Israel: Food and the National Dish

A table built from many diasporas at once

Israeli food reflects the country's modern founding by Jewish communities returning from dozens of different countries, each bringing their own culinary tradition: Mizrahi and Sephardi cooking from the Middle East and North Africa, Ashkenazi cooking from Eastern Europe, and more besides. Layered onto that is the broader Levantine food culture of the wider region, shared with neighbouring countries and Palestinian communities rather than unique to any one of them.

Widely eaten: shakshuka

Shakshuka, eggs gently poached in a spiced tomato and pepper sauce, is one of the most commonly cited everyday Israeli dishes, eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner alike. Its roots trace to North African Jewish cooking, brought to Israel by Jewish communities from Tunisia, Libya and Morocco, and it has since become a genuine national comfort food, appearing on café menus and home tables across the country.

Hummus, falafel and a shared regional pantry

Hummus, chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon and garlic, and falafel, deep-fried chickpea or fava bean patties, are eaten constantly across Israel, though both dishes are shared Levantine foods with roots across the wider Arab world, not dishes unique to Israel alone. Fresh vegetables, olive oil, tahini, and a genuinely wide range of Middle Eastern spices anchor most everyday Israeli cooking regardless of which diaspora tradition a particular dish comes from.

History behind the table

Israeli cuisine's modern identity formed largely in the 20th century, as Jewish immigrants arrived from Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere and brought their home cooking with them, gradually blending into a shared Israeli food culture built on local Levantine ingredients. That layered, immigrant-driven history is part of why Israeli food includes both Eastern European dishes like matzo ball soup and North African dishes like shakshuka side by side.

Dishes to know

Five more to recognise across Israel:

• Hummus — chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon and garlic, eaten

constantly as a spread, dip and meal base.

• Falafel — deep-fried chickpea or fava bean patties, a widely eaten

street food.

• Sabich — a pita sandwich of fried aubergine, boiled egg and salads,

associated with Iraqi Jewish cuisine.

• Israeli salad — finely chopped tomato, cucumber and onion, a simple

everyday side dish.

• Matzo ball soup — a chicken broth with dumplings made from matzo

meal, an Ashkenazi Jewish dish.

Drinks

Coffee, particularly strong Turkish-style coffee, is a genuine daily habit, and Israeli wine, produced in growing regions across the country, has developed a real international reputation in recent decades. Fresh fruit juices, especially pomegranate and citrus, are widely available given the country's strong produce-growing tradition.

Eating as a traveller

Vegetarians and vegans eat exceptionally well in Israel, thanks to the strong hummus, falafel and vegetable-forward Levantine cooking tradition. Tap water is safe throughout the country. Kosher dietary laws affect many restaurants and food availability, particularly around Shabbat, so checking hours in advance on Fridays and Saturdays is worth doing.

What to take from the table

Shakshuka, simple and genuinely Israeli in how it came together from a North African Jewish tradition, is a good place to start — but hummus and falafel, eaten everywhere and shared honestly with the wider region, show how much Israeli food sits within a larger Levantine story.