Last month I wrote a post about eating the different meals of the day. And I thought to myself – why not have an Israeli breakfast? So I hopped into my private jet, flew to Tel Aviv and went to Gilly’s restaurant….just kidding, I don’t have a jet.
But you can still enjoy an Israeli breakfast at home no matter what country you live in. So let’s get started. Here’s a list of what you’ll need to put it together:
גְבִינוֹת – (ge-veen-ot) cheeses (a variety of hard, soft and cottage cheeses)
זַיתִים – (zay-teem) whole Israeli olives or other Mediterranean olives
סָלָט קָצוּץ – (sa-laht kah-tsoots) Israeli salad (see recipe below)
בֵּיצִים – (bey-tseem) eggs (scrambled, fried, hard or soft-boiled, an omelet – however you like them)
לֶחֶם – (leh-khem) bread (freshly baked artisan bread, with a crispy crust is always good)
חֶמְאָה – (khem-ah) butter
רִבָּה – (ree-bah) jam (more than one flavor)
דְּבַשׁ – (de-vash) honey
מִיצִים – (meets-eem) fresh squeezed juices
מִיץ תַפּוּזִים – (meets tah-poo-zeem) orange juice
מִיץ תַפּוּחִים – (meets tah-poo-kheem) apple juice
תֵה – (teh) tea or קָפֶה – (kah-feh) coffee
The זַיתִים olives can be found in any grocery store that has an International foods section.
Israeli Salad
In Israel, salad is served throughout the country and included with every meal, including breakfast. It is actually known in Israel as סָלָט קָצוּץ ‘salat katzutz’, chopped salad, or סָלָט עֲרָבִי‘salat aravi’, Arab salad. You can prepare this in just about any way you like.
You will need:
עַגְבָנִיָּה (ahg-vahn-yah) – tomato
מְלָפְפוֹן (meh-lah-feh-fohn) – cucumber
מיץ לימון (meets lee-mon) – lemon juice
שֶׁמֶן זַיִת (sheh-men zay-eet) – olive oil
To make the salad, the vegetables should be at room temperature and fresh from the market. Chop them up into small pieces and mix it all together with the olive oil, lemon juice, and add salt and pepper to taste. This is the base of the salad, although it’s pretty good like this. You can add other ingredients such as זַעְתַּר (zah-‘aht-ar) – hyssop, bell peppers, different herbs or spices, sesame seeds, etc. to add more flavor.
But it doesn’t have to be for breakfast
Israeli salad is also a great side dish with any meal – or a snack of pita bread filled with salad, and hummus for example.
Restaurants serving Israeli breakfasts
New York City, USA
145 Greene St.& Houston St., SoHo, 07:00 am – 11:00 pm
161 west 72nd St., 07:00 am – 11:00 pm
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
500 Bloor St., West Monday to Friday: 07:30 am – 11:00 pm, Saturday to Sunday: 08:00 am – 11:00 pm
Al Hashulchan magazine (December 2008 issue) listed where you can find the best Israeli breakfasts being served. Make sure to call in advance to see what times they are open for business, and make a reservation if needed:
Tel Aviv
Adora – 226 Ben Yehuda St. 03-605-0896. Brunch is only available on Saturdays.
Bariba (kosher) – North Namal (Port). 03-602-5026.
Carmela B’Nahala – 46 Hatabor St, Nahalat Binyamin. 03-516-1417.
Dallal – 10 Shavazi St. (next to the Suzanne Dallal Center), Neve Tzedek. 03-510-9292.
Gilly’s – Hangar 25, Tel Aviv Port. 03-605-7777.
Hotel Montefiore – 36 Montefiore St. 03-564-6100.
Manta Ray – Alma Beach, near Dan Panorama hotel in Jaffa. 03-517-4773.
73 Rokach – 73 Rokach St. 03-744-8844.
Central Israel
Eretz Zavat Halav (kosher) – Meshek Markovitch, Moshav Nachalim. 03-933-2797.
Tati – 53 Derech Hashalom, Givatayim. 03-731-5880.
Another Tati location is at 3 Avraham Giron, Industrial zone, Yehud, 03-539-2500.
Northern Israel
Bayit V’Kit (kosher) – Kibbutz Lochamei Hagetaot. 04-993-3271.
The Scots Hotel – 1 G’dud Barak St., Tiberias. 04-671-0710. Brunch offered Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30am – 2:30pm.
