centre
Hills Road Cambridge CB2 1JP

FOOD - MUSIC - CRAFTS

Local musicians and some from further afield
Folk - Georgian - Arabic Song

Tickets £15/£10 concessions from

Contact:  info_hanin@yahoo.co.uk / 07751 600 315  

The Products

Zaytoun

Olive Oil
500 mil Organic, Cold-pressed

Olive oil is an integral part of the Palestinian economy and culture. Olive oil production goes back 5,000 years in Palestine and care of the olive trees has been passed down through generations of the same family. The harvest today still sees the whole family, from great grand parents down to the children and babies, coming together under their trees to harvest their fruit. The olives are hand picked and taken on a daily basis to the local press house. Every year Zaytoun members and some Zaytoun customers join the farmers during the harvest. The tastes of the warm, peppery oil straight from the press and the rich smell of oil in the air are unforgettable.

Za’atar – Wild Grown Herb Mix

Za’atar is an everyday staple in the Middle East; a herb mix of wild thyme, toasted sesame seeds and sumaq. It is a zesty seasoning, delicious with olive oil on fresh bread, on tomato salads, rubbed into chicken before roasting, sprinkled onto pasta and into stews. Zaytoun’s za’atar is sourced from a women’s co-operative in the Jenin area.

Almonds

The ‘Om Al-Fahim’ is a premium almond. This variety, traditionally grown in the Jenin area thrives on the arid and rocky terrain and produces a large, sweet almond. These almonds are sourced from a farmers’ co-operative

Couscous

This is sourced through a women’s co-operative. It is hand-made and award-winning. Use as a substitute for rice: freezes well and is easy to prepare.

Sindyanna

Sindyanna of Galilee is a women-led, egalitarian Palestinian and Jewish organisation, specializing in the preparation and distribution of olive oil, its soap and other traditional products of the local Palestinian community. Sindyana’s purpose is to

develop Palestinian agriculture, secure Palestinian lands from confiscation and gain a fair return for the farmers. All Sindyanna’s products are top quality and organic.

Olive Oil Soap

This is made in the West Bank town of Nablus according to traditional techniques. Five different types are offered: natural, honey, lemon, Dead Sea mud and milk.

Palestinian Handcrafts

Ethically-traded crafts direct from the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon
Embroidery · rugs · glass · olive wood · ceramics · mother-of-pearl · jewellery
(owing to the blockade we are unable to receive handcrafts from Gaza at the moment)

All available from Janet Walker

info-hanin@yahoo.co.uk

07751 600 315