The release of the documentary Breaking Bread, directed by Beth Elise Hawk, couldn’t have come at a more turbulent time, with tensions and violence in Israel peaking once again. For many, the news cycle is disheartening, and thoughts indeed turn to those on the ground caught in the crossfire. Breaking Bread doesn’t have the magic wand answer to solve the conflict. Still, it does throw a spotlight on those who seek understanding with their ‘enemy’ through the use of olive oil instead of an olive branch.

The initial focus of the documentary is Dr Nof Atamna-Ismaeel, a Palestinian chef and the first Arabic contestant to win Israel’s MasterChef. The win sparked something inside her, and she went on to co-found the A-Sham Arab Food Festival, which takes place in the city of Haifa. “It gave me some kind of power…” she tells the audience, “To use food in order to make bridges between Jews and Arabs.”

Following the festival in its third year, we move from Atamna-Ismaeel to the Jewish and Arabic chefs being paired together to collaborate on Levantine dishes from the region. Through these pairings, the documentary opens up a history that some may not be aware of. Take for example, chef Ali Kahttib, who comes from Ghajar, a village literally split in half in 2000, so that one part belongs to Lebanon while the rest remains in Israel. He is paired with Shlomi Meir, a chain-smoking restaurateur whose business was started by his grandfather after the holocaust.

There is next to no conflict in the pairings; this is not that kind of film. No one needs to learn a lesson about their prejudices and bias. As another chef succinctly puts it, no one “gives a fuck’ about their partner’s background or religion; they just want to make good food.”

Through their discussions, there are reflections on the conflict and generational trauma, with another chef lamenting that it feels like the younger generations are being left to make up for the failings of their predecessors.

Outside of the politics, there’s much to enjoy about Breaking Bread, including Meir’s father, who is never one to miss out on an opportunity to talk over his son about his family’s history. At one point, struggling to put the correct sequence of events together for a story about his grandfather, Meir calls his father in and sits back to let him tell the tale. There’s the couple – Jewish and Muslim – who make hummus and seem genuinely perplexed that people think they fight all the time because of their religions.

It goes without saying that you should not see this film on an empty stomach. The food porn is through the roof and will make you jealous that you’ve only got beans on toast for dinner.

Effectively a feature-length promo for the A-Sham Festival, Breaking Bread’s politics may only scratch the surface. Still, it is packed to the brim with charm and can hopefully offer a ray of light in a dark period for some.

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