🥙 LUNCH
Sumagiyya
The signature Gazan stew: beef, chard and chickpeas thickened with sumac-steeped water and tahini, spiked with dill and chili.
Palestinian · medium · serves 6
prep 30 min · cook 90 min
~423 cal · 26g protein · 20g carbs · 27g fat · 4g fiber · 3g sugars · 7g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
AI-generated illustration
Sumagiyya is the tangy, earthy stew that Gaza is known for, named for the that colours and sours it. berries are steeped and their red water whisked with flour and , then folded through slow-cooked beef, chickpeas and ribbons of chard, with dill seed, garlic and chili fried in oil poured over at the end.
Traditionally made for Eid and often served at room temperature with warm bread, it is a dish of layered sourness, nuttiness and gentle heat that Palestinian families treasure. This version leans on ground , easy to find, in place of whole berries.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.
Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
- 1 lb stewing beef or lamb, cubed
- 1 lb Swiss chard, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1/3 cup ground
- 1/3 cup
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp dill seeds or chopped fresh dill
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- to taste salt
Instructions
- 1Brown the beef, cover with water, and simmer gently about 1 hour until tender, topping up the water as needed.
- 2Steep the sumac in 2 cups of hot water for 20 minutes, then strain out the grit and whisk the flour into the red water until smooth.
- 3Soften the onion in oil, stir in the chard until wilted, then add the cooked beef with its liquid and the chickpeas.
- 4Pour in the sumac water and tahini and simmer, stirring, until the stew turns creamy and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.✎ Chef’s noteAdd the tahini off a hard boil and keep stirring so it emulsifies smoothly instead of seizing.
- 5Pound the garlic with the dill and chili, fry briefly in a little oil, and stir the fragrant oil through the stew.
- 6Rest 10 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature with bread.
Gaza kitchen tradition.
Ratings & reviews
Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
West Bank. The West Bank is terraced hill country where olive oil, za'atar, and sumac define the table. Musakhan, sumac-stained onions and roast chicken on taboon bread, is the dish most tied to Palestinian identity, alongside maqluba and mounds of fresh mezze.
🗺️
Palestine. Palestinian cuisine is deeply tied to the land, musakhan (sumac chicken over flatbread), maqluba's dramatic 'upside-down' rice, and olive oil pressed from ancient groves. Za'atar, sumac, and communal platters define the table.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Palestine
MusakhanSumac-and-onion roasted chicken over olive-oil-soaked taboon bread, showered with toasted pine nuts, Palestine on a platter.
Labneh with Za'atarThick strained yogurt swirled with olive oil and za'atar, scooped with warm taboon bread.
MaftoulHand-rolled Palestinian couscous simmered with chicken and chickpeas in a warmly spiced broth, a warming village dish.
Browse all Palestine recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Whisk.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Palestine meal
Kharroub (Carob Drink)Drink
QatayefDessert
Palestinian MaqlubaDinner
Similar dishes from around the world
Eru (Wild Greens with Waterleaf)Cameroon
Dominica BouyonDominica
Sauce Gombo Ivoirienne (Okra Sauce)Côte d’Ivoire
Indio ViejoNicaragua
Milanesa NapolitanaArgentina
Emirati HareesUnited Arab Emirates
Cuisine
Diet
Dairy-Free Recipes from Around the World
Nut-Free Recipes from Around the World
Egg-Free Recipes from Around the World
Pork-Free Recipes from Around the World
Dairy-Free Palestinian Recipes
Dairy-Free Lunches from Around the World
Nut-Free Lunches from Around the World
Egg-Free Lunches from Around the World
Frequently asked questions
What is Sumagiyya?
The signature Gazan stew: beef, chard and chickpeas thickened with sumac-steeped water and tahini, spiked with dill and chili.
Where does Sumagiyya come from?
Sumagiyya is a Palestinian dish from West Bank, Palestine.
Can Sumagiyya be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Sumagiyya recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Sumagiyya safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Sumagiyya take to make?
About 120 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 90 minutes cooking), serving 6.
Get the Sunday Spin
One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.