I just wrapped up a 12-day food, wine, culture tour of Israel hosted by JNF, and my tastebuds are still dancing! I’m a sucker for the Mediterranean diet. With proof in the photos below, it’s no true “diet,” yet, a combination of healthy, flavorful, nutritious, vibrantly colorful, omega-3-packed, and soulful food from soil-rich lands in the Mediterranean region that when consumed, are invigorating. Wow, did we indulge! But, my pants still fit, so I feel like I got supercharged with nutrients and got to enjoy so many fresh ingredients and textures!

(Traveling to Israel and need a cheat sheet? I’ve updated my Travel Restaurant & Rebeccammendations cheat sheet too with the best of this list.)

Also, I noticed each meal (or snack – let’s be honest, we probably nibbled or sipped on something about every two hours – my tour friend Amy can attest), contained so many more ingredients than a typical meal at home does, without adding a ton of calories. For example, I ate tuna, cucumbers, hummus, fruit, and sometimes something sweet at almost every breakfast in Israel. At home, I go for granola, berries, almond milk on most days. It helps that the vegetables are washed, cut, prepared, and just available on the epic breakfast spreads Israel is known for at hotels and restaurants, but it’s inspiring me to pick back up on our weekly “chopfest” on Sundays where we chop lots of vegetables for the week for salads, snacks, and sides with meals.

If your mouth isn’t watering yet, I can vouch that the olive oil is fresher (olive oil groves paint the hills of Israel in the Northern Galilee region), the spices have more of a bite, and the hummus is exponentially creamier than the store-bought kind resting in our refrigerators.

Before I get to the list of 30 foods and drinks to enjoy in Israel, I’ll mention a few surprises I learned on our Israeli food and wine tour:

1) Israel is home to an award-winning sheep and goat cheesemaker, Shirat Roim (which means “Shephard’s Song”), having won awards in three cheese world championships and a feature in the World Cheese Book! The factory, shop, and tasting room (which are beyond adorable), are located at Kibbutz Lotem (near a winery we also visited) in the Western Galilee region in the north of Israel, and run by Michal Mor Melamed, who has produced this award-winning cheese over the last 10 years (it’s new!). Isn’t this adorable?

2) Not all food is kosher in Israel, including many of the wines we tasted which appear to a broader audience.

3) Israeli’s don’t mess around with breakfast – it’s a sight to see! Check out just a snippet of the best breakfast spread we enjoyed at Mapu inside the Prima City Hotel in Tel Aviv.

4) You can eat as much Israeli food as you like and never get sick of it 🙂

So, here we go for the 30 Israeli foods and drinks list, organized by category:

Spreads

1. Matbucha – A Moroccan roasted tomato and green pepper dip rich in a deep red color, and with slight bitter and spicy notes. Our favorite was at Chakra in Jerusalem.

2. Hummus – A staple in Israeli cuisine, hummus is a dip made with chickpeas, tahina (sesame paste), spices, olive oil. The best we had was at Hummus Abu Dubi in Tel Aviv (they had 5 different hummus varieties! We went with roasted mushroom) and Abu Elias in Akko, a quaint fishing port town rich in history.

3) Tahina – Creamy sesame paste spread, also known as Tahini. It’s in and on everything in Israel, like this cauliflower (bowl in the middle) we had at Gush Etzion winery on our final evening.

4) Za’atar  and spices – I quite possibly felt most at home in Israel at the spice shops in the Machane Yehuda market in Jerusalem. Why?? Because it instantly inspired me to get into the kitchen and spice things up! We went for the za’atar, a spice mix with sesame seeds, oregano, sometimes garlic and other spices – it adds earthiness and a welcome bitter sprinkle to breads, fish, olive oil, and even pasta! We also scooped up some smoked paprika. We loved how the spice vendors welcomed us to take a pinch and sample spices straight from the mounds.

