SELECT Magazine Summer 2020 | Page 45

ISRAELI TREATS Cuisine in Israel is a novel concept, mostly because of the relative age of the country. Only recently, 1948 to be exact, did Israel become an official country, immediately drawing millions of new inhabitants from across the Middle East and Northern Africa. As a result, the national cuisine is diverse, yet authentic, a cornucopia of flavors mostly harvested locally from its varied landscape. The staples you’ll find are familiar — like hummus, couscous and falafel — but made with traditional methods that make the freshness and quality of the ingredients stand out. Those ingredients include first-class olives, chickpeas, goat cheese, slow-roasted tomatoes, eggplant, Medjool dates, Jaffa oranges, figs, pomegranates and sweet date honey, just to name a few. When combined with local spices and herbs, the dishes that emerge — shakshouka, poached eggs baked in tomato sauce; bourekas, small phyllo dough pastries stuffed with salty cheese and spinach; malabi, a rosewater pudding topped with fruit; baba ganoush, eggplant mixed with tahini, lemon juice and garlic — are simply mouthwatering. SELECT Receive special amenities to enhance nearly every moment of your Mediterranean journey when you book through our agency. Our advisors can plan every element of your vacation, all while providing VIP-worthy privileges through SELECT. SELECT HOTELS & RESORTS Ariana Sustainable Luxury Lodge Amirandes Grecotel Exclusive Resort Mykonos Blu Grecotel Exclusive Resort Pallas Athena Boutique Hotel The Jaffa, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Tel Aviv ASK US ABOUT CUSTOMIZED EXPERIENCES WE CAN PROVIDE ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN Israeli mezze platter 45