RD'lite: Hummus

In November I got to take another trip to Israel. This time I went with my Mother, Aunt, and Grandmother on a non-denominational trip for women. After my experience during my birthright trip in 2010, I could not wait to visit the country I love again. I must say, it was not the same without the Jew Crew from birthright, but every trip to Israel has something different to offer. I left for this trip with the goal of exploring the cuisine and sights that I didn't get to during my last trip.

We began our trip in Jerusalem and headed down to the dead sea... way below sea level. Ran into a nice bedouin and his camel on our way, and then stopped at the Ein Gedi for a quick hike through the paradise.

We finished our day with dinner at a kibbuz over looking the dead sea.

One of my favorite parts of this trip was seeing the dome of the rock in the Muslin quarter of Jerusalem. It was so eye opening to discover all of Jerusalem during this trip and learn about why Muslims, Christians, and Jews all claim it as their holy land.

After we finished at The Dome, we explored the Arab markets..another new site for me.

One evening while we were in Jerusalem we visited the 9/11 Memorial that's in the JNF. I was very surprised to learn that this is the only 9/11 memorial outside of the US. It's a beautiful site with the flag sculpture, part of the twin tower, and all of the names of those who we lost engraved around the edge. It's truly a breath-taking site at sundown with the whole city of Jerusalem in the background.

Another breath-taking site was this Greek Orthodox mosque in the middle of the desert that's built into the mountain.

Every morning in Israel, no matter what part of the country or where you are staying, salad is offered for breakfast. As a dietitian I know that I should be thrilled to see fresh vegetables any time of day, but I really cannot get down with salad first thing in the morning. Lunch or dinner - absolutely, fill up my plate! I still really prefer something sweet or eggs with my coffee when I wake up.

After the breakfast salad, we headed out for more exploring. This is still one of my favorite pictures from Israel. This sign really gives you a sense for where you are sanding in the world. All of the 'scary' countries they talk about on the news are listed, yet the 2 times I have stood here, I have not been scared... just thankful that I get to enjoy such a beautiful view.

We visited the Rosh HaNikra grottoes on the coast of Israel at the Jordan border. Beautiful sights that are rich in history.

The best meal I had during this trip was at the Druze village. The Druze people practice a secret religion that they must be born into, you cannot convert to become Druze. The Druze were some of the nicest, most hospitable people and their food is delicious!!! This platter of food fed about 6 women, and they continued to replenish items as soon as we finished them. The flavors were so fresh and well balanced. I could go on for the rest of this post, but I think you get the idea... it was DELICIOUS!

We finished out trip in Tel Aviv, which is my second favorite city in the world (behind Tokyo). Tel Aviv is a major city right on the Mediterranean Sea. The markets and the night life are second to none. These pictures are from the Carmel Market.

This is my idea of a fruit cup! Wish the fruit in Boston looked like this year round

I took some spices home with me. Sounded like a great idea at the time... until I got home and my suitcase and everything in it smelled like middle eastern spices!

My third favorite part of Tel Aviv is the outdoor gyms. They can be found along the beach boardwalk and scattered throughout the city. What a way to promote healthy lifestyles. It's no wonder Israelis are so beautiful!

Mark my words... I am going to live in this apartment building on the beach of the Mediterranean one day. How cool is this building??

I encourage every person to visit Israel. It doesn't matter what religion, nationality, or background you come from. Israel is a country for everyone... I can't wait to go back!

Ahava: nothing but love for Israel.

Ahava or 'love' sculpture at the Jerusalem Museum

I just returned from an amazing 10 days in Israel. In true RD fashion, I was amazed and intrigued by the food. This was my first trip to the middle east, so I had no expectations of the food, but I discovered all types of new tastes, likes, and even dislikes.

Israel is not only the 'motherland' for Jews, but also for Muslims and Christians. The country's disparate influences is clearly reflected in Israeli cuisine.

