COMMUNITY
This Palestinian woman’s restaurant is famous for karshat
Mar, 2020
Nihaya has earned a reputation for her karshat, or stuffed lamb intestines, a popular dish across the Mediterranean.
Nihaya is from Qalqilya, a small city in Palestine’s West Bank. She has been married for 24 years. The couple have four daughters and two sons. Her husband has long battled health problems that have left him unable to walk. Early on, Nihaya had to take responsibility for her family’s finances.
She turned to cooking to generate income. For the first four years, she prepared meals from her house, especially karshat, her most popular dish. Nihaya was working from home when she learned about Anera's Women Can program, that helps Palestinian women start and build up small businesses. Anera provided her with an oven, freezer, and a mixer.
She was also able to get a loan and, two months ago, she opened a small restaurant that specializes in karshat.
Nihaya has earned a reputation for her karshat, or stuffed lamb intestines, a popular dish across the Mediterranean. She sells 80 orders of karshat every day, working from nine in the morning till midnight. Her daughters help make the labor-intensive dish, carefully cleaning and stuffing the intestines. Sometimes when the demand is great, Nihaya hires another participant in the Women Can program, Mariam, to help. Her son and husband assist on the catering side of the business.
Her restaurant offers the meal daily, which sets Nihaya apart. Most restaurants in the area only have it on the menu on select days.
Nihaya's delicious karshat makes her famous in her city. Customers are keen on eating at her restaurant. She makes more than $500 every day, which will help her pay off her loan. She hopes to open another branch in Al Amjad.
"Today I see my dream turning into reality, after many years of work,” Nihaya says. “I have my own restaurant."
Anera’s Women Can program is generously funded by Islamic Relief USA. The views expressed herein are those of Anera and shall not, in any way whatsoever, be construed to reflect the official opinion of Islamic Relief USA, its Islamic Relief affiliates, or its donors.
