Hundreds of families harvest it in the spring and sell it throughout the year

"Akoub Nablus" .. "Green Gold" revitalizes Palestinian families

Al-Akoub becomes ready for cooking after cleaning it from thorns.

Emirates today

With the end of the winter season, and the approaching of the spring season, men and women are scattered among the mountains, plains and valleys of the northern West Bank, and specifically the city of Nablus, in search of the "Akoub" plant, or as it is known as "green gold", due to the high demand for it, as it is considered a source of income For poor families, whether those who work on growing and picking it, or cleaning and storing it, and selling it ripe in its season or throughout the seasons of the year, dried.

All residents of the West Bank and Al-Quds Al-Sharif accepts the popular markets of Nablus, which are the most famous for their use, to buy the green colored thorny plant, which is a main dish for families in the spring season, in addition to the ability of this spiny plant to be stored throughout the months of the year.

And «akoub» is a mountain plant with many thorns, and is expensive, given the hardship of a pound from the mountainous lands, cleaning it from thorns, and storing it dried, for use in cooking throughout the months of the year, and it tastes good after it is cooked, and the price of a kilogram of it ranges between 20 and 50 shekels. By selling it fresh, or after cleaning it.

Source of income

A large number of Palestinian families in the cities of the northern West Bank, specifically in Nablus and Qalqilya, resorted to cultivating their lands with “Akoub” plants, in order to avoid the hardships of climbing to the mountainous heights, and the settlers ’continuous attacks against agricultural lands and Palestinian farmers.

The farmer, Hamdallah Eid (48 years), from the village of Jansafout, located between the cities of Nablus and Qalqilya, has been working in the cultivation of Akoub for 30 years, but a few years ago he resorted to cultivating his 2,500-square-meter land with thorns instead of planting it in mountainous lands.

"Emirates Today" met the farmer, Hamdallah, inside his land, which he is in during this period all the time, to take care of the crops and remove weeds from the vicinity of the "akoub" plant, in preparation for his pound and selling it in the markets.

The Palestinian farmer says: "We plant (akoub) plants in smooth, not rugged land, and leave spaces between the seedlings of crops in the form of a pit, to serve as a stream of rain torrents throughout the winter season.

He points out that he resorted to planting Akoub seedlings away from the mountains, to find a permanent source of livelihood for his family, as one dunum provides a profit of 10 thousand shekels per season.

Livelihood for families

Inside the popular market adjacent to Jabal al-Nar in the city of Nablus, the seller Jamal stands in the middle of his antique grocery, calling in a pure Palestinian accent, "Fresh and green, O Akoub, my country, O Akoub". The Nabulsi seller is present in this market throughout the spring to sell "Akoub", which is witnessing a high turnout. It is widely used to buy it, as it is considered a main dish for families all over the Palestinian territories.

Jamal told Emirates Today: “Members of hundreds of Palestinian families in the city of Nablus participate in the (Akoub) season, as they work in the operations of collecting and harvesting it from mountainous lands and cleaning it from thorns, as well as selling (green gold) crops in popular markets, including Those who are proficient in cleaning the prickly plant and selling it inside their homes, which is a source of income for them.

He added: "The demand for (akoub) is very large, especially in the spring, and I sell it to families, fresh green with thorns. The residents of Nablus have been cleaning it for years, to use it in cooking, and to provide it as a main meal."

Jamal combines the harvesting of al-Akoub al-Nabulsi and selling it. As for (Hajja Umm Rabah), she has been in the process of cleaning “Akoub” for more than 28 years, and her family members help her in that, to sell it fresh in the popular markets, as well as to dry it and store it, to be sold throughout the year.

The main dish on the table

Farmer Hamdallah Eid said: “Nablus is the most famous Palestinian city for harvesting, storing and cooking (Akoub), as it serves a main dish on the Palestinian table,” adding: “Most of the residents of Nablus work in selling and storing (Akoub).”

The Palestinian farmer explains how to cook the "akoub" prickly plant, saying: "After removing the thorns from the akoub, it is cut into small pieces, and then it is boiled with hot water, ready for use in cooking."

He continued: “The green (akoub) spiny plant is used to cook dozens of foods, including meat, rice, milk, and eggs, in addition to a meal called (Akoub with oil)."

• A plant that tastes good, and is expensive, given the hardship of a pound from the mountains.

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