Jewish and Muslim (kosher and halal) dietary restrictions are similar: both religions prohibit pork and insist that animals are prepared for consumption in the same, specific way. There is variety though since every Jewish community (Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Yemenite, or Russian) has interpreted the culinary requirements of Judaism in its own way.

The hotels I stayed in served only kosher food, although if there weren't signs displayed everywhere, I would not have been able to tell the difference. A fundamental part of kosher law is that milk and meat cannot be mixed, so we didn't have coffee or a dairy dessert in the same kosher dining room where a meat meal was served.

Of course, I NEVER visit McDonald's in the US, but at one of our lunch stops, I was amazed to see that the McDonald's in Israel are all kosher - no cheeseburgers or milkshakes with your meal... My friends all said the kosher hamburger patties were much better than the ones they serve here in the US, but I would not know the difference.

During my trip I learned that the food I traditionally associate with 'Jewish food' is actually Eastern European - matzo balls soup, gefilte fish, latkes.... much to my disappointment, I couldn't find any of this in Israel. Most of the Jewish restaurants in Israel are owned by Jews who came from Arab countries, so the food has a strong Middle Eastern flare.

This country has chick peas everywhere!! A Middle Eastern staple and a humble legume, a chick pea can be fried into small balls and eaten as falafel on pita bread, or mashed into hummus and mopped up with pita bread. Also, warm chick peas are served as a bar snack rather than peanuts or pretzels - no joke! I don't think I ate one meal that didn't include chick peas in one form or another. Salads are also a staple, although this is not the salad you are thinking of... everything is pickled - picked cucumbers, olives, tomatoes, onions, beets, etc. You name it, they pickle it. The only time they served 'fresh' salad is at breakfast, who wants a crunchy salad at 7AM? Not this girl!

The meat and fish was quite underwhelming - usually over seasoned, but lacking in body. I guess Israelis usually fill up on the nutritional salads and forgo the main course. I had many meals that I took one bite of the entree and then decided to opt for the salad, hummus, and pita bread.

I experienced the wide variety of local fruit and vegetables in the Yehuda market or "shuk" in Jerusalem and the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv. Both markets were bustling with patrons looking for fresh fruit and veggies, meat, candy, challah, rugelach, borekas, havlah, falafel, shwarma, and even schnitzel.

Here's a few explanations of common Israeli foods:

Falafel are deep fried balls made from ground chick peas and is usually served as a light meal - cheap and vegetarian friendly. Falafel is most often served in pita bread with hummus, tahini, and a variety of toppings such as pickles, pickled turnips, cabbage, cucumber & tomato salad, and even french fries! I think I had falafel for lunch at least every other day!

Shwarma is a large, roasting skewer of grilled meat - traditionally lamb, but most commonly chicken - sliced and wrapped in pita bread. Toppings are similar to the ones used on falafel.

Schnitzel is typically made from a thin cutlet of chicken, breaded and fried. It kind of looks like a large chicken finger and is usually made into a sandwich, with the usual toppings, salads, and fries. I think I would live a very happy life if I never see schnitzel ever again - not my favorite item at all!

Borekas are small turnovers, made with phyllo dough and usually filled with potato, spinach, or cheese. They can be found along the side of the street and are best eaten hot as a snack or a side dish.

Halvah is often made with a base of tahini, mixed with honey and sesame seeds and kneaded into a tacky dough which is allowed to set before being cut and served. Some places split the dough in half and mix half with cocoa before mixing it back in, creating a rich marbled chocolate sesame halvah. Other places roll the dough in pistachios, other nuts, or even dried fruit. It has an interesting texture, but I enjoy it. Sometimes it's even packaged like a protein bar- a perfect snack when you are on-the-go discovering Israel.

Overall, I was not impressed with Israeli food and I am still waiting for my 'outstanding' meal. The few things that Israel is known for: hummus, falafel, and shwarma are delicious, but how much of it can you eat?

Enjoy my pictures!

Meat on the side of the street in Jaffa