Israel Street Food Ranking
One of the things I was most excited for on my (basically required since I’m a Jewish teen) trip to Israel was the food. We ate at good restaurants, but the best food always came from local Israeli street food shops. When we were in the Golan, Safed, Carmel Market, or Machenah market in Jerusalem, we always found the best food. I think I ate falafel or some sort of protein wrapped in a carb every day for over a week, and I never got tired of it. I always wanted more, cause who knows when I will be back in Israel again….
I decided it would only be best to put the streetfood to the test (rhyme not intended) and tell you which one was the best (also rhyme not intended, I promise.) Here are five of the most memorable and delicious Israeli street food lunches I ate in December.
5. Before I tell you number five, the lowest ranked item on this list, just know that this falafel was one of the most delicious lunches I have ever had. But out of the street food on this list, it fell short. Maybe because the falafel was similar to other falafel I had, or maybe it just wasn’t as new and exciting. But what was exciting was where I got it, Safed. The city is located in the Northern District of Israel, close to the Golan Heights, where hills are very present. The city is known for its history with Kabbala, which refers to the presence Jewish mysticism. It was so cool and interesting to learn about Jews who practice the religion differently in such a different part of the world geographically and culturally. The temples were small, but packed with everything that a regular synagogue would have. The streets were tiny, lined with bricks, and the art was so different and incredible. While exploring the city of Safed, we stopped for a quick lunch. We were about halfway into our trip, so I was getting to know my street food. The falafel was warm and crispy, and had a delicious flavor. I felt that the pita was too much compared to the amount of falafel put into the pita, yet still, definitely some of the best food in Israel. The hummus was so refreshing and so smooth. It fell short of its complexity, and there weren’t any major differences from other falafels we had. But, overall, very delicious and if I could I would get it right now instead of eating my salad from the cafeteria.
4. This falafel we grabbed from the Machenah market in Jerusalem. The market was so packed I could barely see the hair color of the people in front of me, but that was only because it was the day before Shabat began and people needed to grab food to last them the weekend. On Shabbat, Jews must rest, and not work. So, those who run the market get Friday evening and Saturday off, meaning the market is closed. Many, many people were rounding up their food to last them a few days. This falafel was delicious. And when I say delicious, I mean one of the most amazing street food meals I’ve had. It was insanely crispy, and super fresh. The hummus was smooth, and the herbs and olive oil just added so much more. It was only a bite, but a bite that I wish I could have all the time. This surely could be put at number one, but the food was just so good in Israel. It gets better.
3. The next street food meal we also grabbed in Safed and it was very untraditional compared to the other Israeli street food we ate, because it wasn’t Israeli, but Yemenite. Yemenite Jews are as simply as the name sounds, Jews who onced lived in Yemen but immigrated somewhere else. And let me tell you, their food is spectacular. I wasn’t expected to have something so cheesy; it was a Jewish pizza. It was a delightful surprise. We grabbed a snack as we explored the mystical and old city of Safed. The name was hard to find, but I’m almost positive the name of the puffy, crispy flatbread filled with a special cheese, tomatoes, and za’atar is called Lahuhe. I was a bit hesitant to eat the Lahuhe as I hate anything tomato (except tomato sauce), but I was so insanely hungry that I risked my tastebuds, and I’m glad I took that risk. I would honestly do anything right now to eat Lahuhe. The tomatoes were refreshing (mom and dad, if you see this, I still won't eat tomatoes), the cheese was delicious, and the Lahuhe was like a savory but crispy pancake. The za’atar was some of the best I’ve had, and the spicy-pickled-carrot mixture added great flavor - all though it may have been a bit too spicy, but that couldn’t stop me from eating it. I was supposed to share the Lahuhe with my four family members, but I ended up eating almost the whole thing for myself. It is one of the most amazing, exciting, and new foods I have tried.
2. As Abby Lee Miller once said, “second is the first to lose.” Though I will agree with this statement in everything else I do, in this situation I can’t. This was the first falafel I ate when I arrived in Israel, and I think that's why it was my favorite falafel. In my religious school we used to have special Sundays where they would give each student two falafel, and that gave me such a bad reputation for such a great food. I refused to eat falafel anywhere. When I tried this falafel, everything changed and now it's a food I crave all the time. It was crispier, and more flavorful than all of them, and I don’t really know what else separated this specific falafel from all the others I ate. And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for….
1. The winner! I’m pretty sure this was expected as I literally posted about this ten different times over the course of a week, but the best thing I ate, and one of the best things I have ever eaten, was this shawarma. I only had shawarma once on this trip, and it was on the day we were leaving. The best parting gift. I don’t really know how to explain how good this was in creative writing, so here are ten simple reasons I loved it.
It was warm.
It was fresh
Flavor.
Thinness of the laffa
Photogenic
It was good
I loved it
I wish I could have it again
It was yum
All of the above
It's crazy how something so simple, with no crazy flavors or elements, could be the best food. And out of all of the things I learned in Israel (which was more than my brain could comprehend), I think this stuck out to me the most. Meals don’t always have to be complex to be delicious, or to fulfill your taste buds. Sometimes it’s the most simple foods in life that bring you joy. Because all that shawarma is, is a protein in thin bread.
