In the land of sultry deserts, a mixture of religions and eternal sun, they like to eat a hearty and delicious meal. We are talking about the national cuisine of Israel. The state for many decades hosted immigrants who, in addition to traditions and cultural values, brought recipes for their favorite dishes. National Israeli cuisine is a combination of oriental flavor and European classical traditions. What to try in Israel to get acquainted with the culinary preferences of the inhabitants of the promised land.
Israeli national cuisine-special features
The national cuisine of Israel is very similar to the Mediterranean cuisine. The diet is dominated by fresh vegetables, various legumes, fish, fruits. At the same time, local residents divide national dishes of Israeli cuisine into the following groups::
- Sephardic;
- Ashkenazi.
Almost half of the population is Ashkenazi-descendants of immigrants from Central Europe. Immigrants from the Iberian Peninsula, France, Italy, Greece, and Turkey are called Sephardim. Culinary traditions were formed depending on the geographical location and climatic features. Ashkenazim prefer chicken broth, tzimes, forshmak, and liver pate. Sephardim prefer cereals, fresh vegetables, herbs, and fruits.
The main feature of national dishes and cuisine in general is kosher. The fact is that religion is respected in Israel, so shops and restaurants strictly adhere to the rules specified in the national code of Halakha laws, based on the commandments of the Torah. A set of rules that explains what food can be eaten and what can not be eaten is kashrut. In accordance with the religious document, it is allowed to eat meat exclusively from animals that eat plant food and are cloven-hoofed at the same time-cows, goats, sheep. As for poultry, Israeli cuisine includes dishes made from ducks, geese, and chickens.
Pig and rabbit meat is considered unacceptable for consumption. The list of prohibited products also includes fish and marine life that does not have scales and / or fins – shrimp and lobsters, octopus, oysters, etc.
In addition, in Israel, it is not customary to eat meat and fish dishes together with dairy dishes. For example, a restaurant will never serve a meat dish with cheese or cream sauce.
Important! Observing Kashrut in Israel is quite simple – there are practically no non-kosher products in stores and restaurants, and during Lent and religious holidays, counters with such products are covered with cloth and are not sold.
Traditional Israeli cuisine
What to try in Israel from food to better understand the culinary preferences of the locals? It is best to start with street food, especially since in Israel it is not only delicious, but also useful.
Hummus
The appetizer is a golden-colored pasta seasoned with olive oil. They sell hummus along with pita bread, which is wrapped in paper for convenience. Such a meal can be an appetizer before the main lunch or dinner, or a main course.
On a note! Local residents do not recommend starting your meal with hummus, in this case you will hardly be able to try other Israeli dishes, since the food is so delicious that it is very difficult to stop.
If you want to try hummus as the main national dish, choose masabaha-a pasta based on chickpea puree, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika. A mandatory component of the dish is thin sesame seed paste. Food is served with eggplant and salted cheese. If you are too hungry, choose kawarma – in this case, hummus is served with fried meat and vegetable salad.
In addition to hummus, bourekas, falafel and al ha-esh pies are common in Israel.
Burekas
The food has Turkish and Balkan roots. The main feature is the standard form of the dish, which can be used to determine the filling:
- square-potato filling;
- triangular-cheese filling;
- round-any other filling.
The popularity of burekas is comparable to the popularity of pies and pancakes in Slavic cuisine.
Interesting fact! The word burekas comes from the Turkish “burek” – bread, but the ending ” as ” is borrowed from the Jews living in Spain.
By tradition, burekas are eaten on Saturday morning. For their preparation, puff pastry is used, although previously food was prepared from a variety of dough. As a filling, use potatoes, mushrooms, cheese, cottage cheese, spinach. Sweet burekas stuffed with apples, berries, cottage cheese and raisins are common.
Falafel
An uninitiated tourist can easily mistake these balls for meat meatballs, but in reality they are a meal made from legumes, crushed to a puree, and fried until golden brown.
Useful to know! The dish appeared in Ancient Egypt, it was invented for the period of fasting as an alternative to meat balls.
By the way, it is difficult to prepare food yourself at home. The original recipe contains a huge number of ingredients, and the cooking method is quite difficult.
Babaganush
Eggplant can be safely called the national vegetable of Israel, dishes from them are prepared in different ways, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most often, eggplants are fried on an open fire to give a haze taste, and food is served with yogurt sauce and greens.
As for the dish, babaganush is a pate made from eggplant, with the addition of sesame seed paste and lemon juice. Food is served with pita bread. Many housewives prepare babaganush at home.
Shakshuka
Another vegetable dish that is prepared from finely chopped tomatoes, bell peppers and onions. The vegetable mixture is seasoned with coriander and other spices. Eggs are broken on top of vegetables. The dish is traditionally prepared for breakfast. Israelis say that it is impossible to spoil such food, it always turns out delicious.
