Shalom!
After exploring the beautiful country of Israel for 10 days on my recent birthright trip, I come home with two major takeaways to share with you.
#1. Gummies
Israel knows how to make gummies. Forget everything you know about candy, these are on a whole new level. Every shuk you visit has booth after booth full of overflowing bins of gummies, and the best part is most of them just let you put on gloves and grab!
We were obviously not that excited
Moving on.
#2. Falafel.
I have never been a big falafel person, I also had never really been big on hummus. Israel has righted both of these wrongs while simultaneously ruining them both for me at home. I made it my personal mission to find the best falafel in Israel, and let me tell you, I succeeded. A couple of falafel guidelines: you never want to get falafel from a place that has it ready you want it popped straight out of the fryer and into your pita, and yes, you want ALL of the toppings, trust me. Also, the best way to go is with laffa instead of pita, although I alternated, laffa guarantees you a perfect falafel to salad ratio in every bite which is pretty crucial.
The best falafel in Israel is very likely at Ram Bam Falafel in Tel Avv.
I honestly don’t have a picture of the food because I shoved it into my face in about 3 seconds flat, but this man is a genius.
We were led here by our fearless leader, Gooey, after demanding he take us to the best falafel in Israel, and it did not disappoint. Hidden inside of a shuk, and tucked away into a corner, this was a spot that could easily have passed us by. The falafel itself barely even had time to touch a bowl before landing in my pita, and it was layered to perfection, equal distribution of falafel and toppings in every single bite and the best choice of sauces. Coming in second place is Falafel Bar in Jerusalem, mostly due to the fact that they have four flavors, FOUR! The spicy falafel was absolutely everything, they let you try every flavor if you ask nicely, and they made us a gigantic fresh batch of all of them. I was pretty sure I was going to turn into a falafel by the end of the trip, and it wouldn’t have been the worst thing, because I would have been delicious.
Hiking on day 1, blissfully unaware of my impending falafel binge.
If you do make it to Israel and happen to find yourself in Jerusalem, proceed directly to Marzipan bakery, purchase as much rugalach as possible and eat it all. It will change your life and make your dreams come true.
Marzipan on the left, Mahane Yehuda Shuk in Jerusalem on the right.
Apart from all of my delicious foodie findings, I fell in love with the country and all of it’s people and I plan on heading back very soon.
Maybe I will see you there!
