Our "Jerusalem Day" section lasts a full week.

• Cuba beets of his great womb

  Photo: 

  Hannah Taib

A day after the shipment, my brother came to visit. He has been in the Golan for 20 years, and does not come to Jerusalem much. We talked about Ha and Da until it came, gently, to the topic. "Say, is it true that you received delivery yesterday from his womb?" I pleaded guilty, and asked if he wanted the yellow or red Cuban soup. "It doesn't matter in what order," he jumped. "You made me this week."

Humus in Jerusalem: well beyond food

The Jerusalem culinary is a hornet nest that contains "original" or "less original" chickpeas, mixed with "real" or "less real," and is divided into fanatical camps that everyone is sure of his or her origin. But there are institutions above the argument, and one of them is the mythical "Mercho" restaurant on the market, which in the 1950s poured chickpeas and stews into every stomach of every Jerusalemite. The formula did not change even in the days of modern epidemics: simple and delicious home-cooked, cooked for hours on wickets ("Primus") - only this time on delivery.

Rahmu, who was a taxi driver, Mas Bahahe decided to open his place with his wife Rebecca in the 1950s: "They were in poor financial condition during the austerity period," describes Merav Nahmias, the granddaughter of Mercy (Mercho) and Rebecca, who now runs Mercham's restaurant in the market. "My grandparents decided to open a small sandwich place, which has evolved over the years into a workers' restaurant. The restaurant's menu was just hummus with berries, rice and beans, meatloaf, bean soup and trimmings of yesteryear. His mercy was a man of tremendous giving, and there was an atmosphere here Amazing. "

Shipping was carefully packaged in branded boxes, and due to the nature of the food (long cooked) it tasted almost unaffected by the plastic. In his mercy, they did not forget the fresh dips that add a little more sour and spicy to the cooking: a grind on the spot, tomato salsa, garlic salad and tomatoes, and more and more.

We opened the feast with the hummus of Rahmu, which, unlike other humus in the capital and outside, still preserves the sour taste of the Palestinian hummus before adapting to the Israeli palate. The hummus of its womb is finely ground to a rich texture, and the grains that accompany it are as flavourful as chickpeas should be. What will change from the 1950s? Nothing, and that's good.

The Cuban Hamusata soup (yellow) is slightly sour, and packed with celery stalks. Nowadays it is customary to downsize the slightly celery stalks hard to chew on Cuba soups, and in my personal opinion this is an unnecessary compromise - they are the ones who taste the beet leaves. Cuban dumplings are large and generous, and patience pays off: You should cross them into halves or quarters and let them soak up some of the liquid before stirring. The red Cuban soup is on the sweet, border, and rich in flavors. Both soups are just as excellent.

The toppings came from Jadra, which in order to break the inherent dryness of the dish, generously added strips of fried onion. Yellow rice with eggplant and vegetables was the star of the additions: the long cooking of the vegetables inside the rice added a smoky aroma to him and upgraded the seemingly simple dish to the delicacy. The psulia was a little disappointing: the sauce was tired, a little heavy and industrial, and didn't add to the beans. The staging was excellent: it was an art to prepare okra without a hint of bitterness, and with their mercy they were on a mission.

For the main course came the famous meatloaf of his mercy. It's actually a well-known Jerusalem trick: take an existing dish and try to make it something else. In this case, it's a kind of big kebab cooked in red sauce. The end result is good, though it will interfere less with the minds of those not fond of cumin packed with oriental spice.

In summary: Mercy is an integral part of any visit to the Mahniode Market, and without a doubt sitting in the restaurant's stone house, meters from the screaming vendors and market smells is part of the experience. But if we focus on food, then the (agile) shipment has not damaged it at all - an institution, even on a mission, remains an institution.

Prices: hummus with berries - 30, meatloaf - 18, toppings 17-30, Cuban soups - 37.

Tel. 02-6234595