Israeli cuisine has been the hottest food trend in recent times and there’s never been a better time to visit the country to experience first-hand why the country is garnering such high praise despite having a population of roughly nine million people. We visited three key cities in Israel recently to ascertain the culinary facts.
Jerusalem
Being such a crucial religious site, there’s no getting away from the importance of Israel’s capital. The old city has countless historic monuments from the Western Wall, the site of Judaism’s most sacred site to the church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the purported tomb of Jesus is housed. But it is also where you will discover numerous hidden gems, especially in The Shuk where there are food stalls aplenty.
Widely regarded as the best hummus in the old city, if not in the country, Arafat hummus continues to draw in the crowds. Their hummus is less blended, so you can readily taste the quality of their chickpeas. It is also the place to buy tahini at the Al Jebrini tahini factory. They use a sesame mill with traditional methods and have been around for around 150 years.
The main foodie neighbourhood that locals and tourists gravitate towards is Mahane Yehuda Market. There are over 250 vendors that sell anything from fruits and vegetables to more specialist items like imported cheese at Basher Fromagerie (they’ve even opened an outlet in trendy Sarona Market in Tel Aviv).
The best way to learn of and sample the region’s cuisine is to book a cookery workshop along with a tour of the market, which you can book directly from their website. Alternatively, if you want to immerse yourself in local culture, you can book a culinary workshop in the Yemenit Valley in popular Ein Kerem and learn how to make Yemenite bread whilst understanding how immigration has played a vital role in enriching Israel’s gastronomic culture. You’ll also be supporting female entrepreneurs to develop stronger bonds in the community.
There are similar schemes with the Druze community elsewhere in the country where you can stay with the host and learn about a less well-known culture.
Akko
This UNESCO World Heritage Site and former Crusader city might not be on everyone’s radar, but the well-preserved old city walls and secretive tunnels have a certain Dubrovnik vibe that is increasingly covered by the mainstream media.
The Templars Tunnel and The Turkish Bathhouse might be popular with tourists, but it is their food scene that is most fascinating. There is Hummus El-Abed Abu Hamid, commonly referred to as ‘the blue restaurant’, which is run with loving care by Arin. Her hummus is another contender for the best in the country and is served with samna (clarified butter) and baharat. She serves traditional Akko cuisine, which does include seafood, but it is her vegetarian dishes that truly excel.
On the other end of the scale, you couldn’t get more modern than El Marsa restaurant, a European-style seafood restaurant and Sama bar, which is an all-glass rooftop bar in the centre of town. Yes, a bar that serves alcohol in the old part of town which is 95% Muslim – you could call co-owner Mohamed Bargout either a risk-taker or a pioneer. The cocktails are as on-trend as any you’ll find in the top bars of London and the top Arabic tunes are danced to by music lovers of all religions.
Not far from Akko is also the pioneering Tulip winery. They’ve managed to not only make kosher wine sexy but also do this in a socially responsible manner, by employing people from neighbouring Kfar Tikva, which is a pastoral settlement for people with additional needs. Their Maia line of wines is the first to introduce a lighter red wine to the Israeli palate, which has traditionally opted for fuller reds.
Tel Aviv
The party capital of the Middle East is also where you will find my favourite restaurant in Israel – Aria. The menu is multicultural, eclectic, and it’s what modern Israel is all about. Where else will you get a menu that contains Iranian Kofta and Uzbek Shrimp? Dishes are executed with expert precision and deserving of a Michelin star if the guide operated in Israel.
Tel Aviv also has the original seafood specialist restaurant in the form of beachfront Manta Ray. You can sample the very best bouillabaisse here and even order Guillardeau oysters. Try and catch the owner, restaurateur Ofra Ganor, who is a Tel Aviv institution and she’ll happily welcome you like family. There’s been plenty of talk about who produces the best hummus, but my vote goes to Falafel Hakosem. It’s lusciously creamy, it has just the right balance between tahini and chickpeas and there’s no wonder the queues continue to form despite opening back in 2001.
To solidify their gastronomic credentials even further, they’ve recently opened the Asif Culinary Institute with a library containing over 2,000 titles in English, Hebrew and Arabic. They will be running guided tours of the centre, where you can see their rooftop herb garden and find out about their work, where they’ve run events, such as tasting 3D printed steaks and trying grasshopper falafels.
Another place to visit is Carmel open-air market. Unlike Mahane Yehuda Market, this market does sell other items like clothing, but interspersed between those stores are very hip food stalls, like La Esquina Taqueria and Panda Pita.
The nightlife is an unmissable part of the Tel Aviv experience. Arranging a nightlife tour is the best way to check out some of the secret hidden gems. There are some bars like Clavis Club which has no advertising or street signage. Only members with a key will be given the updated password to enter the bar on Facebook (or they might consider letting you in, if you mention you’ve read this article). Some of the clubs like Kuli Alma and Bavel are not just nightclubs but also exhibition spaces.
Factbox
For the most up-to-date information on travelling to Israel, visit israel.travel
