Israeli culinary wonders 4

This is part 4 of the series. Read parts 1, 2, 3 if you haven’t.

More Yaffo

That last week of my recent trip to Israel I ate a lot; often in Yaffo. The food is just too excellent. The great Adí Levinson took me to a local restaurant whose name I can’t remember. Right after you order they bring about a dozen little plates with a dozen different things. Most of them I don’t even recognize. They are generically referred to as “salads”. You’re full before the main dish is even brought out. Thankfully being full has never before stopped me from eating before.

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"Pass the salt"

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Hummus and company

Knaffe

This was a new one to me. After a huge meal, we went to a nearby bakery to get some coffee and some knaffe. Knaffe is a milk-based cheesy dessert with a strange chewy consistency, covered with milk, some of the stuff they put in baklawa and pistachios. They make it in a big tray and we had the perfect timing to get there just as a fresh one was being taken out one from an oven; just like the ones used for baking pizza. Awesome stuff. I haven’t found this one locally but if you know better let me know.

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Freshly baked tray of knaffe.

Tel Aviv coffee shops

In Tel Aviv, there are coffee shops everywhere. The citizens-per-coffee-shop ratio is around 3. They are also always packed 24 hours a day, which makes you wonder if anyone other than coffee shop workers actually have jobs (my guess: no). Two reasons why these places are packed.

1. Halva (חלבה) flavored croissants: Everyone knows what halva is (the sesame paste candy thing that gets stuck in your teeth for months). But have you tried a croissant made out of it? Delicious.

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2. Poppy seed cakes (pereg/פרג, or in Yidish mon/מאָן): I love this stuff. I love it. It’s like a drug except it isn’t. Or is it? Check out the pie in the picture below. Wow. I want.

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Poppy seed pie. Poppy overload.
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Daily breakfast in a cafe Tel Aviv: Poppy seed cake, coffee (afuch!)

Stay tuned for the upcoming last installment in this series. Almost done. Really.

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