Breads

5) Focaccia – no idea why I consider this an Israeli food other than we had it across the country and it was perfection. Crunchy outside, soft inside, sprinkle of salt and olive oil, and all around toasty. Perfect vehicle for dipping in the matbucha (#1 above), olive oil, and even hummus!

6) Sourdough – Sourdough is going through a revival right now. It’s all over Instagram and home cooks are baking it left and right! Why?? I had no idea the traditional significance until we visited the bakery,  Pat Bamelach, in Gush Etzion. The magic of sourdough is in the “starter”, which means that when bakers make sourdough bread, they take a piece of fermented dough from the batch the day before, and use it to make the next batch. It’s a kind of continuity that also characterizes the Jewish culture, known as ‘l’dor va dor’, or “from generation to generation”. Check out the history of sourdough, the first form of leavened bread and originating in ancient Egypt. It’s also good for your gut (if you’re not gluten free). We had fun making sourdough pretzels at the bakery. Mine came out pretty pretty!

7) Pita – The most characteristic bread of Israel – used to fill with falafel and vegetables, or dip into hummus. The freshest we had was at Hummus Abu Dubi in Tel Aviv. It was soft, doughy, and a bit chewy!

8) Falafel – Protein packed golden fried crispy protein balls made of ground chickpea, sometimes pea powder, and spices.

Beverages

9) Limonana – This was my favorite new find in Israel! In the hot Mediterranean sun, this lemon, mint ice slushy cooled us off! And, there’s something about the mint in Israel that’s just more fragrant, and fresh.

10) Arak – Ross’ favorite beverage is licorice-laden Arak (pronounced ah-dak). Mixed with soda water, lemonade, or your favorite mixer, it’s refreshing over ice for a summer cocktail!

One of our favorite cocktail bars was Imperial in Tel Aviv, a craft cocktail spot that transports you to another era. The bartenders were so charming!

11. Israeli Wine – You can’t have a Food, Wine, Culture tour without wine! We had so much fun tasting the local wines from vineyards across Israel!

12) Coffee and Tea – It’s everywhere! From the sweet ice coffee treats at Aroma (not pictured), to Turkish coffee served after a meal, you can get a caffeine boost to enjoy more of Israel. Turkish coffee is dark, sometimes has grounds in it, and often is served with sugar in it. I loved the dried herbs, fruits and flowers used as herbal tea and sold at the market!

13) Fish – Fish is a key component of the Mediterranean diet and there’s nothing like fresh fish from the Mediterranean! (Especially living near the mountains in Denver far from any major natural body of water). This whole roasted sea bass with roasted tomatoes, olives, garlic and stuffed with rosemary at Chakra in Jerusalem (recommended by our taxi driver!) was muy memorable!

14. Cheese – Definitely ranking in my top memorable dining experiences was a cheese-centric lunch at Shirat Roim cheesemakers on Kibbutz Lotem in the Galilee region of Israel. It’s award-winning and the lunch was not only picturesque, but wonderfully indulgent and special.

This is a real photo of our lunch table!!

No idea what this dessert was below but it had cheese in it and it was the most buttery, decadent delight!

Desserts

15) Chocolate – Chocolate and raw cacao was a part of our tour! We made these raw cacao cups with fruits, nuts, maple syrup and toppings of our choice at a cooking workshop. We also had a Valrhona chocolate and wine pairing at Tishbi Estate winery! I brought home a bar of the dark Albinao and am still munching on it 😉

16) Kataifi – This greek walnut and almond (sometimes pistachio) pastry in syrup or honey was everywhere in Israel! There’s a shredded-wheat texture and then you bite down and get a sweet, gooey flavor. I dipped it in the coffee and it was pretty much the best thing ever.

17) Baklava – Similar to the Kataifi, baklava, honey, nut, flakey, honey-y phyllo dough pastries are so inviting, and the displays were geometric works of art!

18) Nutella  – No photos of this one since we know what it looks like but this chocolatey hazelnut spread is everywhere in Israel, especially on breakfast spreads.

