When many people think of Israeli food, they think of falafel, shawarma, and hummus. And all of those dishes are part of Israeli cuisine. But Israeli food includes much more—it is a mosaic as colorful as the people who make up the country. There are so many different dishes to eat while in Israel, that I always tell my groups to try a new dish every day! But where do you start? Here are a few dishes you can try while on your trip in Israel, and maybe even try to prepare while at home.
Sabich
One popular Israeli food is sabich. Sabich is an eggplant dish, almost as common as falafel and shawarma. You can find restaurants selling the dish throughout the popular dish. But what is it specifically? Roasted eggplant with tahini sauce and a hard- boiled egg. Then we put all of that in a pita. If you want you can add some veggies and salads, and many Israelis do.
And then, there is only one step left….dig in!!!
Schnitzel
Schnitzel actually originated in southern Germany and Austria. But it’s also popular here in Israel. It came with the Jews of these countries as a reminder of their home countries. It is breaded meat that is then fried. While in Europe, this includes veal and chicken, only chicken is used in Israel—meaning it is similar a big chicken nugget.
Schnitzel is VERY popular in Israel, but often served with an Israeli twist of humus on the side. You can find schnitzel spots throughout major cities in Israel.Israelis especially love a the restaurant, “Schnitzeliya,” for serving schnitzel with different spices from around the world.
Couscous With Vegetables
This dish comes from the Middle East with the Jews who came from countries like Egypt and Iraq. If makes the couscous well, they don’t just make the dish with some hot water and salt. They make good couscous with hot water and then steam it, in order to be soft and fluffy. The vegetables are boiled with spices, like paprika, salt, and garlic powder.
When the couscous and vegetables are ready, the good cook serves the couscous as a base and then they put the vegetables and sauce on top and serve it hot! The dish is served on holidays and regular days alike.
Honey Cake
Honey cake is essential in Israel, especially during the High Holiday season of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. It is symbolic for beginning a sweet new year that starts with Rosh HaShanah. There are TENS of different recipes from family recipes to recipes dependent on where your family comes from. My personal recipe comes from my mother that came from her mother, and it’s possible that it came down from generations before her.
Want to give it a try? Just let me know how it turns out!! (It’s okay if it isn’t Rosh HaShanah😊)
Jachnun
Another staple of Israeli food is jachnun. Jachnun is a Yemenite dish, and an Israeli favorite. It is rolled dough, and cooked overnight in the oven, and is a dish that is often served on Shabbat because it can cook without breaking the Jewish Sabbath. Israelis will serve jachnun with a tomato sauce and a spicy sauce. Jachnun is such a popular dish that on kibbutzim, in cities, and in towns. Many Israelis eat from all backgrounds—Eastern European, Yemenite, Iraqi, American, you name it!
Tahini cookie
These cookies are an Israeli classic. Tahini is a sesame sauce that Israelis LOVE to eat. They put it on salad. They put it on vegetables, they put it with chicken and couscous, and they put it in their smoothies. And so, they put in their cookies. It might not sound very good, but tahini cookies are delicious. So go ahead, bake some tahini cookies, and be prepared to be surprised!!
Lubiya Soup
Lubiya soup is a black-eyed lentil soup that Israelis eat especially in the winter season. Sometimes we call the soup Esau’s Soup because tradition says that Jacob gave his brother this soup in exchange for his birthright from Isaac. It is a warm soup, perfect for a cold winter day.
So, when your cold in the winter, try out this soup! And of course, don’t forget to let us know how it turned out!
In conclusion on Israeli food….
Israelis come from all ethnicities from around the world from Iraq to Argentina to South Africa to China. One of the many things that these Jews brought with them was their cuisine and their beloved dishes. What that has created is the mosaic of Israeli cuisine we see today. I’ve mentioned this many times before—Israeli society is a mosaic of ethnicities, religions, and backgrounds. That flows over into the cuisine, meaning that Israeli cuisine is Arabic cuisine, European cuisine, and Jewish cuisine. Why? Because that was Israeli society is—Arabic, European, Jewish, South American, Asian, African, and everything mixed up together. And we can see that in Israeli food with the dishes I mentioned before and much, much more.
