Israel

Country - Israel

Cuisine Description - The cuisine of Israel has been influenced by the cuisine of the countries from the Middle East, Northern Africa, and the Mediterranean countries. Ancient Egypt and the Byzantine Empire influenced the Jewish cuisine in the past. The strongest influence, though, seems to come from the Middle East. People have learned from the Iranians to cook meat with fruits, split peas and lentils, from Lebanon to prepare fish with paprika, cayenne pepper and other condiments, from Jordanians to prepare kebabs and not at last, from Syrians they have learned how to cook kubbeh. The cuisine of Yemen also played an important role. In particular it is distinguished in the combination of spices that are used, and not through complexity. Also, the Maghreb affected very much the Israeli cooking style. couscous and shakshouka are just two dishes the North African countries have contributed to the Israeli cooking style.

Israel inherited from Greece and Turkey foods such as moussaka, dolmades and the baklava pastries. Furthermore, the countries from Balkans exercised a strong influence over the Israeli dishes. Romania, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria must be mentioned in this case. Other countries that have influenced Israeli cuisine: Russia, Poland, Hungary and even Ethiopia and India.

Because the number of the influences is so great, people tend to believe that Israel has not a cuisine of its own. However, the extraordinary diversity is what characterizes Israeli cuisine.

The Jewish religion has a great role and has influenced the diet of the Israeli people. The most important religious laws regarding food (known as kashrut) refer to the fact that Pork and some other kinds of meat are forbidden. Also, people are not allowed to consume meat and dairy products at the same meal. This is why many restaurants in Israel serve either meat or dairy dishes, but not both. Copyright Recipes Wiki