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Showing posts from 2008

Israeli street food – the magnificent and humble boureka

The square shape of the bourekas tells us that they are filled with a potato filling One does not have to spend a long time in Israel to get your first introduction to a boureka. These savory stuffed pastries are everywhere You'll find them for breakfast in hotel dining halls, in countless bakeries and coffee shops, on picnics and even at restaurants that only serve bourekas. They are often eaten in Israeli homes as part of a 'light' or diary meal in the evenings. (Most households in Israel usually serve the large cooked meal at lunchtime.) More often than not, bourekas are also an integral part of the wonderful Friday or Shabbat brunch table. To be really honest however, you basically eat a boureka whenever you encounter one. They are that irresistible. If you stop to grab a quick coffee at a coffee shop, the comforting smell of the bourekas will convince you to upgrade to a 'café ve'ma afe' (coffee + pastry). Wandering through street markets, the sight of fres

The only way to eat sweet potatoes.

We are always running around looking for "fun" things to do or exciting places to go, that one sometimes forget that you are living life right here. Right now, right here where you are, with your hair uncombed and wearing your big and comfy jeans A small gesture this week just brought this fact into sharp focus again for me. I work in a kindergarten with barely enough time to scratch my head, never mind stopping to smell the roses. Out of the blue one of my colleagues handed me a little plate and said, "Taste this." The plate was one of those plastic ones that you get to eat from if you work in a kindergarten and "this" that I had to taste was heaven. Two slices of baked sweet potato with chopped rosemary and olive oil. The sweetness of the sweet potato comes out beautifully when you bake it. Mixing it with rosemary and olive oil was like a divine rhapsody . I am sure that thousands of people, if not hundreds of thousands of people make their sw

One of my Favorite Hang-outs in Israel, the veggie market!

One of my Favorite Hang-outs in Israel by Marina Shemesh Every decent city in Israel got a fruit and vegetable market. Our nearest one is in Hadera . You have to be a bit brave to enter a market. It used to be a favourite hangout for suicide bombers here in Israel. But the markets are usually well guarded and everyone knows that you keep your eyes peeled for anybody wearing an over- large parka, or somebody that seems out of place. That is not so easy to do. Markets are very popular and all the different population groups in Israel can be found at the markets. Here in Hadera most of the stalls belong to Kafkhazi's . Apparently it is one of the small states inside Russia that have not gained i ndependence yet. Then you get the Gruzini's , they are from Georgia. Russians from Russia or the Ukraine. Ethiopians . Tai's and Philippians who came as guest workers. Jews and Arabs and one South-African (me!). I noticed The strawberries were very cheap. Four shekels for

Buying a fridge

Yesterday we all went to go and buy a fridge for my mother-in-law. By "all" I mean me, my husband, my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law. Quite a crowd, I agree. We went to the nearest city of Hadera because somebody's cousin's friend said that they have good deals there. I planned on a nice and quiet morning of writing but when my husband asked for the third time if I am coming, I knew I am in for a boring morning. Unmarried people do not have an idea about spousal duties. Everthing was wrong was the fridge I liked, it was too small, it is the wrong colour and the freezer part is at the bottom, not the top. Whatever, it is not my fridge. The brother-in-law had more of an idea what she likes. It has to be big so that the pots can fit inside. Israeli's like to cook and then stick everything pot and all for later when you are hungry. Then you just take out the pot and stick it on the gas. This is home cooking. You do get freshly cooked food, but not often. A

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The wild mustard flowers of Israel

The wild mustard is growing yellow and everywhere in Israel at the moment. But not the kind of mustard that you eat with ketchup on your hotdog! Wild mustard as in wild mustard plants! :) I am talking about  Sinapsis Arvensis , a tiny yellow flower that grows in masses in fields, along road sides and abandoned building sites. Up close the wild mustard flower does not look like much - a bit on the puny side actually. But just come across a field filled with mustard flowers and you will be enchanted - just as I am every spring.

Khubeza - Israel's wild ‘spinach'

  During the winter months in Israel, as soon we had a bit of rain, the fields are covered in  green khubeza plants. The word fields are actually not 100% correct. Khubeza will grow anywhere. Empty lots, forgotten plant containers, refuse heaps or in any patch of upturned earth. They grow close to the earth and turn the dry Israeli landscape into an unexpected emerald green. Their willingness to grow to easily and luxuriously make them seem nearly weed-like. Khubeza is however the opposite of a weed. It is one of the most well-known edible plants here in Israel. Every self-respecting forager definitely has khubeza on their top-ten list. Sounds like bread (in Arabic) Is it mostly known by its Arabic name here in Israel. Khubeza comes from the word "hubz"  which means bread in Arabic. Apparently the plant has edible fruit that looks like a small loaf of bread.  Just like young children are taught that you can suck the sap from honeysuckle flowers and look for pine nuts under p

The Judas Tree of Israel

A Purple Judas tree A month or so after the almond blossoms are gone, the beautiful flowers of the Judas tree show up in loud purple glory in Israel.