Jerusalem: Mahaneh Yehuda produce market. Courtesy of Israeli Ministry of Tourism
If you don’t think of Israel and food in the same sentence, you’re not alone. Janna Gur, author of my new favourite cookbook The Book of New Israeli Foods begins with the statement “they say nobody comes to Israel for the food” -- and then she goes on for 299 pages of recipes and stories telling you why people should go to Israel for the food. Well, there are lots of other reasons to visit, but don’t overlook the food.
There’s phenomenal food to be found everywhere –traditional foods of the Jews and Arabs who have always inhabited the land, and the “new” contributions of the waves of Jewish immigrants from North Africa, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and other Arab and Muslim countries. And, lest you think I have any food biases – there’s a whole other array of foods from the Eastern European Jews – you know, a million Russians haven’t arrived in Israel without bringing borscht and kreplach!
But I’m not going to have any borscht or kreplach. I’m gonna have hummus and falafel and a good tagine. I’m going to enjoy some fine Israeli wines –not the overly sweet Manischewitz wines that some of us remember – but fine award-winning, internationally acclaimed wines from the Golan Heights Winery and many others. Israeli wines have come so far in the last two decades and I’ll let you know in the next few days about some of the finest ones I get to taste.
If you have anything or anyplace you think I must search out, drop me a note. If you love it, I probably will too.
If you are in the Galilee, see about going to the hot springs at El Hama, on Kibbutz Shaar Hagolan. It was my home for a number of years. There was also a great little museum.
ReplyDeleteIn Jerusalem, about 30+ years ago, I had a Jordanian chicken dish called Musakhan. It is with pine nuts and sumac and onions. Absolutely delicious. the restaurant was called the Golden Chicken. I don't remember the Arabic name. I must make some soon.