The Galilee: Food for the Soul and So Much More!

I’ve arrived in Tiberias to attend a tourism event and for the next three days the places I visit and the foods I eat have been pre-ordained. And, although there haven’t been a lot of choices, I haven’t been unhappy.

To start with, I’ve had the chance to revisit all of the important Christian sites in the Galilee the most important of which will be included in the cultural/historical part of my own itineraries.

Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes in Tabgha

Our first day includes a visit to Mount Gilboa and Nazareth. In Nazareth, a couple of blocks from the Church of Annunciation, I recognize a little shop that sells the best baklava pasties I’ve ever had and I run in and buy a box. It’s not cheap at 150 shekels (about $40+ Cdn) for a kilo, but they’re well worth it. I haven’t found them anywhere but in Nazareth, so although it probably isn’t the most appropriate time to be buying pastries, I can’t help myself.

After the tour of the church there’s a reception, dinner and a show at the Golden Crown Hotel. At the reception, there’s a beautiful display of fresh and carved fruit by the Sudfeh Restaurant. Mounds of pomegranates, dates, figs and prickly pears fill the tables and I was impressed by the skillful carving of a young member of the Sudfeh family.

A display of prickly pears at the Sudfeh Restaurant

Dinner was typical Middle Eastern fare – including mejadra with a twist. Mejadra is a rice and lentil dish found throughout the Levant and I learned that in the Galilee it’s typically made with bulgar, not rice – and in this case, fewer onions than are normally used. It was excellent and I’ll try it when I get home. A lovely wine from the Galil Winery accompanied dinner.

We begin day two with a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee and visits to the Church of the Beatitudes and Capernaum. The sites of the last two days have been, like Jewish and Muslim holy sites through Israel, very spiritual places and I’m happy to have visited them again.

From now until Wednesday my journeys will be less spiritual. I’ll be visiting food producers, wineries and a few of the Galilee’s best cooks and chefs. Maybe not spiritual but a source of inspiration.