I have now been to Israel six times. Each time has offered me a completely different experience.
Given that I am now open and honest about my love affair with grub, I owed it to myself to experience the culinary scene, with a new perspective. And I loved every bite. Check out my top five reasons why I fell in love with Israeli grub.
Given that I am now open and honest about my love affair with grub, I owed it to myself to experience the culinary scene, with a new perspective. And I loved every bite. Check out my top five reasons why I fell in love with Israeli grub.
On Trend | From fast food, to wedding food to the food at the bus station, the food in Israel is cool. From trendy marketing to beautiful presentation, I was amazed at how every single eatery seemed to understand modern eating. Servers and cooks educated us about the food we were eating and were always able to tell us where the ingredients came from and how things were cooked. |
Healthy | One of the things that stuck out to me the most was how fresh the produce was. Israel has a huge agriculture industry and most of the produce used comes from within the country. Restaurants boast about the products they use and where they are sourced. It is the norm, not the exception, to have all ingredients made on-site (like pasta) and like all Mediterranean diets, dishes are loaded with veggies and healthy fats. |
Flavourful | The number one take away from this trip was to pay more attention to flavour. Israelis love spice and incorporate them into simple dishes to create flavour explosions in your mouth. Particularly, I discovered how well you can jazz up a sandwich by adding a tapenade or some tangy hummus and definitely some pesto instead of sauces. Throw some sauteed veggies into the mix, and you can make the most boring protein come alive. |
Fresh Ingredients | A quintessential part of any trip to Israel means stopping in the shuk (market). In Tel Aviv, we went every morning for breakfast - fresh fruits and veggies, herbs, cheeses, meats and fish from Israeli farms and kibbutzim. The sights and smells of fresh food was so exciting for someone who is used to big-box grocery stores. The freshness of the produce, the spices and proteins are translated into food once prepared. It is undeniable that even popular Israeli fast food chains have made a name for themselves, particularly among North American tourists, who are not used to food that is so fresh and local. |
Kosher | Being a kosher foodie in a city like Toronto is hard. The food scene in Israel hails in comparison and it's about time that our community begin to provide more quality and better food. Being in Israel and eating kosher proved that kosher food doesn't have to suck. Kosher food can be trendy, healthy, fresh and delicious! |