Cholnt or hamin
No matter how you pronounce the name of the dish – cholnt or hamin – you will still be served a delicious roast. The fact is that food made from the same ingredients – meat, potatoes, chickpeas and beans – is called differently by different peoples. Sephardim call the roast hamin, and Ashkenazim call it cholnt.
Interesting fact! In Israel, there is a religious tradition that strictly prohibits cooking on the Sabbath. In this regard, the housewives came up with a dish that is usually cooked in the oven on the night from Friday to Saturday.
St. Peter’s Fish
The dish is associated with the Gospel, namely with the Apostle Peter. According to legend, the apostle once caught a telapia fish and found a coin in it, which he paid on account of the temple tax. Since then, telapiya has become a cult food in Israel, traditionally prepared on the grill and served with potatoes and fresh vegetables.
Malauah
The food has Yemeni roots, however, the inhabitants of Israel have changed it to their personal preferences. Malauah is a pancake made from unleavened puff pastry. Serve it with different sauces – hot, sweet or add a filling.
Interesting fact! Malauah is as popular as street food in Israel-hummus and falafel. Israelis are not indifferent to any type of bread, which is why there are so many dough dishes in their traditional cuisine.
Israeli salad
Food is amazing because wherever you try it, it is delicious everywhere. At first glance – this is an ordinary vegetable salad made from tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, lemon, onion, garlic and olive oil. A special feature of the dish is the dressing, which is prepared from the fruits of the sumac plant.
Useful to know! In different establishments, the composition of the salad may vary – add carrots, parsley. All ingredients are cut very finely.
Jahnun
Another dish that has Yemeni roots. The food consists of sausages of a dense consistency. After trying them once, many housewives are interested in what dough the Israeli dish jahnun is made from. Puff pastry is used, it is rolled out in such a way that it turns out as many layers as possible – 8-10, honey from dates is added on top.
Interesting to know! The dish turns out to be very high in calories, most often it is eaten for breakfast with egg, tomatoes and Yemeni sauce, which is prepared from hot pepper, garlic and spices.
Desserts of Israel
The national cuisine of Israel offers a large selection of sweets-halva, baklava, donuts, pies with various fillings, candied fruits.
Knafe
One of the most interesting desserts is knafe. The food is made from goat cheese and Kadaif vermicelli. Before serving, the dish is watered with sweet syrup, decorated with crushed almonds or any other nuts.
Interesting fact! Knafey has an original salty-sweet taste that will not leave any gourmet indifferent.
To achieve a bright orange color, food coloring is added to the food. It is believed that the best dessert is prepared in the confectionery “Sweets of Jafar”, which is located in east Jerusalem. Guests are captivated not only by the wide range and amazing taste, but also by the homely, welcoming atmosphere. The pastry shop has been operating for seven decades, the first owner of the establishment was Mahmoud Jafar, who was known in the city as King Knafe, and today guests are greeted by his sons.
Useful to know! The pastry shop never uses a microwave oven, and food is prepared only in a wood-burning oven. The cost of knafe for 1 kg is about$15.
Halva
Halva can safely be called a traditional dish of Israel, and this is not surprising, given the love of local residents for sesame seed sauce. Any grocery store has equipment for crushing seeds, then lemon juice and honey are added to the sauce. In Israel, there are a huge number of recipes for halva-chocolate, nuts, dried fruits are added to the base. Dessert is eaten with a spoon, washed down with tea.
Food tours in Israel
Of course, the main purpose of visiting Israel is not culinary excursions, but it will be interesting and informative to visit several such events. Here are some of the most exciting excursions.
- Religious bakeries. Returning to the religious theme, it will be interesting to visit the quarter, where you can get acquainted with the baking of traditional festive bread hala. Part of the test must go to the temple – this is one of the types of sacrifice. They eat halah on Shabbat and other religious holidays. Visiting the religious quarter requires compliance with the dress code.
- Wineries. The tour allows you to immerse yourself in the world of winemaking, make sure that the process of making a drink is complex and long, try several wines to choose from and admire the beautiful landscapes.
- Jerusalem market tour. Many tourists who have visited Israel, rightly believe that it is impossible to truly learn the traditions of the country and get into the spirit without visiting the oriental bazaar. Any eastern market is impossible to imagine without food, here you can buy delicious sweets, fresh vegetables and fruits, try street food.
Traditional Israeli cuisine is a harmonious combination of Eastern and Mediterranean traditions. We have presented the most interesting food, and you can choose for yourself dishes to taste. Israeli cuisine is delicious and satisfying, as a rule, tourists do not manage to lose weight while traveling around the country’s cities.