{"id":1566,"date":"2014-06-07T20:40:31","date_gmt":"2014-06-07T20:40:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/?p=1566"},"modified":"2014-06-07T20:40:31","modified_gmt":"2014-06-07T20:40:31","slug":"whats-for-lunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/whats-for-lunch\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s for lunch?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tom Brennan
\nWhat the average Israeli has for lunch (and the rest of the day).<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBehold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. \u201c(Revelation 3:20, NKJV). Food was very important in ancient Israel and much of Scripture speaks of food and eating. In ancient times there were very strict traditions on dining. Men did not eat with women present. You ate with the right hand exclusively. Families ate together and usually from a common dish or with wooden bowls. Bread was the fork knife and spoon. Protein was fish; meat was for special occasions, and for very special ones at that, like Pesach. Being invited to dine with the family meant that you were allowed into a unique and intimate place. When Jesus asked us to let Him in, He was allowing us to become close to Him, as a family member. Today\u2019s Israel seems to be a big family and they share their friendship and some wonderful foods.<\/p>\n

\"Falafel\"<\/a>

Falafel<\/p><\/div>\n

Israel stands at the confluence of East and West, North and South and it seems that all cultures meet here. Jews from the Diaspora brought with them cultures, customs and food and a visitor can sample an entire world in a city block. The average modern Israeli follows his or her ancestors today by starting with a good sized breakfast. The busy day will start with a mixture of salad, olives, breads of different kinds, fruit juices and stronger coffee than many of us are used to drinking. The Mediterranean diet has often been recommended as a healthy decision for most and Israel comes by this naturally. The closeness to fresh vegetables and greens, the best olives in the world and an astounding number of fresh fruits makes this a healthier start than most of us usually see.<\/p>\n

The daily main meal<\/a> is often lunch or a noon to two pm dinner on Feasts and holidays. Here you will see the unique selections of appetizers, main dishes, unique celebration foods, breads and desserts. Appetizers include staples such as tehina and Hummus. Tehina and Hummus are from the Arab countries, Jewish refugees brought this with them. It is a dip for breads with sesame seeds and chickpeas as the base. It is often served as a topping for another Middle Eastern favorite falafel. Falafel<\/a> is everywhere. This is the Israeli equivalent to the fast food burger, only it\u2019s much better for you. Using chick peas as a base it combines other healthy ingredients such as onion, parsley, and crushed wheat, dried hot peppers that are all mixed into a patty or ball and crushed between the leaves of pita bread. Sold on street corners, on-the-go students with small wallets and busy executives grab and go and still eat healthy.<\/p>\n

Tarato soup is a cold soup with yogurt. The Sephardic Jews from Bulgaria, like their cousins from Spain, Portugal and other countries brought recipes like this one with them. This soup is a summer treat for hot Israeli nights when no one wants to (or should have to) cook. Russian immigrants renewed the demand for borscht. This slow cooked nutritious soup will fill the house, heart and stomach with its traditional strength and comfort.<\/p>\n

Kebabs are small hamburgers on a stick. Cooked over a grill they are seasoned and make for a much better meal than microwaved burgers. Shishlik is the most popular to prepare meat in Israel. Small pieces of meat are marinated and arranged on skewers and cooked for satisfaction. Whether beef or lamb, the aroma will be irresistible.<\/p>\n

Salads are daily delights in Israel. The rich agricultural lands provide possibly the best selection of vegetables and fruits and Israelis put them to good use. Ingredients for popular salads include avocado, carrots, and green pepper and now eggs in tomato sauce called shakshouka. This North African dish has local variants all of which deserve a try. There\u2019s never a dull moment in Israeli kitchens or at the dinner table.<\/p>\n

\"Hummus\"<\/a>

Hummus<\/p><\/div>\n

When you are invited to coffee, as you will be, sponge cake will be served. It will probably have fresh strawberries and jelly and whipped cream as well. Coffee break time in Israel is special and it is something to look forward to and appreciate. Another traditional cake is rugelach. Israel as a nation observes Shabbat, the 7th day Sabbath. Shabbat begins at sunset Friday and ends on sunset Saturday. Work ends for most except for the essential services and those who protect The Land like the brave men and women of the IDF. Food is gathered Friday afternoon to enjoy on this day of worship and rest. The aroma of rugelach, a mixture of fruit jams baked in a rich crust entice busy Israelis into shops to purchase these freshly made delicacies. Because they are small, almost like cookies, there never seem to be enough of them. When you visit be sure to find where to go and get them and what time to get in line.<\/p>\n

Kichlach has a special meaning for some special people. Israel requires that its citizens enlist in a branch of the IDF at 18. Not only does this connect new immigrants with Sabras (the native-born Israelis) but helps keep them mindful of the necessity of vigilance and patriotism. They are on duty for set periods and packages from home keep their morale at its best. Kichlach (Yiddish for cookies) is simple and homemade and enough are always sent for sharing.<\/p>\n

Coffee in Israel<\/a> is as strong and vital as the first Kibbutzniks. Strong Turkish blends are prepared in a traditional feenjan, a coffee pot with a handle on the side and flare base. The ingredients include large amounts of sugar and cardamom pods. Coffee is a tradition and social event for Israelis and they take it seriously, it\u2019s not your average \u201ccup of Joe\u201d gulped down in the car. But Israel is not your average country either.<\/p>\n

There are special foods for Pesach (Passover) Hanukkah and other days unique to Jewish traditions worldwide. Visiting Israel has opportunities to share 3,500 years of celebrating life. Le\u2019Chaim to you.<\/p>\n

\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"rss\"<\/a>\"youtube\"<\/a>\"flickr\"<\/a>\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"rss\"<\/a>\"youtube\"<\/a>\"flickr\"<\/a><\/div>Follow News from JerusalemShare this page with your friends
\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Tom Brennan What the average Israeli has for lunch (and the rest of the day). \u201cBehold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. \u201c(Revelation 3:20, NKJV). Food was very important in more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[131],"tags":[246,245,75,625,247,244,631,125],"class_list":{"0":"post-1566","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israeli-life","8":"tag-falafel","9":"tag-hummus","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-israeli-news","12":"tag-israeli-cusine","13":"tag-israeli-food","14":"tag-israeli-life","15":"tag-news-from-jerusalem","16":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1566"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1571,"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1566\/revisions\/1571"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}