Israeli cuisine
Fusion of Jewish diaspora and Arab culinary traditions.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Israeli cuisine is built on dishes carried by Jewish communities from around the world, and in recent decades it has taken shape as a distinctive fusion that blends Jewish and Arab culinary traditions. It brings together the foodways of Middle Eastern Jews from Southwest Asia and North Africa, Sephardi Jews from Iberia, and Ashkenazi Jews from Central and Eastern Europe. The cuisine also draws from other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean traditions—for example, Iranian and Turkish Jewish cooking—so that ingredients like za'atar and dishes such as falafel, hummus, msabbaha, shakshouka, and couscous have become common across Israel. However, labeling Arab dishes as Israeli has sparked accusations of cultural appropriation from Palestinians and other Arabs.
Other key influences include the abundance of Mediterranean staples—certain fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and fish—along with the observance of kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) and food customs tied to Shabbat and Jewish holidays. Classic examples include challah, jachnun, malawach, gefilte fish, hamin, me'orav yerushalmi, and sufganiyot. Over time, new dishes have emerged based on local agricultural products like oranges, avocados, dairy, and fish, as well as global food trends, with chefs trained abroad introducing elements of other international cuisines.
**History**
**Origins**
Israel’s culinary traditions stretch back roughly 3,000 years, shaped by influences from Asia, Africa, and Europe, as well as religious and ethnic diversity. Biblical and archaeological records offer glimpses of the region’s food culture as early as 1000 BCE. Ancient Israelite cuisine relied on the “seven species”—olives, figs, dates, pomegranates, wheat, barley, and grapes—still important today. The diet, based on local produce, was enriched by imported spices, thanks to the region’s position at the crossroads of east–west trade routes.
During the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE), Hellenistic and Roman culture heavily influenced the food of Jerusalem’s priests and aristocracy, who enjoyed elaborate meals with piquant dishes, alcoholic drinks, fish, beef, meat, pickled and fresh vegetables, olives, and both tart and sweet fruits. After the Second Temple’s destruction and the exile of most Jews from the Land of Israel, Jewish cuisine continued to evolve in the many countries where Jewish communities settled, shaped by
- Historical span
- Modern fusion emerging from diaspora communities over the past century
Lore & Background
Israel's culinary traditions comprise foods and cooking methods that span 3,000 years of history, shaped by influences from Asia, Africa, and Europe. Ancient Israelite cuisine was based on the seven species: olives, figs, dates, pomegranates, wheat, barley, and grapes. During the Second Temple period, Hellenistic and Roman culture heavily influenced cuisine, particularly among the priests and aristocracy of Jerusalem. After the destruction of the Second Temple and the exile of most Jews from the Land of Israel, Jewish cuisine continued to develop in the many countries where Jewish communities existed.
Reader's Guide
The identification of Arab dishes as Israeli has led to accusations of cultural appropriation against Israel by Palestinians and other Arabs. Other influences on the cuisine include the availability of foods common to the Mediterranean, the tradition of observing kashrut, and food customs specific to Shabbat and other Jewish holidays. New dishes based on agricultural products such as oranges, avocados, dairy products, and fish, and others based on world trends have been introduced over the years. Chefs trained abroad have brought in elements of other international cuisines. The State of Israel faced food rationing and austerity from 1948 to 1958, known as tzena, during which ethnic dishes were modified with mock or simulated foods. Immigrants to Israel have introduced elements of the cuisines of the cultures and countries from whence they came, with the greatest impact after 1948 coming from Jews from Turkey, Iraq, Kurdistan, Yemen, and North Africa.
Did You Know?
- The first Hebrew cookbook is generally considered to be 'The Jewish Cookbook' (Ha-Mitbah Ha-Yehudi) by Erna Meyer, published in 1930, not 'How to Cook in Palestine' published in 1936.
- Khubeza, a local variety of the mallow plant, became an important food source during the War of Independence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Israeli cuisine?
Israeli cuisine is a national food tradition that grew out of the meeting between Jewish diaspora cooking and Arab and broader Middle Eastern culinary practices. It weaves together Sephardi, Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, and Mediterranean foodways into a single, recognizably Israeli table.
Where did Israeli cuisine's signature dishes come from?
Dishes like falafel, hummus, shakshouka, and couscous arrived through Jewish communities from North Africa, Iberia, Iran, Turkey, and the Levant, each carrying their own recipes into the new country. Over time these were adapted, mixed, and adopted as shared national staples rather than belonging to one ethnic group.
How old is Israeli cuisine?
The Jewish food traditions that feed into it span roughly 3,000 years of history across many continents. The modern Israeli cuisine as a unified, self-identified national style, however, largely took shape in the late twentieth century as immigrant communities settled and cooked side by side.
Why is Israeli cuisine often described as a fusion?
It is unusual in that its identity is built on the deliberate blending of two major culinary worlds—Jewish diaspora traditions and Arab/Middle Eastern cooking—rather than on a single ethnic lineage. That duality is visible in everyday meals where a Jewish holiday dish and a Levantine mezze plate sit together as equally 'Israeli.'
What sets Israeli cuisine apart from neighboring Arab cuisines?
While the ingredient lists overlap heavily, Israeli cuisine explicitly incorporates Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewish preparations and holiday foods alongside Levantine and North African ones. This layered, multi-origin character is what distinguishes it from the more regionally uniform cuisines of surrounding countries.
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