Cuisine and Hospitality

I think it is safe to say that when someone thinks of Jewish food (or food from Israel) they normally automatically think of "kosher" or "felafel." Well yes, those are two traditional dietary items in which the Israeli eat and go by, but there are other dietary laws and traditional foods to eat. A traditional soup item is Tarato. Tarato is a yogurt soup, deriving from the Jews in Bulgaria. This soup is served cold, and found to be eaten on hot summer nights. A traditional main dish that you would find for dinner is Malawach. Malawach was originated by the Jews living in Yemen. A traditional dessert is Baklava. Baklava was brought to Israel by the Arab Jews, and is a sweet pastry covered with honey and a variety of nuts. I myself have tried Baklava before and absolutely loved it!

Photo: Franco, Jim. Baklava Recipe. JPEG, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-symon/baklava-recipe/index.html

When researching the hospitality of Israeli's as a whole it had seemed to be very hospital and welcoming to visitors but one ethnic group that had stood out were the Druze. The Druze have become very well known for there hospitality to visitors of their villages. The Druze living in very few villages through out Golan Heights and the Carmel Region. Over the years the Druze have set up hospitality tents for visitors of the villages. While staying in one of these tents you can experience traditional foods, and see first had the authentic lifestyle of the villages. If you really would like to get more of an experience visit the villages in Usfiya and Daliat El-Carmel where you can stay overnight in a guest house while experiencing open markets, and special dining experiences.

Research from: thinkisrael.com "Druze Themes." Accessed December 21, 2011. http://www.thinkisrael.com/Tourism_Euk/Articles/Attractions/Druze+hospitality.htm