Should I shakshuka? Sure, why not?
It’s not a dance, although it could be. It’s not a type of dress, and it certainly isn’t a cuss word.
Shakshuka is what you can have for breakfast in Israel, a dish served in the skillet it’s cooked in, eggs poached on a bed of tomatoes, olives, peppers, onions and garlic, spiced as you like with paprika, cayenne and cumin.
The word means “shake up (Hebrew)” or “mixed up (Arabic),” an exotic, savory halo-halo, if you will. Its origins are supposedly North African, Tunisian specifically, or some say Yemeni.
I first had it in a little hotel in downtown Tel Aviv, where breakfast was served in the cramped lobby with three little tables-for-two. I’m not that adventurous an eater so I approached this with caution, but was quickly won over; it wasn’t too exotically spicy, perhaps toned down for touristy tastes. With bread to sop up the sauce, it was a very hearty meal that sustained me till dinner.
Doctor Shakshuka (aka Bino Gabso) holds court in the center of the Jaffa flea market. He’s gained international fame, a sort of YouTube and Instagram sensation. My friend Mia and I ran over while waiting for our ride to check it out, and lucky for us the “doctor” was in; sad to say though we didn’t have time to sample his many versions.
Falafel is touted to be Israel’s national dish. At the risk of being declared persona non grata, I have to say I am not a fan of these chickpea fritters. Give me a shawarma wrap anytime, preferably lamb (beef and chicken are also available). When hunger pangs strike when you’re walking around any city in Israel, look out for a shawarma stall, usually unpretentious, with that stack of thinly sliced meat slowly rotating in front of the heat source.
On order, meat is shaved off the stack with a long, formidable-looking knife and put into a pita or wrap with your choice of condiments (lettuce, tomatoes, pickles) and sauces (hummus, tahini, garlic). It is surely enough to energize you for the rest of your walking – or shopping – tour.
Make sure you do a lot of walking when you’re in Israel, so you can justify all the eating you’ll be doing. From sidewalk stalls to fancy restaurants, from private homes (if you’re lucky enough to snag an invite) to open-air eateries, rich, hardy and flavorful culinary delights await.
In off-the-beaten-track city of Ramle, in central Israel between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the shuk (outdoor market) offered a couple of pleasant surprises. Our guide Sergey – so full of surprises, most of them good! – treated us to burekas, a puff pastry filled with spinach (yum!) or cheese, with sides of fiery chilis and gherkins, washed down with fresh lemonade, perfect on a 40ºC morning.
The lemonade was served up by an elderly gentleman with a contraption based on the laws of physics that would put Cusinart to shame; look at the photo as no description would do it justice.
This trip I had a disappointing shakshuka at a place that will not be named (can’t believe shakshuka could ever be bland, but it was, with the eggs overcooked), but at the wonderful Biazi Hotel in Jerusalem, Mimi Biazi had cooked the shakshuka at home the night before and brought it over for breakfast, with Rosette poaching the eggs then baking the dish to perfection. I wanted to doggie-bag the leftover portion, but discretion won over takaw.
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Mimi and Rosette whipped up wonderful salads, using all kinds of fresh greens, cabbages, mushrooms and fruits, toasted sesame seeds and pine nuts, with dressings conjured (no measurements, just pour and taste) out of olive oil, honey, date syrup, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper…I’m sure there was some secret magic ingredient in there that made the salads sing high hallelujahs.
There were breads (Rosette’s baked pita with zataar – a Middle Eastern spice blend – was amazing) and cheeses, butter and jams (oh, the figs!), home-made granola with yogurt.
And all that just for breakfast!
It is de rigueur to have St. Peter’s fish when you visit the Sea of Galilee. The shores of the lake are lined with eateries, some fancier than others. Whatever else you order, tilapia – which is what St. Peter’s fish is, but much larger than what we have here – must be on the menu. It’s usually fried, to a nice crisp if you’re lucky, with some tasty sauces.
We found ourselves at Deck’s, with a table right by the pier where an hour and a half later we would board our fishing boat. As in most other places where we had a meal, the breads and dips were wonderful; here they had what we were told was onion “bread” – a block of fried onion rings, which came with a knife stabbed in the center and a spicy barbecue flavored dip. A host of salads accompanied the fish, and I was so full I can’t even remember what the desserts were!
A full day in old Jerusalem might not be enough time to visit all the significant places and fully appreciate their import and impact, especially if you have to contend with the lines that inevitably form at the major sites like the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
When you need a respite, look for the Austrian Pilgrim Hospice along the Via Dolorosa (near the 3rd and 4th Stations of the Cross), the oldest Christian guesthouse in the Holy City, founded in 1854 by the Archbishop of Vienna. Emperor Franz Josef I visited in 1869, after participating in the opening of the Suez Canal.
Head to the roof deck for an expansive view of the old city, then go back down to Café Triest and have what many consider the best apple strudel in town, enjoyed leisurely with a cup of their exquisite coffee. There in the quiet ambience of the charming café, we wrote our prayers on little slips of paper to insert into the Western Wall, our next stop.
They have other traditional Austrian fare like schnitzel and sachertorte, but that strudel will linger in your taste memory and follow you all the way home.