Social media manager Jil has been traveling to Israel regularly for five years and feasting on Israeli cuisine.
These are her ten favourites.
Summer time is vacation time.
If you're still deciding where to take your next trip, this food guide might help you make your decision.
I've been going there regularly for five years now to visit friends and family and during that time I've gotten to know and love a lot of the food.
Israeli cuisine is characterized by a variety of flavors and influences from Arabic, Jewish, Russian and Mediterranean cuisine.
The TOP 4 are falafel, hummus, shakshuka and sabich, but there is so much more to discover at the street food markets in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or Haifa.
This is how you get to know the country, its history, the people and the colorful culture.
No time to travel, but want to enjoy Middle Eastern cuisine at home?
Try our recipe for shakshuka!
Quickly prepared, this stir-fry can be served for breakfast, brunch, or a quick dinner.
That's how it's done:
1. Sabich
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You shouldn't miss Israel's most popular sandwich called Sabich (icon picture).
© Simply Tasty
Probably the most popular sandwich in Israel.
Pita bread filled with boiled egg, fried eggplant slices, tomato, cucumber, pickled onion, and tahini, amba (עמבה), or s'chug.
There are countless takeaways and everyone claims to sell the best sabich.
It's best to find out for yourself!
2. Falafel
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According to Jil, the best falafel is at Dr.
Saadia Falafel in Tel Aviv.
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Falafel should be familiar to most of you.
The fried little balls made from pureed chickpeas are made by Dr.
Saadia is prepared with coriander and this gives the falafel a distinctive green color and a spicy taste.
This delicacy is served in pita bread together with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and tahini sauce.
3. Israeli Salad
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The classic Israeli salad of chopped tomatoes, cucumber, onions and parsley is served with your choice of beef at EatMeat in Tel Aviv.
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What in Germany the roll or muesli for breakfast is for the perfect start to the day is the "Salat Yerushalmi" or "Salat Yisraeli" in Israel.
Traditionally, this is made from chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and parsley and seasoned with fresh lemon juice, olive oil and spices such as salt and pepper.
This salad is really everywhere and you eat it not only for breakfast, but at any time of the day and in countless different variations, such as here with grilled meat and garlic bread.
4. Sambusak
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The ideal snack for in between are differently filled dumplings called sambusak.
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Sambusak is a popular snack for me when going out, because many bakeries in Tel Aviv also sell the filled dumplings at night.
The filling varies: cheese, vegetables, meat or a combination of these ingredients.
There is something for every taste!
5. Mahalabi
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The taste of the sweet Mahalabi dessert is reminiscent of rice pudding (symbol image).
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The spelling and pronunciation varies in the Arabic world.
Muhallebi is made from rice, sugar, milk and either rice flour, starch or semolina.
The milk pudding tastes like rice pudding and is eaten as a dessert.
My favorite topping: rose syrup and cookie crumbles!
Hamalabiya is our go-to place in Tel Aviv for a bar crawl.
You can also sink there with a beer and play chess or other board games late into the night.
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6. Hummus
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The dip made from chickpeas is also available in Germany, but if you're already in Israel, you should try the original hummus (symbol image).
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#MakeHummusNotWar
If you haven't tried hummus in Israel, you're really missing out!
This delicious cream is usually served as a dip or side dish.
Here, however, hummus is served either as an appetizer or even as a full, warm meal.
Mashed chickpeas, tahini (sesame paste), olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and spices are the basic ingredients.
The rest is mostly secret.
My favorite toppings are s'chug, boiled eggs, and raw onions.
7. Bourekas
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No Simply Tasty item without puff pastry: Bourekas are at the top of our list of favorites.
© Simply Tasty
They are a variation of burek and are made from either puff pastry, filo pastry or brik pastry.
They come in a variety of shapes and different fillings: feta, spinach, mushrooms, tzfat cheese (גבינה צפתית), kashkaval cheese, pizza...
My favorite is the potato filling!
They are served here with a boiled egg, pickles and olives.
As a dip there is mayo, harissa (חריסה) and tomato salsa.
8. Mashausha
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If you love hummus, you will also like the chunky variant Mashausha (icon picture).
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If you love hummus, then this variant, where the chickpeas remain whole, is certainly one of them.
The chunky texture is served here with egg, tahini, s'chug, and ful.
9. Fricassé
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In the small street food shop "Bonjour Sandwich Tunesia", the rolls go into the fryer (symbol image).
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Not to be confused with our German fricassee, because in this Tunisian sandwich the baguette is fried like a donut.
It is then filled with tuna, hard-boiled egg, olives, capers, tomatoes, harissa and potatoes.
10. Persian food
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You can find filling Persian slow food with lots of flavor in many restaurants in Tel Aviv (icon picture).
© Simply Tasty
Persian food is also excellent here.
Located right by Levinsky Market, Salimi Restaurant serves traditional dishes with a large helping of coriander and pita bread as side dishes.
My recommendation is ghorme sabzi, consisting of herbs, vegetables, beans and meat, and gondi soup.
Meatballs made from ground chicken, chickpea flour, spices and herbs in a clear chicken broth.
Filling slow food with massive flavors, just the way I like it.
I can't wait to fly back to Israel soon to enjoy all these goodies.
How about you?
Have you gotten the urge to travel?
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