The Best Israeli-Made Hametz
Israel is known as the Start-Up Nation of the world, and there are many reasons for that. This tiny piece of land has produced some of the greatest inventions the world has seen, and there are plenty more on the way!
Whether it is with the latest tech startup, an innovative new medicine to save lives, or the fastest and greenest method to protect our environment, Israel has always been at the top!
With all of these amazing and important innovations, sometimes we tend to forget the most delicious inventions of all: Israeli cuisine.
Israeli cuisine is known worldwide, as it is a marvelous gathering of eclectic dishes from all over the world, based on the many different backgrounds that make up the Israeli people!
Here are some of our favorite Israeli-invented foods and snacks, and with Passover behind us, we can now eat them to our hearts' content!
Sh'kedei Marak (soup nuts)
Do you know those delicious, little yellow squares of heaven that sit floating atop your favorite soups? Yes, those are a product of Israeli brilliance. Sh'kedei marak, or soup nuts, are like croutons, but way more fun (and colorful). They were branded by the Israeli company Osem all the way back in 1952 to fill all of Israel’s soup needs. Soup nuts can be found in about every supermarket or makolet (convenience store) throughout Israel, and are a staple in each and every home. A Shabbat dinner wouldn’t be complete without these delicious yellow squares floating in your chicken soup! While these may have been created as an addition to soups and even salads, they happen to be a great snack on their own.
Bissli
Grill, BBQ, falafel, onion, or pizza - think of every delicious and savory flavor you could ever want, and it probably already exists in Bissli form, ready for you to eat! The crunchy-salty snack is most definitely loved by all, from the native Israeli to the Birthright tourist. Bissli is another Osem masterpiece, with 4,000 tons produced a year! Bissli is one of Israel's trademark snacks and is shipped abroad around the world, ready for your enjoyment. As we like to say, never trust a person who doesn't like Bissli...
P'titim
P’titim, otherwise known as Israeli couscous, or Ben Gurion Rice, is arguably one the greatest Israeli creations of all time. Just ask any Israeli kid what they think!
P’titim is pasta’s cuter and tinier younger sibling and is made from the basics of water and flour. They are different from pasta in that they go through a baking process before getting packaged- way more convenient for us! Why are they named after our Prime Minister Ben Gurion? P'titim is unique in its huge role in Israel's history. Back in the 1950s, Israel went through an economic crisis and had a huge shortage of rice. As no one wants to cross a hungry Israeli, especially when rice was such an essential food group for us Middle-Easterners! So, Ben Gurion found a brillant soultion. He created p'titim, the easiest and cheapest alternative to rice. And this delicious grain definitely stuck around!
Sabih
This dish is based on the breakfast food that Iraqi Jews used to have back in their motherland.
In sabih, we throw together all of the delicious ingredients (fried eggplant, salad, hard-boiled egg, tahini, and hummus) into a pillowy and fluffy pita- this version was created in Ramat Gan, Israel all the way back in 1961. Sabih is falafel's more mature older sibling, with an advanced palate and a mix of bursting flavors, you won't be sorry you ate it!
