Israeli Food

Israeli Food
A Virtual Culinary Tour in Jerusalem
Link to Map
Independence day
Caveat: Kosher Restaurants
Basic Kosher rules:
● Can’t eat dairy products and meat products
together. Everything else (including fish) is
called “Parve” and can be combined with
either dairy or meat.
● No pork, no shellfish.
Kosher Restaurants (and many other venues)
are closed on Sabbath, which is roughly from
sunset Friday till sunset Saturday. Check before
you go!
Mahane Yehuda
Market
Halva: Confection made of
sesame seeds. Very sweet!
Olives: Feel free to try
some before buying
Martsipan Bakery
Rogalach
Sweet pastry
with chocolate
or cinnamon
Turkish Burekas
Served with tomato
sauce, hard boiled egg.
Burekas
Balkan savory pastry
with various fillings such
as potatoes, cheese,
mushrooms etc.
The shape usually implies
the filling.
Around the Market
Nahla’ot
The Iraqi
market
Hummus Basics
Hummus
Cooked
chickpeas
T’hina
Olive oil
Parsley
Hard boiled
egg
Pickles
Onion
“Fool”
beans
Pita
Pinati
Serving Hummus, Kube (recommended)
and other Israeli food
Kube: Semolina dumplings filled with
ground beef (coming mainly from Iraq). Can
be cooked in a soup or fried.
Kube Hamusta (cooked in a lemony soup)
Kube Selek (cooked in beet soup)
Fried Kube
Babette
Belgian Waffle, Hot Chocolate
Perfect for a
cool Jerusalem
evening!
Tmol Shilshom
A restaurant named after Agnon’s story
features dining among books, and plates
ornamented with quotes.
It is located in Nahalat Shiv’a, the third
Jewish neighborhood built outside the
city walls in the 19th century.
Lavan in the Cinematheque
Nice restaurant with a great view of the old city walls from the balcony.
The Cinematheque is a special cinema for quality films, not necessarily recent,
including many Israeli and foreign films.
View from the Footbridge
(above the Cinematheque)
The old city walls, tower
of David and Dormition
abbey
Mount Zion hotel
YMCA and King
David hotel
Mishkenot Sha’ananim, the windmill and Yemin Moshe
Other Places to Eat in Jerusalem
Ein Karem: A picturesque
village in the skirts of
Jerusalem with some
Christian sites. Nice to
walk around, has several
restaurants.
The German colony (Emek Refa’
im street): An area with
impressive old houses and plenty
of eating options, mainly kosher.
“Lev Smadar” cinema shows
quality movies in a friendly
atmosphere.
Gaza street: Several
restaurants and bars
along the street. The
prime minister’s
residence is at the high
end of the street.
Nahalat Shiv’a: The third
neighborhood built outside
the city walls in the 19th
century. Currently full of
restaurants and bars, some
kosher and some not.
More Israeli food you should try
(just ask Israelis you know)
Falafel (obviously)
Expect to be asked what you
want inside the pita.
Tomatoes
Salad
Spicy
White
cabbage
Hummus
Red
cabbage
Not in the picture: pickles etc.
Don’t forget the T’hina on top!
Shawarma
Pieces of meat (most commonly turkey or lamb) grilled on a vertical rotating
spit, and shaved for serving. Served in a Pita or Lafa (which is like a wrap but
thicker) with the usual toppings: Hummus, T’hina, vegetables and also fries.
Arab/Druze Food
Pita with Labaneh: Pita (an Arab
version which is thinner and
larger than regular Pita, and has
no pocket) made on a round
metal surface (Saj) over a fire
and then rolled with Labaneh
(sour soft cheese), olive oil and
Za’atar (spice)
Baklawa: A very
sweet desert of
various shpaes and
forms, usually made
with phyllo dough,
sugar, honey, rose
water, nuts and
pistachios
Stuffed Stuff
Vegetables stuffed with rice and spices, with or without ground beef
Stuffed cabbage
(east European)
Stuffed grape leaves
(various origins)
Stuffed pepper
(various origins)
North African Origin
Couscous: Cooked Semolina
grains usually served with
cooked vegetables
Shakshuka: A dish made of eggs,
tomatoes, onion and peppers.
Usually served for breakfast or
dinner with bread for dipping
Yemenite Origin
Malawah (left) and Jahnoon (right) are both made of the same kind of
dough, folded over and over to create thin layers. The Malawah is then
fried or baked, while the Jahnoon is rolled and slow-baked in a pot.
Both are served with tomato sauce, hard boiled egg and spicy sauce (s’hug).
Jahnoon is a common dish for Saturday morning, since one can start
cooking it before the Sabbath starts.
Eggplant!
Israel is a heaven for eggplant lovers, as it is common in many dishes
and served in many forms. It goes well with either Labaneh or T’hina
(below), and is also common as a spread (called eggplant salad) with
either T’hina, mayonnaise or by itself.
Summer Fruit in Israel
Bon Appetite!