19) Rugelach – If you’ve never had a rugelach, you’re missing out! It’s basically a filled, spiral croissant made of flakey doughy triangles. I learned how to make them growing up with my Mom and sisters with cinnamon and sugar – they’re so fun! These chocolate rugelach at Marzipan bakery has word of mouth worldly acclaim. This one is so gooey, it’s like a brownie batter meets a glazed donut. When it’s warmed up, it’s just melty goodness.

20) Fruits, nuts, dates – They are everywhere in Israel! In the markets, in every course at meals, and full of antioxidants, proteins, and nutrients. Dates are a staple and some of the best in the world. Date honey is also an alternative to bee honey and it has a lower glycemic index if you’re watching your sugar.

21. Babka – No photo of this one but basically a bigger loaf-sized braided pastry version of rugelach. The chocolate babka on the hotel breakfast buffets were a nice sweet note ending to start the day.

22. Halvah – A Middle Eastern soft, slightly grainy, dessert that resembles fudge, and does, in fact, come in many flavors, made of sesame paste, sugar or honey, lemon, salt, and vanilla. Make a visit to Halva Kingdom in the Machane Yehuda market in Jerusalem to taste the different flavors and buy way too much halva than you can go through.

23) Grapeleaves – Friends from the tour will laugh at this one because we ended up making these twice on the tour. We’re pretty good at them now, even though they’re not my favorite food. It was fascinating to learn how to season the rice, boil the vine leaves, and roll them up before they’re cooked and the rice expands inside to make a chewy pillow. You can use this method with any green or filling, so maybe we will get creative at home!

24) Vegetables  & Salads – Maybe the key to a long life is eating vegetables in the morning and with these fresh puppies, you didn’t have to twist my arm! Not to mention, I felt hydrated because of my high cucumber intake – haha. The tomatoes were so juicy and sweet and salads, including Israeli salad (chopped tomatoes and cucumbers with olive oil and lemon juice), were part of just about every meal.

This Akko market tour guide Yotam, was the best. Look how happy he is picking up this most massive of all cabbage heads!

This early mini arugula salad at Mashya in Tel Aviv was in my top 3 things eaten on this trip! The packed bed of tiny arugula leaves uncovered a surprise of labneh (yogurt), dates, and the most tart lemon I’ve ever tasted! All together in one bite, it spoke to my tastebuds like nothing else.

25. Bourekas – Also no picture of these but savory pastry dough-filled baked bites include everything from potato to spinach to mushrooms. They were on every breakfast spread and a welcome change from my typical granola breakfast.

26. Beets – These were also everywhere, and a beet hummus we ate in Klil was the creamiest, most vibrant spread ever! (Still looking for the recipe in my luggage)

27. Cauliflower – Roasted cauliflower was on several of our dining tables in Israel! Spiced and prepared differently than in the US (no buffalo sauce on cauliflower for this girl), it has a meaty texture to fill you up, while still feeling light.

28. Olives & pickles  – In addition to the freshest olive oil, olives and pickles are a starter for almost every meal and quite refreshing on a hot day!

29. Sushi – This goes along with the fish mentioned above, but we had some delectable bites of sashimi and raw fish in Israel. We were also introduced to these sushi sandwiches, fresh fish layered between layers of toasted rice. It was a fun snack or meal that we’ve never come across before!

30) Staples & Starches – Each meal was served with so many sides, spreads, and complementary flavors! Spiced or flavored rice was almost always served at every meal, and we had two crispy sweet potato salads on the last day – a fun challenge to try to make in the kitchen!

Lasting Memories and Flavors…

We can’t believe what an incredibly tasting, fulfilling, meaningful, and fun tour we had in Israel. I’m working on documenting my top Israel travel and restaurant Rebeccammendations for my travel spreadsheet. Still savoring the last of the nuts and chocolate we brought home, but these memories will last forever. Until next time…Shalom.