Old Jeddah Cart · Warm Chickpea Snack
Balila
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Vendors dressed in traditional Hijazi attire — an ommah headscarf, vest, and foutah — have long sold it from carts on Al-Balad's Qabel Street, chanting witty phrases to draw in customers, especially during Ramadan.
Chickpeas are simmered until soft, then tossed with cumin, vinegar, pickles, and Arab spices like sumac, and served warm as a tangy, filling snack. Handcarts and stands in Jeddah's old Al-Balad district, especially along Qabel Street, sell it as an anytime — and especially Ramadan-season — street snack.
Why it's made this way: Jeddah's identity as a busy Red Sea trading port shaped a street-food culture built around cheap, quick, portable food for laborers and traders passing through, and balila carts remain one of Al-Balad's most enduring living traditions.
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