One of the best things about traveling is trying the local popular food. As we have found ourselves immersed in Israel, we knew we needed to try some of the most popular foods. Luckily it is so easy to figure out which foods are popular here! Locals are fanatical about their food, it is truly a country full of foodies. Below we will explore the different foods that you’ll find in Israel and some of the places you can find them.
Background of Israel’s Food
Israeli food has a heavy focus on vegetables. It is one of the most vegan-friendly countries in the world. Given the focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, it is easy to find many delicious in-season produce. There are also several farmer’s markets (Shuks) that sell produce. Israel grows the majority of the produce.
When eating in Israel you’ll come across excellent quality ingredients and a lot of creativity. There are many Middle Eastern influences within Israeli cuisine. But as a country full of Jewish immigrants there are so many flavors and influences from a variety of places. You’ll see Moroccan, Polish, Hungarian, Russian, Yemeni, and many, many more countries and cultures represented in popular Israeli food. If Mediterranean food is not your thing check out our guide of the best burgers in Tel Aviv!
Popular Israeli Breakfast Foods
Jerusalem Bagel
This is by far one of my favorite things to eat in Israel. They are a longer, skinnier bagel. Each bagel is then dredged in sesame seeds. If you warm up and dunk the bagels in coffee then they are especially delicious. Trust me on this! Many times it also comes with a fried egg for breakfast, so you can use the bagel to soak up the egg yolk.
They are easily found in many bakeries and breakfast cafes. The local markets also sell them. Most famously the Ha’Carmel Shuk has many stands with breads and bagels.
Bialy
Originally from Poland, this bread roll is a great breakfast pastry. With a divot in the center, bialys are similar to bagels. The center usually has an onion and poppy seed mixture. Unlike a bagel, it is not boiled and then baked. Bialys are not to be confused with za’atar flatbreads.
Bourekas
Another savory breakfast pastry! Bourekas are triangular puff pastry pies with a variety of fillings. You can find cheese, meat, spinach, and eggplant options. The most popular filling is cheese. You can recognize them by their triangular shape and sesame seed topping.
Most cafes and bakeries offer plenty of bourekas with ample options of fillings and sizes. If you want to try several I’d recommend getting the small ones so you can try many.
Shakshuka
This breakfast food is very popular in Israel. Recently, Larry had some at a little cafe. It is a tomato sauce-based dish with a variety of spices and peppers. An egg is poached in the thickened spiced tomato sauce.
The shakshuka comes with a pita bread for dipping. The pita will also help with soaking up some of the tomato sauce. Typically breakfasts in Israel also include a side salad, tahini, and some spiced olives. It is truly one of the most filling breakfasts.
Occasionally, you find shakshuka sandwiches for breakfast as well. This is a great brunch option! It’s also great if you aren’t sold on the whole tomato sauce.
Popular Israeli Street Foods
Shawarma
Shawarma is one of the most popular foods in Israel. Quick polls show that most people’s favorite thing to eat is shawarma from a street vendor. Larry and I concur. We luckily have a shawarma stand on the corner of where we live and I’m pretty sure they know us there now.
Shawarma is thinly sliced and spiced meats rotating on a vertical rotisserie. You’ll find chicken, lamb, and sometimes even turkey shawarma in Israel. The meat is traditionally spiced with cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, paprika, and more. At a street vendor you’ll choose the bread you want your shawarma in. We prefer the traditional pita, but there are other options like baguettes. Then you pick toppings like hummus, salad, harrissa, pickled cabbage, etc. The best shawarma isn’t overpowered with spices while also remaining moist.
Falafel
Falafels are actually a food that I never had before coming to Israel. Leading up to our trip we started eating more Mediterranean food to get a taste of Israel, but I refused to eat any falafels until I got the real deal in Israel. I’m SO happy I waited. We have had some truly exceptional falafels. Next to hummus, falafel is the food of Israel.
Falafels are a mixture of chickpeas, herbs, and spices. Then the mixture gets packed into a little ball and deep fried. The inside is bright green. You can see them make the falafels to order at many different falafel stands. Each of these little fritters is then put into a pita with various toppings. You can choose from salad, pickled cabbage, onions, pickles, tomato, tahini, hummus, and even harissa. Most stands have similar toppings. Additionally, people like to add mixed pickled veggies to their pitas.
Sabich
Sabich is a sandwich. It is stuffed with fried eggplants, hard-boiled eggs, salad, parsley, amba, and tahini. The bread is either pita or laffa. This is another popular street food you’ll see all over Israel. Much like shawarma and falafel, it is on the larger side, making it a very filling meal perfect for lunch.
Sambusak
Unlike the bourekas, these “handpies” are made with a savory shortcrust dough. Similar to the bourekas they have a savory filling. Sambusak can either be a breakfast or lunch pastry. They do tend to be larger than the bourekas. Generally, sambusaks have a cheese filling. You’ll also find pizza ones which are delicious! We even found one with a Nutella filling.
Popular Israeli Foods
Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is a popular salad in Israel. It is made with finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, mint, and onion. Add bulgur, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to finish it off. While it is easy to make at home, it is also incredibly time-consuming! The vegetables are chopped into very small pieces to give the salad its signature look. It is definitely a must-try salad!
Israeli Salad
Israel has many salads. In some restaurants you can order Salatim which is basically a bunch of small plates with a variety of different salads. I told you! It is a very healthy culture.
