When we toured the Western Galilee, I asked myself who the people of the Galilee miss when they cook food, host people and sit together at the table.
Everywhere we visited the answer was a little different, but maybe you should start at Kibbutz Kishurit's winery, where grapes are harvested and wine is made in a local winery.
The winery says that archaeological surveys in the area uncovered remains of Goths.
For a long time, since the end of the Byzantine era to be precise, they were not used and very few grapes (if any) were harvested in the place, which was under Muslim rule that forbids drinking alcohol.
Today, people with special needs harvest the grapes in the vineyard and participate in the operation of the winery.
Someone missed making wine here, and in an unusual way.
A winning combination of wine and cheeses,
Next month (between December 15 and 17, Thursday through Saturday) the "Winter Festival" will be held.
The "Western Galilee Time" association has initiated dozens of events and tours of tourist sites in the region, which will be accessible just before Hanukkah and Christmas.
The association has been holding the festival for more than a decade and brings together dozens of small independent businesses in the Western Galilee with the aim of promoting them together.
On the occasion of the festival, we were exposed to five culinary gems that the general public can enjoy at the event itself, and for most of the year.
Kibbutz Kishorit
Several hundred members live in Kibbutz Kishurit on the ridge of the Western Galilee mountains.
About 200 of them have special needs.
The employment centers were established to meet the needs of the members, including a therapeutic stable, an organic vegetable garden, a Kishor winery, an organic dwelling, a bakery and a schnauzer kennel.
The kibbutz also has a shop that sells local produce.
Those with special needs participate in the fermentation of the wine,
As part of the festival, a collaboration was launched with Rum Farm, where cheeses are made from goat's milk.
These are cheeses from pasture milk that is milked without pasteurization, so even vegans can enjoy them.
At the farm's plant, there is a project to integrate mentally challenged people, who receive initial support after undergoing a long period of hospitalization.
The participants in the program integrate into it through the Ministry of Welfare for a temporary period, but sometimes they can work in the factory for several years.
In contrast, the members with special needs in Kibbutz Kishorit live there for life.
Kishor Winery and Rum Farm collaborate within the festival and offer as part of it the experience of a winter evening with wine and cheese tastings accompanied by staff members.
The local produce has a delicate and addictive taste.
These are local goats that are used to the Israeli nature.
The wine produced in the winery is aged in barrels for up to a year and a half.
Those who have already visited wine tastings in Israel and abroad will be pleasantly surprised by the high level, and by the winning combination of a glass of white wine with Galilean Camembert cheese. The price: NIS 130 per person.
Old Acre
Israelis usually visit Acre to enjoy the spectacular beach promenade, to shop and to be disappointed by the local market.
At Beit Al-Yasmin in the alleys of Acre, we meet Miriam Aik for a meal like the King's.
In the center of the menu: "Sonia", a traditional Arab dish that includes round meatballs from mixed meat of lamb and beef, dipped in a bowl of tahini with olive oil and lemon.
Along with the sunya, among other things, orange lentil soup, rice with chicken and vine leaves are served.
In the spectacularly beautiful house full of blue wall paintings, you can stay overnight (for a fee).
It is a 400-year-old Ottoman building, which treasures memories from another era in Israel.
Miriam
Traditional food with a unique touch,
Miriam learned the secrets of the kitchen from her aunt.
According to her, over the years there were those who claimed that she even surpassed her due to her inexplicable desire to change the traditional foods and add a unique t'atz to them.
During the festival she will host families for a winter lunch.
The price: NIS 130 for an adult, NIS 70 for a child.
Jet the Galilean
Among the winding roads of the village of Jat we arrive at Nohad Bisan's house.
As a daughter of the Druze community, Nohad learned the field of confectionery in the center of the country and combined it with traditional cuisine.
A cafe used to operate there, but one event in Bisan's life forced her to close the business.
Nohad's little daughter suffered an injury in her hand and since then she has been devoting her time to her care.
Following this, she moved to hosting dessert tastings, baking workshops and gathering in nature and accompanying groups in the intricacies of the Druze tradition.
An exciting struggle for independence despite life's difficulties.
Nohad with the "Nights in Beirut" dessert.
It tastes as good as it sounds.
As part of the festival, Nohad hosts tasting groups at her home, which include mamolim with dates and pistachios, traditional desserts such as "Beirut Nights" (yes, it tastes as good as it sounds) and more.
The desserts manage to maintain a special taste without slipping into excessive sweetness that characterizes Western cuisine.
We also got to taste the white and spicy tea she serves to guests.
The house itself overlooks an amazingly beautiful green valley.
The price: NIS 60 per person.
Honeysuckle seat
"Ruthy's Couscous" is an independent business that started by accident.
Ruthi and her husband Gili founded it following the need to finance the girl's kindergarten.
Ruthie, who worked in a factory for dental implants, started selling her homemade couscous to the workers, which became a household name.
Word of the divine dish spread like wildfire.
Algerian couscous with thin-thin grains that are prepared by hand.
Due to the high demand for couscous, Ruthie left her job at the factory and devoted all her time to the independent business in which all family members participate.
The point of difficulty became a springboard for independence.
During the Corona period, the business jumped a notch and the family's home in the Yaara settlement started hosting events in the open area in the large yard.
Algerian couscous and soups.
The rumor spread like wildfire.
Over time, additional dishes were added to the business, including soups, salads and more.
Ruthie says that a Moroccan friend of hers told her that couscous is a thanksgiving dish that is served on holidays and celebrations.
Indeed, Ruthie found herself giving thanks every day, feeling that she was doing what she was meant to do.
As part of the festival, Ruthie will host groups at her home in the settlement, and will collaborate with a local chocolatier.
Kibbutz Yodfat
"Cafe Yodfat" of the Galilee kibbutz is an ultimate stopping point for those traveling in the north in general and the Galilee in particular, and also a recommended place for vegans we have built.
The cafe does not offer meat dishes, and compensates for this with a variety of spinach meatballs, tortillas, salads, desserts and pastries.
The place overlooks green valleys and is open seven days a week (on weekends the doors close in the afternoon).
A perfect stop on trips in the Galilee.
Tortilla in Yudfat coffee,
The owner of the cafe, Sharon Perez, says that this is a cooperative kibbutz (which has been privatized to a certain extent).
There is a challenge to get people out of the house and since the area is also not endowed with many entertainment places, the independent businesses have many collaborations.
It was precisely from the business challenge that the "togetherness" that characterizes the kibbutz heritage was born.
"A cafe alone and a theater alone is difficult, but together it is a strength," she says.
As part of the festival, the cafe collaborates with Zikit Theater.
The idea is a story time for children and a donut in the cafe.
The price: NIS 40 per person.
The writer was a guest of the "Western Galilee Time" association
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us
