33 Flavors at the Mahane Yehuda Market – Part II
Read part I of 33 Flavors at the Mahane Yehuda Market here
By Deena Levenstein
We walked through the seemingly secret door and up the stairs to Tali Friedman’s beautifully designed studio with a kosher state-of-the-art kitchen in the heart of Jerusalem’s flagship outdoor market. By then we had tasted no less than 19 foods and drinks throughout Mahane Yehuda, everything from a puffed pastry dish with tehini, spice and pickles (it’s better than it sounds) to natural no-added-sugar cold fruit teas.
Upstairs in the studio, we were given an overview of the 10-dish meal we were about to prepare from the freshest market ingredients. We were each given tasks and we got to work.
Yossi, Tali’s wonderful sous chef, immediately turned on invigorating up beat music and sailed around the kitchen directing us as needed.
- Every ingredient was prepared according to the precise instructions.
- For example, I chopped parsley as fine as sand. Yes, that’s what Yossi requested. No, I didn’t know that was possible.
- Everyone enjoyed the process and felt proud of the ingredients they had prepared for the meal.
- When we were done, dozens of fresh ingredients were ready to be thrown together in perfect harmony.
- At that point Tali began to put together the dishes in front of our very eyes as she explained every step.
Each course was served as fresh as it comes. The dishes were bursting with flavors and even the pickiest young eaters among us loved the meal.
Here are a few examples of our meal:
- Ceviche salad with fresh radishes and mango
- Roasted baladi eggplant with fresh tehini concentrate and tomato
- Beautiful fish served in small personal pans with an exciting mix of vegetables and herbs
- Apple blintzes prepared by the kids with olive oil instead of margarine and a homemade apple filling.
All that food along with arak (a local alcoholic drink) and two bottles of wine – one red, one white – meant we had the most wonderful feast for the taste buds, the stomach and heart. Everyone left happy, with a sense of accomplishment and contentment.
Please contact us to learn more about our customized luxury tours to Israel.
Author
Deena Levenstein
Deena Levenstein is a writer and social-cultural entrepreneur in Jerusalem. She creates and hosts events and runs "Things to do in Jerusalem," a Facebook group of handpicked cultural events in the city. In her spare time she blogs at http://deena.co/.
Subscribe to our newsletter
you may also like
-
Head to the sukkah this fall to eat stuffed treats and glamp in style
It’s late September, when the feel of fall is in the air and the high holiday season is at its peak….
September 28, 2017 -
The Picturesque Town of Zichron Yaakov
A quaint town with stunning photo ops at every turn, Zichron Yaakov provides a peek into the lives of the early Jewish pioneers and their struggle for independence.
October 30, 2015 -
City of David – Of Kingdoms and Water – Part I
It was a cold and sunny winter’s day in December and it was a morning of storytelling – of King David’s conquest of what was then a Jebusite city, about how the Jebusites lived (how the women carried the water in jugs from the Gihon Spring), about the downfall of the Kingdom of Judah (fighting the Babylonians was a lost cause and Prophet Jeremiah said so), about King Hezekiah’s one last attempt, 2,700 years ago, to save his falling kingdom (it’s a miracle that they succeeded in creating a system to redirect the water into the walled city of the time) and more.
January 5, 2015 -
4 fun activities in Katzrin, the Golan Heights
Visit the reconstructed Talmudic village of Katzrin, the Golan Heights Winery and more, all near the capital of the Golan Heights.
September 18, 2015 -
Jerusalem Marathon – Running Through 3,000 Years of Jerusalem History
Israel’s largest marathon takes participants along five routes, past the Knesset (Israel’s parliament), through the Old City of Jerusalem, along spectacular view of the desert and past other beautiful and monumental sites.
March 12, 2015 -
Boutique Wine in Biblical Country
The Gvaot Boutique Winery in central Binyamin sits atop a hill, amongst its vineyards. The tastings were lovely, meeting the owner was wonderful and being out there was beautiful.
March 3, 2015 -
What is Your Favorite Place to Take Tourists in Israel?
By Deena Levenstein Our guides take visitors all over the country, giving passionate, in depth descriptions every time. But, they must…
December 16, 2014 -
33 Flavors at the Mahane Yehuda Market – Part II
Read part I of 33 Flavors at the Mahane Yehuda Market here By Deena Levenstein We walked through the seemingly secret…
June 24, 2015 -
Outside The Box – Touring Israel featured in OutThere Magazine
We invite you to read this fantastic article (below) written by journalist Uwern Jong and featured in the current issue of…
January 10, 2018
