Food in Israel

Israeli food is very hard to understand.  Because Israel is a country of immigrants, its food is also a melting pot of various styles and influences.  Israeli culture consists of many sub-divisions, and so does Israeli food.  However one thing is for certain – Israeli food is considered to be very good, versatile and savory.  An outsider might not understand how popular Israeli food can be hamburgers on the one hand and Kurd Kubbe soup on the other.  In the next few paragraphs we shall try and explain:

Street food in Israel

Street food in Israel is both abundant, cheap and very tasty.  Just walking down any street in the country makes the mouth water due to a storm of tastes, smells and sights.  Israeli street food consists of the famous falafel and humus dishes but also various pastries (savory or sweet), bureks of many kinds, sandwiches, shawarma (giro), fresh juice stands and much much more.  Our advice to the unwary tourist to Israel – try it all.  It is usually of good quality and rather cheap.  Just remember to watch out for the calorie and leave room for some proper meals…  Another tip for you would be to try and buy a dish where you see many people crowding.  This is usually a good sign of quality and freshness.

Arab food in Israel

Arab cuisine is probably some of the best tasting food in the world.  Arab food consists of natural, fresh ingredients.  A typical Arab dish consists of vegetables, various fresh and cooked salads and meat (lamb and chicken).  Druze food is sometimes confused to be Arab food, but it is somewhat different.  Traditional Druze cooking takes advantage of all that can be found in the fields around the Druze villages – mainly in the northern part of Israel.  A typical Druze dish is pitta bread with sour cheese (called “Labane”) that can be bought in the villages or around them by highway street vendors.  Druze food also consists of great herbal bureks and a sort of chicken that is stuffed and cooked underground.  Mmmm….

Ethnic food in Israel

Kurd food, Polish (“Jewish”) food, Romanian food, Bulgarian food, Yemenite food, Iraqi food, Persian food, Russian food, Georgian food, Moroccan food – These are just examples of the ethnic dishes that can be found in Israel, if you know where to look.  And prices are always low.  You can have a hearty ethnic meal for two for as little as $15-20.

Kosher food in Israel

Many readers have probably heard of Kosher food.  Kosher is a Jewish term that describes that food has met the criteria set by religious officials.  “Halak” is the Muslim parallel of Kosher.  Basically it is the same.  Most places (yet not all) in Israel are Kosher.  If this is important to you, you can inquire by asking to see the Kosher certificate.  Arab places are ususaly not Kosher, of course.