Vegetable Fattah: A Summer Meal from Saint Katherine

It is an important destination for thousands of pilgrims every year. They visit the monastery sites, and watch the sunrise from Mount Moses. But it is only in the wadis that you can discover the incredible culture of the locals and try some of their delicious food. 

In 2004, the Saint Katherine mountains became designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, homes to rich biodiversity of life. Travelers visit Saint Katherine to hike through the wadis and discover the traditional knowledge of the Jabaleya Bedouin tribe. Medicinal plants, wildlife, animal grazing and rainwater harvesting is essential to sustain their communities over generations in such an isolated region.

The monks brought new fruit tree varieties with them from Greece. They introduced the Jabaleya to the art of managing orchards since the Byzantine era.  

The gardens are walled with low stone fences, which serve the double purpose of protecting the harvest from grazing animals as well as creating small dams that slow the absorption of rainwater or snow and refill the wells. 

Heavy rainfall also creates large water pools that can be used for irrigation. Rain cycles used to be regular, every 40 days, but recent years have witnessed more droughts. 

Today, their upkeep is an important part of keeping the Jabaleya culture alive. In the summer months, as the gardens need more regularly watering, entire families may move there temporarily. 

Keeping small herds of goat and sheep, the Jabaleya would remain pastoralists in the winter while in the summer tend to their gardens in the wadis. Walled gardens were built out of the main town of Saint Katherine, and involve a couple of hours hike up the mountain.  

The gardens produce fruits, fresh vegetables and herbs. 

The bedouins let nature take its course leaving wild plants to flourish, and sometimes harvest them for medicinal purposes (like rare Sinai Hawthorn). 

The first crop of the summer season is apricot. 

It is followed by pear, apple, plums, almonds, pistachios, olives, pomegranates, nectarine and lemons.  

Quince is harvested and traditionally turned into a jam. 

Together they enjoy tending to the orchards and gardens that represents more a source of pleasure and leisurely family time. They pick and dry crops to use all year round. 

The bedouins bring flour with them from St Katherine, but the rest of the ingredients are all from their garden. Vegetables in season are used. Zucchini flowers are also used when making a stew. 

A mixed vegetable casserole from the fresh garden harvest is cooked then poured on top of the prepared fattah.  Enough vegetables are made to cover the soaked bread. 

The toppings are well mixed together, and served in a large tray for everyone to eat together. 

The bedouins cook outdoors. They use wood coal to cook and make fresh bread. They bake the bread directly on the coals. 

Once the bread is broken up, it is sprinkled with Afreeg (a dried goat cheese) and Samna Shihi - a herb infused ghee from goat milk. 

The vegetable Fattah is a feast for your mouth.