Golda's kitchen had no island: the incarnation of Israeli cuisine

Prime Minister Golda Meir's small kitchenette has become an icon and a political institution, but Israeli cuisine has left that crowded kitchen behind in favor of huge, open kitchens laden with technological innovations

Walla!

Home and design

04/05/2022

Wednesday, 04 May 2022, 06:47 Updated: 06:50

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By the end of the 1960s, long before Mei Tu and shortly before the feminist wave, the State of Israel already had a woman as prime minister - Golda Meir.

Meyer was groundbreaking in many ways, but she had her own way of doing it, and it cannot be said that she waved the banner of feminism.

Although in fact she was a strong, leading and senior woman, she was careful to maintain a traditional appearance in certain areas, and perhaps not in vain.

She used to hold her weekly meetings with her closest advisers and senior ministers every Saturday night at her home, ahead of the Sunday morning cabinet meeting.

For these meetings, the Prime Minister made sure to prepare refreshments in the form of a handmade cake.

Although most of these meetings were held in the living room, the forum earned the nickname “The Kitchenette,” as a hint to the kitchen where Prime Minister Meir prepared the approach.

And even as the prime ministers replaced her, the prime minister's limited forum continued with his senior ministers and close programmers - the kitchenette.

Golda Meir's kitchen at her home in Jerusalem was a rather modest one, very far from the kitchens that are common in Israel today.

"Israeli cuisine has grown over the years and its presence is felt in the home. If in the past it was a small, closed room, today it boasts an open and large space, and there is a large investment in design and economics," says architect Shira Muskel of Hillel Architecture.

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To the full article

Kitchens in Israel have grown in their area over the years, and they are different from kitchens in Europe, for example - where it is customary to build smaller kitchens with smaller refrigerators.

This is a cultural-economic difference, due to the differences in lifestyle and habits between Israel and Europe, explains Yair Rosen, CEO of BSH (an official importer of home appliances from several European brands). A liter is considered to be very large.The refrigerators that are usually sold in Israel are twice the size compared to the refrigerators in Europe.In Israel there is a demand for refrigerators even in the size of 600 liters and above, while in Europe the demand is for refrigerators around 300 liters. , And Israelis tend to host more often, in part because most of the family members live in a relatively geographical battle.However, in European countries that are larger, family members live at a distance and the hospitality culture is not as frequent as in Israel.

In the distant past the kitchen was another room, literally.

Enclosed room, with a special entrance, which is all intended for cooking and preparing meals.

A room without special design thinking, net a room whose function revolves around food.

Then, slowly the kitchen opens.

At first it opens slightly, as a sort of spice mode, but is still slightly closed and delicate with its own exclusive characteristics.

And over the years, it has fully opened up and become a significant rib of public space.

Kitchen for people who buy a lot of food and like to entertain often.

Rustic kitchen designed by Sarah and Nirit Frenkel (Photo: Itai Banit)

The island has become a significant function.

Kitchen with a huge island.

Planning and design: Sarah and Nirit Frenkel (Photo: Itai Banit)

We have the biggest

Nirit Frenkel, from Frenkel Architects, explains: "The kitchen today is a large space, which will grow and grow over time in order to realize all its fantasies. Spaces ranging from 30-40 square meters, have become the standard size of a kitchen in homes.

"The island has become a significant function - it is the center of the kitchen and even where food is cooked and prepared, it is the factor that allows the host to be present during the stay and be a part of it, and not with his back to the guests."

From a place of cooking to a place of hospitality

"Even at the planning stage, customers express a desire to invest in the kitchen. It seems that we are a people who love to cook and no less than host. The kitchen is light years away from the function for which it exists - cooking - is a place to entertain, is the center of the house and so is the reference. Is located, and a place where hospitality is also focused. "

"One of the growing trends is a kitchen with a minimalist design, where due to being an open public space it corresponds of course with the entire space," notes architect Ron Spiegel.

"As a result, the electrical products that once starred them on the marble surfaces are disappearing thanks to high-quality mechanisms and fittings that hide them, in order to create a clean and minimalist look that creates a one-piece and uniform lines."

Following the opening of the kitchen and its entry into the public space of the house - the work surfaces were evacuated and the electrical products were hidden.

Minimalist kitchen designed by architect Ron Spiegel (Photo: Elad Gonen)

Reduces space?

If there is a large enough kitchen, it does not matter.

Black kitchen designed by Sarah and Nirit Frenkel (Photo: Itai Banit)

The bright colors continue to dominate the kitchen.

The Israeli customer prefers the cream and white shades that give the kitchen a clean, modern and elegant look, but at the same time there is a greater openness to other colors that add a lot of chic.

According to Spiegel in recent years we have seen a very strong trend of black kitchens, and it is still dominant.

Although he says the color black is especially suitable for kitchens in large spaces, because naturally the dark color reduces the space.

The kitchen drawers can also be high-tech.

Courtesy of Niga Chef FOR HOME (Photo: Itai Aviran)

Israelis love practical things that are not easily damaged and last for years.

Kitchen with durable mini-surfaces (Photo: Abroad)

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High-tech kitchen

And what about technology?

Israel really likes to brand itself as a start-up and high-tech nation, has this also been reflected in our kitchens over the years?

"There is no doubt that the Israeli consumer loves gadgets and happily puts them in the kitchen. Almost any unit, drawer or countertop can easily become electric to make it easier for the user. Open and close easily with the chin, knee or elbow, with hands carrying heavy pots, full of food "Or dirty. Of course, the TV screens also enter the kitchen area to watch programs or browse for recipes," says Yael Moskowitz, marketing director and owner of Niga Chef FOR HOME.

"Another characteristic that Israelis love most at home and in the kitchen is practice. The Israeli audience, model 2022, loves practice, and what does that mean?" Explains Eyal Shiman, CEO of Minam-Israel All types of liquids, surfaces that will look good for many years to come. "

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