Israeli Cuisine: Shakshuka, Sabich, Hummus and the Melting Pot of the Middle East

Understanding Israeli food requires understanding the concept of the Israeli 'melting pot' — a literal culinary reality. When waves of Jewish immigrants arrived from across the diaspora in the twentieth century, they brought their regional food cultures with them: Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe introduced gefilte fish, borscht, brisket and Challah bread; Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews from North Africa and the Middle East contributed the spice blends, slow-cooked lamb and chickpea traditions that now form the spine of Israeli everyday cooking. Simultaneously, Arab-Palestinian cuisine — rooted in thousands of years of Levantine agriculture — provided olive oil, za'atar, sumac, flatbread and the beloved chickpea preparations that include hummus and falafel.

The Israeli breakfast table — Aruchat Boker — is perhaps the most celebrated expression of this synthesis. An Israeli breakfast at any decent hotel or home involves multiple small dishes: fresh salads of tomato and cucumber, labneh (strained yoghurt) drizzled with olive oil, hummus, hard-boiled eggs, smoked fish, olives, pickles, white cheese, fresh herbs and baskets of bread. It is an entirely communal meal, designed for grazing and conversation. Food writer Yotam Ottolenghi has observed that 'Israeli food is not about a single dish or a single origin — it's about abundance, generosity and bringing people together around a shared table.' This philosophy of abundance and inclusion is perhaps the single most defining characteristic of Israeli food culture.

These twelve ingredients form the foundation of an Israeli kitchen:

1. Tahini: Sesame paste made from hulled, roasted sesame seeds. The backbone of hummus, baba ganoush and dressings. Buy imported Palestinian or Lebanese tahini for best quality.

2. Za'atar: A blend of dried wild thyme, sumac, sesame seeds and salt. Used on labneh, flatbread, roasted chicken and eggs. Each family and region has its own blend.

3. Sumac (Sumaq): A deep burgundy ground spice with a bright, lemony tartness. Essential for musakhan, fattoush and grilled meats.

4. Dried chickpeas: The most important legume in the Israeli kitchen. Cook from dry (soaked overnight) for hummus; tinned only for last-resort dishes. Use the cooking water (aquafaba) for silky hummus.

5. Harissa: North African chilli paste with cumin, coriander and caraway brought by Tunisian and Libyan Jewish communities. Use in shakshuka, marinades and as a condiment.

6. Preserved lemons (Limon Kbush): Salted and fermented whole lemons. Use the rind only (discard the flesh); essential in fish dishes, roasted vegetables and dressings.

7. Z'hug: Yemeni green (or red) chilli paste with garlic, coriander, cumin and cardamom. Fiery and herbaceous; serve alongside almost everything.

8. Labneh: Yoghurt strained overnight in cheesecloth until thick and spreadable. Can be rolled into balls in olive oil and za'atar for preservation.

9. Good olive oil: Israeli extra virgin olive oil from Galilee is world-class. Use generously — it is both a cooking fat and a condiment.

10. Pomegranate molasses: Tart, sweet reduction of pomegranate juice. Adds depth to salad dressings, dips and braised meats.

11. Baharat spice blend: A warm mix of allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and cloves. Central to Iraqi and Levantine meat cooking.

12. Eggplant (aubergine): The most versatile vegetable in Israeli cooking — grilled whole over flame for baba ganoush, roasted in chunks, fried for sabich or slow-cooked with tomatoes.

1. Flame-charring aubergine: Place whole aubergines directly on a gas flame or barbecue grill. Turn with tongs every few minutes until the skin is completely blackened and the flesh collapses. The steam inside the aubergine cooks it from within. The smoky, caramelised flesh inside forms the base of baba ganoush and Israeli-style grilled aubergine salads (Salat Hatzilim).

2. Making silky hummus: Israeli hummus tradition demands cooking dried chickpeas until completely tender — almost over-cooked — then blending at high speed while hot with cold tahini, lemon and ice water. The temperature contrast and extended blending produce the ultra-smooth, almost mousse-like consistency that defines great hummus. Skin removal before blending (rubbing the cooked chickpeas between your palms) takes it to another level.

3. Shakshuka technique: Begin with a base of sautéed onion, pepper and garlic in olive oil until deeply caramelised. Add spiced tomatoes and cook until the sauce thickens and concentrates. Create wells in the sauce and crack eggs into them. Cover and cook gently until the whites are just set but the yolks remain runny. Serve directly from the pan with bread for dipping.

4. Labneh straining: Line a colander with several layers of muslin or a clean linen cloth. Pour in full-fat natural yoghurt seasoned with salt. Tie the corners and hang over a bowl in the refrigerator for 12–48 hours. The longer it strains, the firmer and more concentrated the flavour.

5. Israeli salad preparation (Salat Yerakot): Every vegetable is cut to precisely the same tiny dice — approximately 5 mm cube — and dressed immediately before serving with lemon juice, olive oil and salt. No substitutes, no shortcuts. The uniformity of cut is a point of national pride.

Shakshuka (from Arabic meaning 'a mixture') is possibly the most beloved dish in the modern Israeli kitchen — eggs poached in a spiced tomato and pepper sauce, ideally eaten from the pan with chunks of fresh bread. This version adds a dollop of labneh and a dusting of za'atar for a complete, deeply satisfying meal.

Ingredients (serves 2–3): 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 large onion (finely diced), 2 red peppers (diced), 5 garlic cloves (minced), 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp cayenne (or 1 tsp harissa), 400 g tinned crushed tomatoes, 200 g fresh cherry tomatoes (halved), salt, 1 tsp sugar, 4–6 eggs, 3 tbsp labneh, 1 tbsp za'atar, fresh flat-leaf parsley, good olive oil to finish.

Method: Step 1 — Heat olive oil in a 28 cm wide, deep frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt; cook for 10–12 minutes until deeply golden and beginning to caramelise. Step 2 — Add peppers and cook for another 8 minutes until softened. Add garlic and spices; fry for 2 minutes until fragrant. Step 3 — Add tinned and fresh tomatoes, sugar and 1 tsp salt. Stir to combine. Simmer on medium-low, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes until the sauce has thickened considerably and the oil has risen to the surface. Step 4 — Taste and adjust seasoning. Make 4–6 small wells in the sauce using the back of a spoon. Crack one egg into each well. Step 5 — Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 4–6 minutes. Remove the lid: the whites should be just set, the yolks still soft and wobbling. Step 6 — Dot labneh around the pan between the eggs. Scatter za'atar generously. Finish with torn parsley and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Step 7 — Bring the pan directly to the table and serve with thick slices of fresh Challah or warm flatbread for tearing and dipping.

Sabich (pronounced sah-BEEKH) is one of Israel's great street foods — an Iraqi Jewish invention that became a Tel Aviv staple. A fluffy pitta is stuffed with fried aubergine, hard-boiled egg, amba (tangy mango pickle sauce), hummus, Israeli salad, pickles and z'hug. It is a dish of extraordinary complexity and layered flavour from the simplest ingredients.

Ingredients (serves 4): 2 large aubergines (sliced into 1 cm rounds), neutral oil for frying, 4 pitta breads, 4 hard-boiled eggs (halved), 200 g smooth hummus, 4 tbsp amba sauce (find at Middle Eastern grocery stores or combine mango chutney with 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp fenugreek, cumin, lemon juice), quick Israeli salad (2 tomatoes + 1 cucumber, finely diced, dressed with lemon and olive oil), pickled cucumbers or turnips, z'hug to taste, 2 tbsp tahini sauce (tahini + lemon + water + salt).

Method: Step 1 — Lay aubergine slices on a tray, salt generously on both sides and leave for 30 minutes. Pat completely dry with kitchen paper — this is essential to prevent oil splatter. Step 2 — Heat 2 cm of neutral oil in a wide pan to 175°C. Fry aubergine slices in batches for 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden brown and completely tender. Drain on a wire rack. Step 3 — Prepare all components: hard-boil eggs (9 minutes from cold water), make Israeli salad, prepare tahini sauce by whisking tahini with lemon juice and enough water to create a pourable consistency. Step 4 — Warm pitta breads in a dry pan or directly over a gas flame for 30 seconds per side until puffed and charred at the edges. Cut or tear open one side to create a pocket. Step 5 — Inside each pitta: spread a generous layer of hummus on the bottom. Add 2–3 slices of fried aubergine. Place egg halves cut-side up. Step 6 — Add a spoonful of amba sauce, a spoonful of Israeli salad, 2–3 pickle slices and a drizzle of tahini. Step 7 — Finish with z'hug to taste and eat immediately — the pitta softens quickly.

Israeli cuisine is better understood as a collection of distinct immigrant food traditions that have gradually blended and influenced each other over seventy-plus years. Yemenite cooking is one of the most distinctive and beloved — characterised by hilbeh (fenugreek paste), the spice blend hawayij (cumin, black pepper, turmeric, cardamom), and the exceptional Yemenite Jachnun — a slow-baked overnight pastry of laminated dough spread with schmalz (chicken fat), baked in a sealed tin from Shabbat eve until the following morning and served with grated tomato and z'hug.

Moroccan Jewish cooking brought tagine techniques, preserved lemons, chermoula (herb and spice marinade) and the spectacular Moroccan fish dish of sea bass or red mullet poached in a fragrant tomato-pepper broth with saffron, paprika and preserved lemon — called Hraime.

Persian (Iranian Jewish) cooking contributes rice dishes jewelled with dried fruits, herbs and saffron — the Shabbat rice Chelow with a golden crispy Tahdig crust at the bottom of the pot is a point of pride for Persian Jewish families. Iraqi Jewish cooking produced Kubbeh — torpedo-shaped dumplings of semolina or beet dough filled with spiced minced meat, served in broth. Arab-Israeli and Palestinian cooking traditions contribute musakhan, maqluba (upside-down rice and chicken), and many of the flatbread and olive traditions that define everyday Israeli eating.

An Israeli dinner party is built around abundance and sharing. The meal almost always begins with an extended mezze — known as Salatim (salads) — spread across the entire table. Prepare eight to ten small dishes: hummus drizzled with olive oil and paprika, baba ganoush, Israeli salad, roasted red pepper with walnuts, labneh with za'atar, white bean salad with lemon and herbs, pickled vegetables, and olives. Set out baskets of warm pitta or laffa (large flatbread) and fresh Challah. This opening spread is a meal in itself and should be generous.

For a main course, Slow-Roasted Lamb with Herbs and Pomegranate is supremely Israeli in spirit: a bone-in shoulder slow-cooked for 4–5 hours with garlic, cumin, coriander and pomegranate molasses until falling apart. Serve over a mound of fluffy musakhan rice with caramelised onions and sumac. Alternatively, a whole roasted cauliflower with tahini, pine nuts and herbs has become a modern Israeli classic. For dessert, halva ice cream or a simple citrus cake with olive oil and orange blossom water provides a refreshing close. Offer mint tea or strong black Turkish-style coffee. The most important rule of an Israeli dinner: refill every plate before anyone asks.