The Book of New Israeli Food by Janna Gur Schocken, Al Hashulchan Publishing 2008. 304 pages.

No cookbook in recent years has so thoroughly captured the many faces of the Israeli kitchen in all its' variety and simplicity. This book is really about how Israelis eat, from olive oil, to coffee shops, cheeses and shuks (market). According to author Janna Gur, “fusion is the essence”. The book is striking in many ways, not least for its’ comprehensiveness. The book juxtaposes, as does Israeli cuisine, the spicy and the mild, potatoes and zhug, chicken soup and tehina cookies relying on noticeably Israeli ingredients.

One of the best things about this book is the photography, which proves that a picture really is worth a thousand cheesecakes. Both the chapters, and the relevant recipes and pictures, follow the Israeli food cycle as it travels from farm to market or cafe, and from the fields to the barbecue or the Shabbat table. The pictures, mostly shot in soft focus, lend the book an atmosphere of everything we love about Israeli food. It leaves out no detail of the food process, running the gamut from shuks to Tel Aviv eateries, local bakeries to chain-store creations. There are wine barrels and fishing boats, olive trees and open fields, Shabbat tables, barbecues, and coffee houses, but most of all there are people: Arabs and Jews, rustics and Cosmopolitans, tourists and locals, and of course yiddishe mammas, all eating.

And what food they are eating! The book's authors discuss the gastronomic history and sociology of this largely immigrant society and the fusion it has created, as well as the decidedly Israeli compositions that have sprung up in recent years. And all this is accompanied by photographs to inspire even the most ascetic soul.

For the English speaker who wishes to experience the variety and spice of the local flavor, or for the recent immigrant who wonders why everyone is barbecuing on Yom Haatzmaut (Israeli Independence Day,) or what all those spices in the local supermarket are, or maybe just for someone who enjoys a good artistic rendering of a country enjoying its' favorite pastime, eating, this book is for you.

Author's Website

Chefs@Google Interview

This book is available at:
Gur Arieh Bookstore, Yoel Solomon St 8, Jerusalem
Tel: 02-625-7486. Fax: 02-625-4265

Books can be ordered from eLuna.co, for delivery in Israel only.