This September I had the pleasure of visiting Israel,
thanks to a business trip, and pleasurable it was! Israeli cuisine is all about
freshness - Fresh fish, fresh salads and fresh bread.
The day starts with a lavish breakfast. The typical Israeli
breakfast is a grand affair with eggs, dairy, fresh fruits, salads, and of
course, hummus
The Israeli
breakfast
Hummus is pretty much
synonymous with Israeli cuisine. It’s versatile, delicious, filling yet super
healthy. Made from a chickpea flour, there are several versions served across
Israel, and no meal is complete without hummus. As an accompaniment with the
famous Pita bread or the larger soft pillowy Lafa bread,
a side dish with meat of fish, or simply as a meal in its own right (topped
with salads, olive oil, a boiled egg, boiled chickpeas and spices), hummus
makes an appearance at every meal!
Hummus with Lafa
bread
The other contender for the ‘national dish’ is the very popular Falafel.
This fried delicacy has made its way across the world and can be seen in almost
every middle-eastern specialty restaurant. It’s now elevated from its street
food origins and is seen in various avatars in restaurants and malls. Nothing
beats a falafel when eaten hot and crisp, wrapped in a bun or pita bread, with
– you guessed it – hummus!
Falafel
One specialty egg preparation that I particularly loved is
called Shakshouka – a dish of eggs poached over a bed
of tomatoes, onions, capsicums, eggplant, spinach and spices. Typically cooked
and served in a cast iron pan, this breakfast dish of Moroccan origin proves to
be an Israeli favorite.
Shakshouka
Israel being majorly a coastal country, there’s no dearth of
fresh fish. Fresh fish is served whole (Mediterranean style!) grilled or fried,
dressed only with freshly squeezed lemon juice. My experience was so
amazing – felt like the fish had just walked out the ocean behind my table and
jumped onto the grill to land on my plate!
Grilled 'David' fish
A gorgeous grilled fish meal with salads at 'The
Old Man and the Sea', Jaffa, Israel
A major part of Israel is the sea cost or desert leading to
water and land shortage for agriculture. To counter this, Israel is now a world
leader in cutting-edge agricultural technology. And as a result, the array of
fresh fruits and vegetables is beyond compare. Israeli salads are fresh,
delicious, and are served with an array of dips and dressings. No worry for
vegetarians here – a lot of healthy options are on offer! Here's how a typical
Israeli salad buffet looks. (Notice the hummus? ;) )
Salad 'platter' at 'The Old Man and the Sea',
Jaffa, Israel
There's an entirely different 'kosher' (abiding to Jewish laws)
and 'shabbat' (the holy day - Saturday) cuisine, which, unfortunately, I
couldn't experience. However, it is something on my wishlist on my next trip
there!
I must also mention the amazing meat dishes like Chicken with couscous,
Mousakka (lamb stew) and of course kababs. There's no pork since it isn't
'kosher' (ie not abiding to Jewish laws) but the beef and chicken dishes are
right up there with the best - all with Turkish / Mediterranean /
middle-eastern flavors.
There is also a strong tradition of baked goods here. Streets
are lined with bakeries serving cakes, pastries, breads and cookies with some
very interesting flavors, owing to the middle-eastern influences. My personal
favorite was the Sambusak – a soft bread stuffed with cheese,
mushrooms, onions, meat etc – served hot out of the oven!
Sambusak - stuffed
with cheese, onions, mushrooms
My trip was rather short – 5 days isn’t nearly enough to truly
experience a new cuisine, but the glimpse that I got was nothing short of
wonderful.
Shalom!
