I am not sure where to start with food in Israel and what I expected before I went. Of course, I knew generally about Middle Eastern food e.g. Hummus, Falafel, Shawarma and the significance of Tahini.
Growing up Shawarma was one of my favourite foods. I adored it (& still do) on a scale similar to noodles. You see I’ve forever been obsessed with food, but only good food.
But did I know what Israeli food really was? Nope no idea. I was excited but mostly very intrigued. I was intrigued to learn about a country about which outwardly I knew very little. Most importantly I was ready to eat my living weight in Hummus.
Is it some sort of a literary technique where you state your conclusion right at the start? If so great and if not then well here is my conclusion anyway.
From what I understood, Israeli food is very much about letting the produce shine, there isn’t a surplus of ingredients in each dish, but the focus is on letting each small component stand its own. It’s a mixture of various salads, breads, dips, many small components all amalgamated together.
And here goes my usual splurge of thoughts.
Food Markets
A food market is one of my most favourite places, not the London ones where every food stall is selling something for £7 and above (although those too), but the ones with fresh food, vegetables, spices, lots of haggling, rotten fruit spewed on the floor at the end of the day and locals lugging their shopping bags.
Tel Aviv has Shuk Ha’Camel which I ventured to several times, sometimes early morning after surfing when it was quiet, and the produce still being put out, or sometimes in the height of heat in mid-afternoon. It was here that I had Shakshuka, oddly enough I didn’t eat Israel’s most famous dish until my last day.
As I lived in Tel Aviv for a while I cooked a bit too, so I always bought fresh produce from there to conjure up in my kitchen.
Shuk Ha’Camel also has one of Tel Aviv’s old Hummus shops and MY GOD THE HUMMUS, the smoothest, creamiest mixture dolloped with a spicy sauce.
Jerusalem has Mahane Yahuda from where I bought a bunch of mixed spices including Zaatar, Sumac, Israeli spice mixes for rice and pine nuts (well because pinenuts).
It was also in Jerusalem where I had the most delicious Kanafeh (pictured below), and even if I did feel like I may fall to the floor in a sugar induced coma, the cheese was stringy doused in sugar syrup and the most crispy Vermicilli top. I do adore Kanafeh, just in small doses.
Street Food
Whenever you eat hummus there, or I guess any street food, you are given small bowls to fill with pickles and salads as shown below. You are only supposing to get one but somehow I was always given about three, kindness is key.
Falafel
And of course, there is Falafel, you are never too far from one. One thing I should make clear is that the food I will mostly talk about is the food from these sorts of smaller restaurants, Israel is pricey and well I enjoy this type of food more. Back to falafel, so it truly varies from place to place, you can get the green chickpea with surplus spices, to the basic chickpea mixture.
A falafel is constructed like so. Pita is smothered hummus, a spicy red sauce, tahini, falafel balls, various salads (pickled vegetables, onions, cabbage…), more tahini and more hummus if you would like. I ate many.
Sabich
So, Falafel was not new however what was new was Sabich. This is an Iraqi-Israeli concoction. The base is similar to that of falafel, but the filling instead is fried aubergine slices, boiled egg, lots of different salads, chilli sauce and then whatever else that specific Sabich shop does.
I personally adore aubergine and so I was a big fan of Sabich more so than Falafel, I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years’ time I saw a Sabich food cart popping up somewhere in London.
Tahina
Tahini/Tahina (Sesame Paste) is a way of life in Israel. Any meal seems incomplete without. The above proves it. The big plate on the right is just a sea of Tahina.
I found myself falling for this too as I prepared snacks which were just fried tomatoes and tahini on toast.
Shawarma
Then of course there is Shawarma, my love for which I have already mentioned. What made Israeli Shawarma different was a sauce called ‘Amba’, a tangy yellow mango sauce. One of my most favourite discoveries and another thing I haven’t spotted anywhere outside of Israel. It had a very specific Mango Pickle type of flavour which if you know me well you know I adore everything sour.
Other meals
I also ate some great seafood whilst out there. The star being these freshly fried shrimp and squid which are sold in a restaurant right at the end of Jaffa Port, not the shortest of walks, but the tastiest of shrimps.
Above is a selection tapas style dishes.The first an aubergine sauce, the second a salted fish dish, and the third baba ghanoush.
I had this in Eilaat during a desert trip, amongst the mountains. Naan with cottage cheese and zaatar.
When I am in a specific country, I try not to eat food from other cuisines but focus on enjoying the food local to the place. But sometimes noodles are needed, and I found a Chinese restaurant near me whose owners were from Beijing and made me the spiciest Beef noodles.
This above is Mahlabi! An Israeli Panna cotta with rose syrup and whatever toppings you'd like including peanuts, biscuits and everything else.
I ate well, I ate fresh and well I ate a lot of tahina and pita. What I miss the most? I think it would be wrong for me to say anything but, Hummus.
Toda Israel.