This salad is generally what you find as an option to add to your falafel or shawarma. Israeli salad is chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and bell peppers. Occasionally, you’ll get an Israeli side salad that includes lettuce, pomegranate seeds, and some olive oil. Given the local produce, this salad is particularly delicious.
Schnitzel
While schnitzel is not Israeli, it is very popular here. Typically, you’ll find schnitzel to be a breaded chicken that is pan-fried. Ideally, it is served with a pile of thick-cut fries. As there are many immigrants who came from European countries, and they brought the popular schnitzel to Israel.
Jachnun
Jachnun looks like a tube. It is phyllo dough rolled and baked in the oven. Usually Jachnun is dipped in pureed tomatoes and fenugreek. It is a great snack.
Me’orav Yerushalmi
This dish is not for the faint of heart! While it comes in a pita, the stuffing is not something we are normally exposed to in the USA. Chicken hearts, spleens, and livers are mixed with lamb and cooked on the grill. Along with this mixture, there are onions, garlic, pepper, cumin, turmeric, coriander, and olive oil. All of this is stuffed into a pita. They say that animal organs are very good for you.
Latkes
These are my favorite foods! Of course, you can never go wrong with potatoes. It is a crispy, fried oniony potato pancake. Latkes are similar to hashbrowns. Latkes are particularly popular during Hanukah. Typically the latkes are served with applesauce and sour cream for dipping.
Popular Dips
Tahini
Tahini is a condiment. You’ll find it in many popular foods in Israel. Toasted, ground, and hulled sesame seeds make up tahini. Sesame seeds are a very popular ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine. While it can be served alone, it can also be an ingredient in many dishes. Halva, hummus, and baba ganoush all feature tahini.
Labneh
Think of a thicker version of Greek yogurt and you get labne! It is a very fresh and mild type of cheese. You can eat labne for breakfast or as a dip for snacks. Additionally, olive oil and za’atar can top labne. In Israel, tzatziki is also made with labne. We dip pretzels in the labne with olive oil and za’atar.
Baba Ganoush
Made with boiled eggplants, this dish has a smoky, creamy flavor. Typically enjoyed with pita, veggies, or toasted chips. Baba Ganoush’s spicy cousin is Spicy Matbucha Dip. With all the same ingredients plus a dash of hot pepper. If you make this dip at home, it’s better the following day because the hot pepper really settles in.
Hummus
Hummus has taken the US by storm! But did you know that Israel is the hummus capital of the world? While it is originally from Lebanon, Israel has taken hummus and ran with it. Hummus is a very popular chickpea dip. Blend chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic to make hummus. The garlic is incredibly important. Finally, in Israel, you’ll find it with a healthy drizzle of olive oil and paprika.
There are many different options with many flavors. One of our favorites is with harissa to make the hummus a little spicier. There are also hummus options with pine nuts. Hummus is so popular in Tel Aviv that there are some restaurants that only sell hummus.
Popular Israeli Desserts
Chocolate Babka
Originally from Ukraine and Poland, babka has made its place in Israel as well. Seen in the Great British Baking Show, babka is a yeasted sweet bread. While my favorite filling is the chocolate, there are many options. Some of the variations you’ll find include: cinnamon, apple, sweet cheese (think ricotta), cinnamon raisin, and even blueberry. Finally, you can quickly identify this bread by the braided outside that shows off the filling.
Knafeh
Knafeh is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert. Made with a spun pastry called kataifi. Next, soak the pastry in a sweet, sugar-based syrup called attar. Finally, kataifi and cheese are layered. You can find a variety of other ingredients in knafeh such as clotted cream, pistachios, or other nuts.
Challah Bread
Challah is a special bread. Usually braided and typically eaten on holidays such as Shabbat. It is an enriched bread, but not with butter or dairy instead with oil. Often times it has sesame seeds on top as well. There are so many options to get at bakeries and even grocery stores.
Sufganiyot
Sufganiyot, or doughnut in English, is most popular during the Hanukah season. However, in Israel, sufganiyot are in most bakeries year-round. They are easy to identify with their round shape and powdered sugar. They are filled with jam or custard. Some are even topped with dulce de leche.
Hamantashen
Hamantashen is a popular cookie during Purim. It is a triangular cookie with a filling. The filling can be anything from poppy-seed filling jams, and even Nutella. The cookie is a representation of Haman, the villain in the Purim story. It is an incredibly popular cookie, especially with kids.
Rugelach
This is one of my favorite pastries in Israel. It is a challah dough made into a chocolate pastry. Cut the dough into triangles. Spread a chocolate mixture on each triangle. Then roll up the triangle similar to a croissant. Paint each croissant with an egg wash and bake. It is a delicious dessert or breakfast. Bakeries and cafes can offer a variety of sizes of rugelach. They are a must try.
Halva
Halva is an incredibly popular dessert/candy in the Middle East. It is so popular you’ll find shops that only sell Halva throughout Israel. Since it is such a popular dessert, different countries and cultures make it differently. Israeli halva is made with a base of flour or tahini. Then different ingredients are added to make different flavors. Most halva in Israel looks like a round cake, while others look like a fudge log.
Final Thoughts About the Popular Food in Israel
I think this shows you just how much we LOVE trying new foods when traveling. Go outside what you are normally used to eating. It is so worth it. I know some people are concerned about the possible tummy aches, but luckily, Israel has very clean water. Not only are the vegetables incredibly fresh, but the pastries are delicious. There is so much to try and taste test. So, why don’t you hop on a flight and come try some of these for yourself?
