SAMARITAN CUISINE is the subject of an Haaretz article by someone who may have seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom too many times. (Shall we call it Willie Scott syndrome?)

8 days on Mount Gerizim
By Ronit Vered

In 1824, James Mourier described the experiences of Hajji Baba, one of the escorts of the first Persian ambassador to the English court, beginning with the first formal dinner to which he was invited. Hajji Baba was astounded to see that the guests did not even think about washing their hands before the meal, he was bowled over by the sumptuously laid table and appalled by the terrible cacophony - waiters' shoes clicking, the scraping of sharp metal instruments, and the lively social conversation around the table. In 19th-century Persia, the rigorous rules of manners mandated eating with one's fingers, so that washing them was elementary; reclining on the floor for meals, with all the portions placed simultaneously in the center; and focusing on the act of eating without idle chatter. He also reported with regret on his total failure concerning the use of the instruments of torture - the diverse spoons, the knives, the forks and so on; and described the spasm of consternation that seized his neighbors when force of habit impelled him to share his bread with them, drink from their glass or use his fingers to scoop food from the serving bowl.

A Western outsider who happens upon a joyous banquet of the Samaritan community might for a moment be afflicted with the Hajji Baba syndrome. At the wedding feast for the groom in the Samaritan community, held at midday on Wednesday, the members of the family use their hands to tear into large slices of cooked mutton, browned chickens roasted in cinnamon, or zaatar (wild hyssop) and mounds of rice garnished with roasted walnuts and pine nuts. Also on the tables are bowls of green-bean soup, stuffed vine leaves and cutlery, but most of the eating is done with the hands, or with the aid of the pita awaiting each diner on a plate.

A Samaritan wedding is a long feast of eight days, an ancient custom that has almost disappeared from our high-speed world. The entire community, from Holon and from Mount Gerizim, takes part in this merry occasion, which includes innumerable abundant meals cooked jointly by the community's women. There is no joy like cooking together and eating together. The meals are dedicated to the groom, the bride and to both of them together, and are usually held in the morning and in the middle of the day. At night, even on the evening of the actual marriage ceremony, the custom is to only drink and eat sweets, a tested recipe for a surge of energy on the dance floor.

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The piece also notes the "Paradise for guests and tourists - Samaritan restaurant" and a Samaritan cookbook by Pnina Tsedaka.