Israeli breakfast
A dairy-based buffet breakfast originating on Israeli kibbutzim.
An Israeli breakfast is a style of breakfast that originated on Israeli collective farms called kibbutzim. It is now served at most hotels in Israel and many restaurants, usually as a buffet consisting of fruits, vegetables, salads, breads, pastries, dairy foods, eggs, and fish, with meat almost never included.
- origin
- Kibbutzim in Israel
- type
- Breakfast style
- key_ingredients
- Fruits, vegetables, salads, breads, pastries, dairy, eggs, fish
- meat_inclusion
- Almost never included
- common_service
- Buffet style
Lore & Background
During the early days of the state of Israel, residents of a kibbutz ate their meals in a communal dining hall. It was common for them to eat a light snack early in the morning, work in the fields for several hours, and then return for a hearty mid-morning buffet meal similar to a brunch. By the 1950s, Israeli hotels were promoting the 'Israeli breakfast' in a style similar to these kibbutz meals.
In 1979, members of the Jerusalem Hotel Association and the Israeli Hotel Owners Association decided to phase out the full Israeli breakfast as part of the basic hotel room rate, substituting a more modest Continental breakfast to reduce costs. Reasons cited included rising costs and the need to combat the tourist impulse to hoard breakfast items for later meals. The discontinuation effort was not successful, and the tradition of serving a hearty breakfast buffet resumed.
The Israeli breakfast never includes meats such as ham and bacon, in accordance with Jewish laws of Kashrut, which forbid mixing meat and dairy and prohibit pork. It is a dairy meal, with a variety of cheeses, and fish (pareve) is frequently served, including herring, sprats, sardines, and salmon. Egg dishes are almost universal, and the Maghrebi dish shakshouka, brought by Tunisian Jews, is common.
Reader's Guide
The Israeli breakfast holds significance as a distinctive culinary tradition rooted in the communal life of early Israeli kibbutzim. Its evolution from a practical farm meal to a hotel buffet staple reflects broader cultural and economic shifts in Israel. The breakfast is notable for its adherence to Jewish dietary laws, being a dairy meal that excludes meat and pork, and for its abundant variety of fresh vegetables, salads, cheeses, fish, and egg dishes. The failed attempt in 1979 to replace it with a Continental breakfast highlights its strong cultural hold and the resistance to cost-cutting measures that would diminish a beloved tradition. Today, it remains a hallmark of Israeli hospitality, served buffet-style in hotels and in streamlined form in smaller restaurants, and it continues to showcase the diverse influences of Middle Eastern and Jewish cuisines.
Did You Know?
- The Israeli breakfast originated on Israeli collective farms called kibbutzim.
- In 1979, hotel associations tried to phase out the full Israeli breakfast to reduce costs, but the effort was not successful.
- The breakfast is a dairy meal and never includes meat, in accordance with Jewish laws of Kashrut.
- Shakshouka, eggs poached in tomato sauce, is a common dish brought to Israel by Tunisian Jews.
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