The Israel Issue: Couscous, Gazoz, Falafel, Inside the Kitchens of Tel Aviv, Akko, and Ramallah

Also, introducing Uri Buri, a hour with Ottolenghi, the magic of salatim, and inside the Palestinian kitchens of the United States [FEATURES]( FEB 01 [RECIPES]( [Taste Logo]( [Israel Issue]( [The Israel Issue]( Za'atar has had a very big couple of years. Heard of za'atar? Love to say the word "za'atar"? Do you rub your grilled chicken with za'atar? The foundational Middle Eastern spice mix, a blend of sumac, sesame seeds, hyssop, thyme, and oregano, has been featured in recipes for flat breads, spreads, roasted vegetables—and evangelized by everybody from Joan Nathan, Azhar Hashem, and Alton Brown to Yotam Ottolenghi and Melissa Clark. The rise of za'atar in mainstream recipe development, as well as the way it has charted a course straight into restaurant dishes that don't necessarily identify as strictly Middle Eastern, is one of a growing number of examples of how Israeli food—with all its excitement and complexities—is coming into focus on the global stage. For this special issue of TASTE, we've looked closely at a few topics we think you will enjoy reading about. We've investigated the origins of Israeli couscous, fizzy gazoz, and a crispy potato bread called toch. There are stories from Tel Aviv, Akko, and Ramallah—and a deep look at Palestinian cooks in America. We hope these stories colorfully, and accurately, bring into a focus a culture we both feel so much love—and appetite—for. Matt Rodbard & Adeena Sussman [Palestinian Cooks Plant Their Flag in America]( [Palestinian Cooks Plant Their Flag in America]( For Palestinian cooks in America, food is a way of tracing identity through a messy past. [Read more]( [1,000 Balls a Day at the Busy Tel Aviv Falafel Shop]( [1,000 Balls a Day at the Busy Tel Aviv Falafel Shop]( "You can't call it falafel in Israel if it isn't all chickpeas." Or so it goes one evening at a busy Tel Aviv shop. [Read more]( [The Bearded Chef of Akko]( [The Bearded Chef of Akko]( For nearly 20 years, Uri Jeremias has been cooking fish and spreading the gospel of Israeli cooking. It's about time the world listened. [Read more]( [The Musakhan Queens of Ramallah]( [The Musakhan Queens of Ramallah]( In the West Bank, a story of fresh bread, spiced chicken, and deeply gracious Palestinian hospitality. [Read more]( [Zahav at 10 Years]( [Zahav at 10 Years]( No restaurant in America has brought Israeli cooking to the front burner more than Zahav in Philadelphia. A decade in, a co-owner looks back at the highs, lows, and 134,409 orders of pomegranate lamb shoulder. [Read more]( [The Truth About Israeli Couscous]( [The Truth About Israeli Couscous]( A story of starch, political will, and mistaken identity. [Read more]( [Mastering Pasta]( [How to Win a War]( [How to Win a War]( The commander of an Israel Defense Forces mess hall is not a man to mess with. [Read more]( [The Fizz That Time Forgot]( [The Fizz That Time Forgot]( Sweet, bubbly, and chemically colorful, gazoz quenched Israel's thirst for much of the 20th century. Now, thanks to a new generation of chefs and tinkerers, it's being reimagined for a new generation. [Read more]( [Ottolenghi Wants You to Put Za'atar on Whatever You Want]( [Ottolenghi Wants You to Put Za'atar on Whatever You Want]( TASTE editors spoke with Ottolenghi about the legacy of his book Jerusalem and what it feels like to have been so many home cooks' gateway to the city's food. [Read more]( [TThank You, WhatsApp. Or, How to Crowd-Source an Israeli Family Recipe.]( [Thank You, WhatsApp. Or, How to Crowd-Source an Israeli Family Recipe.]( A writer searches for the golden euphoria of toch, a potato-bread recipe lost in a family's history. [Read more]( [The Kohlrabi Quotient]( [The Kohlrabi Quotient]( At Tel Aviv's Dok, chef Asaf Doktor attempts to define Israeli cuisine through the many fruits of the land. [Read more]( [It's Not Just Salad, It's Salatim]( [It's Not Just Salad, It's Salatim]( Meaning "salad" and served at most meals, salatim are Israel's connective tissue. [Read more]( [Mastering Pasta]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Instagram]( [FEATURES]( [RECIPES]( [View In Browser]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. To unsubscribe from TASTE weekly emails, [click here](. TASTE, A Division of Penguin Random House LLC. 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Copyright © 2018. All Rights Reserved. [Privacy Policy](