As earlier said, Israel is a land of immigrants thanks to the Jews who migrated to the Promised Land from all over the world. Each brought their food habits, which were later adapted to suit the ingredients available in the newly formed country. Dishes were also modified to make the most of the food rations imposed in the early days of Israel when the country had to cope with the huge influx of migrants.
Jewish cuisine is guided by strict dietary restrictions and laws that dictate what foods are acceptable and how food must be prepared. These rules are called Kosher and derived from the Torah.
Israeli cuisine varies depending on the migrant communities that came to the Promised Land. For instance, Ashkenazi cuisine involves cooking traditions developed by Jews from Central, Eastern, Northwestern, and Northern Europe. Some popular Ashkenazi dishes include borscht, bagels, offal dishes, potato kugel and latkes, pastries, and matzo balls.
The Sephardic Jews are people with roots in Spain, Portugal, Africa, and the Middle East and migrated to the Promised Land during the 15th century. Popular dishes of the Sephardic Jews include bourekas, matbucha, shakshuka, chraime, couscous, and dolmades.
The Mizrahi Jews are immigrants from the Middle East, including Yemen, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Bahrain. Their popular dishes include ghormeh sabzi, sambuca, ark Cruz, shifta, challah, lavash, and pilafs.
Some iconic dishes you will try as part of our Israel tour packages include;