The Colorful Diverse Foods of Israel
The Colorful Diverse Foods of IsraelIsrael has come a long way from its third-iteration as a sovereign country back on May 14, 1948. The country prides itself on its intellectual property, creating some of the world’s most commonly used technology that powers many of our daily appliances, computers, and devices. Israel has also developed key agricultural technology that is now powering many parts of the world including drip irrigation, precision agriculture through data-drive technology, fighting diseases that affect farming all over the world, innovation in creating plants that are disease resistant, innovation in food packaging to make food last longer, as well as alternative, sustainable protein sources that are alternative to traditional meat, poultry, and fish. Israel has transformed the tiny dessert and swam infested Holy Land in the early 20th century into a modern, 1st world country, that has become an agriculture and technology powerhouse.
But what you may not know is that Israel has one of the best variety of cuisines, and has become a culinary haven for vegetarians and vegans in addition to meat eaters. Israelis love food. In fact, when you travel to Israel you will notice that restaurants and coffee shops are often busy throughout the day. Tel Aviv, Israel’s second largest city (after Jerusalem) is the quintessential “city that doesn’t sleep”. You’ll find it a vibrant city for gourmet experiences. The varied population in Israel from all around the world has contributed to a very fertile and diverse culinary variety of food. In recent years, several locations have opened in Israel showcasing only food vendors, including Sarona Market in Tel Aviv.
The farmers markets (Shuk, in Hebrew) in Israel are filled every day with fresh fruits, vegetables, an enormous variety of spices, cookies, cakes, breads, and so much more on top of all the amazing variety of food at local supermarkets and neighborhood markets. If you get a chance to visit Israel, Friday dash to the farmers market will tantalize every bit of your taste buds with a variety of ready-made foods all around the country, just in time for Shabbat (Sabbath), Judaism’s day of rest on the seventh day of the week which start on Friday at Sunset and ends on Saturday at Sunset. 
Israelis generally enjoy a plant-based rich Mediterranean diet. However, Israelis love meat, chicken, and fish. Israel has seen a culinary transformation in the last 2 decades away from the mode dominant and pervasive influence of Eastern European cuisine and North African cuisine into a rich variety of food that has had the unique fingerprint of Israel. When you arrive in Israel, you will be able to enjoy food from practically the whole world, whether Mexican, Italian, Argentinian, French, Indian, each using local variety of food and spices to make a unique results of delicious food. The fish restaurants in Israel are off the charts, servicing fresh local fish with a variety of salads and sides that are refillable. If there is one thing that is quintessential and unique to food from Israel, it would be the Israeli Breakfast. This unique gourmet experience is unlike any you’ll find anywhere in the world. Israeli breakfast is made up of eggs of any kind (usually sunny side up or omelets) together with small portions of a variety of cheeses, guacamole, tuna salad, jams, Israel’s amazing coffee, and of course, Israeli salad which has 6 simple ingredients: chopped cucumber, chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, quality olive oil, lemon juice, and salt to taste.
Israel is also known for its variety of delicious hot and cold coffees including latte, cappuccino, macchiato, and others. The preferred coffee of most of the older generation in Israel is called “Kafe Afuch” (upside down coffee), which is a latte using hot or cold milk. You can get an amazing tasting coffee even in local gas stations. Israelis like to have coffee throughout the day, usually in the morning and afternoon with a piece of pastry.
Let us not forget about the Israeli national food, the falafel which is unlike any other. Israelis have also incorporated a lot of Middle Eastern influence including hummus and tahini. Israel truly has a very diverse and varied types of food and cuisines. If you’re looking for a culinary travel experience, Israel is a place to visit.
Shalom ve lehit’ra’ot שלום ולהתראות (Hello and see you soon), and most importantly Bon Appetit בתיאבון.
The following is just a small sample of the incredible variety of foods you’ll find in Israel:
