[img]96|left|||no_popup[/img] Dateline Jerusalem — It is 1:30 a.m. as I write this, and the aroma of exotic spices and fragrant dishes permeate the air while I sit in my apartment adjusting to the heat of the soon-to-be summer. Thursday nights and Friday mornings are spent cooking for Shabbat (Sabbath) in Israel. Family and friends gather for Shabbat meals, even when the participants are not religious. In Israel it is a time for families to be with each other, generations of family members sitting around a large table. Because Israel is a melting pot for Jews from all over the world, the tastes and smells of Shabbat, the songs and tunes, the family traditions and customs can be unique and specific to the countries represented.
I love being invited to spend Shabbat at the homes of friends. Not only is it a culinary treat to savor the delicious dinners and lunches, it is a learning experience. Israel's cuisine is a blend of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, North African, Spanish, French, Yemenite, Moroccan, Eastern European, Russian, German, Iraqi, Persian, Ethiopian, Indian and other influences. My friends come from all continents except Antarctica. Although the English language is a common denominator among them, when it comes to the preparation of food, their dinner table fare is as diverse as their countries of origin. The delectable flavors and scents are fused with Israeli spices and condiments. The resulting mix is uniquely Israeli. Therefore it is difficult to walk down the streets of my town on a Thursday night or Friday morning without being tantalized by the aromas. On a hot summer-like night when the windows to my apartment are open and I breathe in the fresh air, I feel as though I am sampling all the dishes of the midnight buffet on a cruise ship, each one better than the other.
There are three major population groups in Israel. Jews make up 75 percent, Arabs 20 percent and others 5 percent. Although Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages of the State of Israel, English is taught from elementary school on. Russian, Amharic (the language of Ethiopians) and French are also widely spoken. My apartment building is comparable to a mini-United Nations. Families hail from all over the world. Everyone speaks Hebrew but me. Yet somehow I am able to communicate. When I say a word in Hebrew, they become excited. After almost five years, I finally can speak a few words in the language of my adopted country. As I climb four flights of stairs to reach my apartment on Shabbat, I can tell from which countries my neighbors come by the scents emanating from their apartments. Perhaps there is a language of food.
What is most interesting about the countries of the Middle East, Israel included, is that each claims to be the originator of certain shared dishes. Technically that may be the case. Often the same food is prepared with a slight twist, just enough to make it unique. For example, falafel can be made from ground garbanzo beans or chickpeas as well as ground fava beans. Shwarma usually is made from turkey in Israel, from lamb in surrounding countries. Even what is called “Israeli salad” is referred to in other countries as their own.
It is time for me to sleep. I seem to be dozing off, dreaming of taste-testing the roasted garlic, fried onions and eggplant salads and dishes.
L'hitraot. Shachar.
