Lana Makes Purple Pizza: A Palestinian Food Tale

Omar Ahmed

Since I reviewed Baba, What Does My Name Mean? A Journey to Palestine, which was published in 2020 and was on the recommend list for that year’s Palestine Book Awards (PBA), there has been a steady and growing surge in children’s literature centred around Palestinian themes. One recent addition shortlisted for this years’ awards, is Lana Makes Purple Pizza: A Palestinian Food Tale by Palestinian-American educator and activist Amanda Najib.

This vibrant and engaging story, with illustrations by Loren Bassey, welcomes readers into a Palestinian family’s kitchen, where Lana, the young protagonist, takes part in her family’s culinary traditions by preparing Msakhan, "Palestine’s national dish" which has previously featured on MEMO’s You’ve Been Served series. Lana, however, calls it “purple pizza,” owing to the colour brought about by the use of sumac as one of the key ingredients.

As with many indigenous cultures, food is an integral part of Palestinian culture, and this book explores how it connects to family and identity. The story not only illustrates the importance of cooking together as a way to strengthen family bonds, it also touches on the political side, as we read of the importance in “preserving their family’s culture and recipes in the face of efforts to erase their Palestinian identity.”

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The book emphasises implicitly reclaiming Palestinian identity from the occupation state, and one page features illustrations of the “controversial” dish hummus, Jaffa (or Yaffa) oranges, sumac and the highly symbolic olive branch and olive oil. It explains that “Because Palestinians are indigenous to the land, all their recipes and food come from things that have consistently grown and been present in Palestine.”

The tragedy of the modern Palestinian experience inevitably finds its way into children's books. The Nakba is touched upon briefly when Lana’s grandparents share stories from their childhood in Palestine, recalling “how hard it was when they were forced out of their village.”

Despite this sombre reflection, the story’s focus is on keeping these recipes and traditions alive as a key to sustaining Palestinian identity and its “rich and resilient history that stretches back generations.”

Lana Makes Purple Pizza… thoughtfully shares a glimpse of what it means to be and stay Palestinian, not only with the diaspora but with a wider audience. This is reinforced beautifully throughout the book, with female family members across three generations wearing traditional tatreez (Palestinian embroidery) dresses. The tatreez pattern is also featured on the book’s cover and backdrop of each colourful page, adding an original touch to this heart-warming, mouth-watering read.