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Israeli Food and Drink: A Culinary Adventure
Israel is filled with tremendous historic sights, from Biblical places and Roman ruins to Crusader castles and splendid museums. But don’t forget to sample the wonderful, exotic, and often healthy Israeli cuisine during your stay. The food and drink make for another adventure in themselves. The diverse flavors of food in Israel reflect a mix of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences; you can sample foods from all over the region on a trip here.
All of the food and drink below should be easy to find in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. Keep reading for our guide to some of the best examples of Israeli food and drink to experience during your tour of the country.
Israeli Breakfast
Start off your day right with the classic Israeli breakfast, which is so big and filling you might not need to eat again until dinner. It’s common in Israeli restaurants and originated on a collective farm called a kibbutz.
The Israeli breakfast consists of an assortment of fruits and vegetables, breads, egg, cheeses, smoked or pickled fish, and pastries. There may be some yogurt topped with oats too. There’s no meat, though.
It’s often served with coffee and juice as well.
Falafel
Falafel, which is basically deep-fried balls of mashed chickpeas and herbs, is the national dish of Israel. Furthermore, it’s a popular dish throughout the Middle East. We don’t know for sure where it originated, but Egypt is a strong possibility.
In Israel, it’s common to eat falafel in a pita sandwich with hummus, vegetables, and tahini sauce, along with aubergine sometimes. You can easily find it in Israeli restaurants, and it’s also a cheap and filling street food.
Hummus
Hummus is everywhere in Israel, so will almost certainly be on the menu when you look at a restaurant menu. Hummus is made mostly from ground-up chickpeas mixed with olive oil, tahini, and maybe a bit of garlic and lemon juice. It’s a popular side dish and goes especially well with warm pita bread, but some locals will eat it by itself. It’s probably much fresher in Israel than what you’ll find at the grocery store at home.
In Israel, it’s often served with boiled chickpeas mixed in, which makes for an interesting texture. It’s also common to eat it with raw onions, in addition to the pita bread. Some hummus variations include pine nuts, cumin, paprika, or ground meat too.
Tahini
Made from sesame seeds, olive oil, lemon, and other herbs and spices, tahini is a popular Israeli dipping sauce. This is another good side dish. Put it on pita bread or eat it with falafel and hummus.
Halva
Halva is a traditional Israeli dessert, made from nut butter, sugar, and tahini sauce. This heavy, crumbly treat makes for a delicious snack.
Shawarma
Not just in Israel, but throughout much of the Mediterranean, giant kebabs rotating on a spit are commonplace. This is shawarma, and is typically a big cut of lamb, chicken, turkey, or veal. It goes well with vegetables, hummus, tahini, and other sides.
Fuul
Fuul is similar to hummus, but based on fava beans instead of chickpeas. It’s often thicker with cumin, onions, and herbs.
Baklava
Baklava didn’t originate in Israel (it’s probably Ottoman Turkish), but it’s a great sweet treat that’s easy to find and enjoy during your visit to the country. This dessert is made from layers of filo pastry, chopped nuts, and honey. You can find many varieties of it in Jerusalem and throughout the Levant and Maghreb.
Nuts
You’ll see a wide range of nuts, including pistachios, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and more in Jerusalem’s shops.
Medjool Dates
Medjool dates can be another sweet addition to your meals in Israel. These giant dates are brown and tender, with a sweet caramel taste. They’re also rich in fiber and antioxidants and have some good nutrients like iron, magnesium, and potassium, so are a healthy choice when eaten in moderation. Just watch out for the seeds and the many calories. Native to Morocco, they’re also grown in Israel and the United States.
Pomegranate Juice
Technically it isn’t a food, but the freshly squeezed pomegranate and orange juice you can get on the street in Israel is so good this drink makes the cut. I find the pomegranate juice by itself to be a little too tart, but mixing it with orange juice makes it an especially delicious way to wash down one or more of the foods above.
More Sightseeing Opportunities in Israel
The food and drink above are part of the tourist experience in Israel, and they’re fuel for lots of other interesting sightseeing opportunities. If you’d like to know more about excursions and the best things to see and do in the country, check out some of our other articles. You have many options.
Jerusalem is loaded with famous historic sights, including the Dome of the Rock and Temple Mount, as well as a variety of incredible history museums.
Consider taking a day trip to the fortress of Herod at Masada and combine it with a swim in the super salty waters of the Dead Sea.
For more Roman ruins, think about seeing the famous port city of Caesarea, named in honor of Emperor Caesar Augustus, on Israel’s coast by the Mediterranean Sea.
Or visit Beit Shean (Bet She’an), the Roman-Byzantine city, as well as the Crusader Fortress at Belvoir (also known as Jordan Star National Park) in the northern part of the country.
