HOLY LAND BOOK - Draft

The most pervasive culinary influences in Israel
are the cooking styles of the Middle-East, North
Africa, the Mediterranean basin, and Central and
Eastern Europe. So devoted are many to the food
of their origins that there has been little crossfertilization
between these varied styles. Of all
these styles, probably the best-known
throughout Israel is that of the Middle-East.
Because most Middle-Eastern inhabitants are
Moslems and are, like Jews, forbidden to eat
pork, Israelis have been readily able to adopt
these culinary styles to their own tables. In
addition to the indigenous cookery of Israeli
Arabs (themselves influenced by the
sophisticated cookery of Lebanon and Syria as
well as the country-style cuisine of the
Palestinians), Jews from Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan,
Syria, Egypt, Libya and Yemen have each made
unique contributions to the national table.
A major influence on Israeli cuisine comes from
the peoples of the Maghreb, the North African
nations of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Among
the most renowned dishes of these countries is
couscous. Originally devised by wandering
Berber tribesmen some 4,000 years ago,
couscous is a stew based on hard wheat
semolina, topped with simple-to-prepare meats
and a variety of vegetables and accompanied by
side dishes. As with nearly any stew, couscous
comes in an infinite number of varieties.
Algerian versions invariably include tomatoes;
Moroccan offerings rely on saffron; and Tunisian
couscous is highly spiced.
Also important to Middle-Eastern cookery is the
lavish use of herbs, spices and various
members of the onion family, including garlic.
In addition to the herbs and spices ordinarily
found on most Western tables, cardamom,
cinnamon, ginger, coriander, cumin, and mint
make their way into many dishes. Salads served
without parsley are considered barbaric, and
olives are considered such essential fare that
they are deemed equally appropriate at
breakfast or lunch as at dinner.
The cooking style of Central and Eastern Europe that
has made itself most evident in the Israeli kitchen is
that of the Yiddish kitchen.
Diverse but rarely subtle, these are the foods that
most Americans and Europeans consider to be
typically "Jewish". Much in evidence are dishes like
gefilte fish (fish balls made of finely minced carp,
pike or a mixture of both, generally served in their
own jelly and often accompanied by horseradish).
From Hungary, whose cookery is marked by the
liberal use of dozens of types of paprika, have come
goulash soup and stew. Polish cooking, from which
Israelis have adopted freely, features the heavy use
of sour cream and dill as main cooking ingredients.
Dishes from Poland include czarnina (duck soup);
cold fruit soups; krupnik (barley, potato and sour
cream soup); and a variety of stuffed cabbage rolls.
From Russia has come borscht, the famous beet
based soup that can be red or clear, cold or hot and
may contain meats, vegetables and sour cream.
From the Caucasian republics of Armenia, Georgia
and Azerbaijan have come barbecue specialties such
as skewered lamb shishlik and tabaka, pressed fried
whole chicken served with a walnut-based sauce.
From Greece and Turkey have come such popular
dishes as moussaka (a baked eggplant, cheese and
meat pie); dolmas (stuffed grape leaves similar to the
Kurdish yaprah) and the incredibly light, honeysoaked
baklava pastries.