Page 27 - Holyland Magazine - 2021 Edition
P. 27

Authentic Middle Eastern Cuisine

At Sarona Market. Photo: kitchener.lord  chili peppers, onions and a medley of spices.      infused dressing. It’s normally presented as
                                         Shakshuka, which is Arabic for 'mixture,' is       part of a meze platter. Fattoush, which can
                                         believed to have both Yemeni and Ottoman           be served as either a side or main dish, is
                                         Turkish roots, yet made its way to Israel from     a Lebanese bread salad made from toasted
                                         the Lybian-Tunisian region. A healthy choice       flat bread, greens and vegetables including
                                         on any menu, the dish is often served with         tomatoes and radishes, commonly drizzled
                                         inventive flair in variations such as ‘green       with a sumac vinaigrette for an extra kick
                                         Shakshuka’ made with a mix of greens,              of flavor.
                                         and a Mediterranean style presentation with
                                         Greek feta.                                        Tahini & Halva

                                         Sabich                                             A trip to Israel is incomplete without the
                                                                                            irresistible tastes of tahini and halva. Tahini, an
                                         The ultimate street food and lunch time            ancient spread that has been around for 7000
                                         favorite for Israelis, Sabich is a scrumptious     years and consumed globally, is made from
                                         combination of fried eggplant, hard boiled         sesame seeds, which, when ground correctly,
                                         eggs, salads, amba (sweet and spicy mango          produce a deliciously creamy side dish, dip or
                                         sauce) and a hearty helping of tahini, stuffed     topping. Halva is a crumbly confection with
                                         inside a freshly baked pita. Traditionally the     origins spanning the Middle East, Central Asia
                                         Sabbath morning breakfast of Iraqi Jews, Israel    and even as far as India and North Africa,
                                         has made its own mark on Sabich, especially        made from one of more ingredients including
                                         among Tel Avivians who will line up daily at the   semolina, nut or seed butters. In Israel, it
                                         local street vendors and hole in the wall cafes    is more commonly produced from sesame
                                         which churn out sabich to crowds of hungry         seeds, infused with sugar syrup and egg
                                         regulars.                                          whites. Stocked fresh throughout the country’s
                                                                                            local markets, huge slabs of halva are available
                                         Jachnun                                            in all variety of flavors, from pistachio and
                                                                                            chocolate marble, to creative inventions with
                                         The crumbly ‘Yemenite Sabbath bread’ is an         ginger, cardamom and rose oil.
                                         overnight labor of love, baked from a specially
                                         prepared dough brushed with butter and             Popular treats among Israelis, found in almost
                                         rolled into a stick. Historically, the dough was   all supermarkets, include Bamba, peanut-
                                         cooked slowly to allow for observant Jews to       butter flavored puffed maize bites which
                                         eat something hot on the Sabbath morning.          account for over 25 percent of the country’s
                                         Although Jachnun is not often home-cooked,         snack market. There’s also Bissli, a crunchy
                                         the flaky bread-like pastry is a popular buy at    wheat snack produced in flavors of grill, onion,
                                         the local markets, traditionally plated alongside  barbeque, pizza, falafel and Mexican, shaped
                                         hard-boiled eggs, tomato and spicy cilantro        as squares, twists, tubes and hoops. And if
                                         ‘zhug’.                                            you’re lucky enough to find it, Krembo! The
                                                                                            marshmallow dome coated in chocolate,
                                         Tabbouleh & Fattoush                               similar to the Scottish tea cake and Danish
                                                                                            flødebolle, flies off the shelves during winter.
                                         Two very popular salads in Israel are Tabbouleh    Sold only from October to February, demand
                                         and Fattoush. Tabbouleh is a Levantine dish        for Krembo increases year upon year – so grab
                                         consisting of finely chopped parsley with          it if you can!
                                         tomatoes, onion, mint, bulgur and an olive oil

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