Kugel, olives and scones

An ordinary evening in Jerusalem. The Western Wall. Crowds praying. Women leave the Wall walking backwards. Tours in Hebrew, English and Spanish are all going on at the same time in the Western Wall Tunnels.

At the foot of the Porat Yosef Yeshiva a Breslev hassid stands and shouts back at the muezzin’s cry from the al-Aqsa mosque. “God’s armies”, he shouts in ecstasy, “you are God”. In the Silwan village just down the road someone is getting married. Up-tempo Arabic music is loudly played. The blue-grey sky, the muezzin’s wail, the wedding music and the hassid’s cries to the heavens all blend into a unique atmosphere, both sacred and strange. “Be joyful”, pleads the hassid as we pass by him.

Jerusalem. A city of contrasts, surprises and strange moments. Hebrew, English, Russian, Ethiopian, German, French, Yiddish and Spanish dance in your ears when you walk down Jaffa Street. At the Mahaneh Yehuda market kugel is found next to knafeh, pakoora next to herring.

I love Jerusalem. It seems that it will take a lifetime to really get to know this wonderful city, its many neighborhoods. Once, I left my map book on the roof of my car and drove off, and as luck would have it, all the pages of Jerusalem blew away. Now I need to use all my navigating skills (which are not that great) and ask passersby for directions. They’re good people the Jerusalemites, relaxed and cordial.

Not Parmesan, Jerusalem's Kugel

English tea and scones – 'Chez Gita'

A few steps from the lively (not to mention sooty) Jaffa St. is Gita’s tea salon. A little European haven in the heart of the bustle. Gita made aliyah from New York three years ago (“America’s great, but they don’t let you forget that you’re a Jew, not even for a second”).

In New York she was the computer expert at a law firm on Wall Street. “There is no Wall Street in Jerusalem, I couldn’t find work and I was desperate. People told me: you’re a great host, why don’t you open a place of your own.” After giving it much thought, Gita decided to open an English tea salon. A year ago she opened “Chez Gita” and it has become a second home for many of the English speaking people who live in and visit Jerusalem. Framed tapestries that Gita made herself (“In my previous life, before I had a restaurant”) hang on the walls and on the tables are flowered sugar bowls, very English (from the Malha Mall in Jerusalem, where else?).

The menu: Welsh rarebit and Shepherd’s pie (vegetarian – for kashrut) salmon quiche, apple pie and hot chocolate made with Nutella. The most popular item on the menu is the Five O'clock Tea: a three tiered tray with melt-in-your-mouth scones served with excellent homemade strawberry jam and thick cream on the top tier, tartlets and petit fours on the middle tier and triangular sandwiches with tuna salad, salmon and cucumbers on the bottom tier. All this is served of course with English tea ("Betty’s of Yorkshire”) or the more exotic brand “Ocha” with flavors like Aryuveda Chai and Oolong Orange (“people book for the Five O’ Clock Afternoon Tea in the morning”).

English treat: Scones

The tea salon is filled with English speaking Jerusalemites and more and more curious native-born Israelis are arriving, too. “For the English, this is normal food”, says Gita, “for the Israelis this food is weird. Even my kitchen staff had to get used to the food at the beginning, but the other day one of my English customers told the Arab cook that he bakes scones better than his mother does in England”.

•  Chez Gita. 5 Hahavatzelet St. (close to Yaffo St.) Tel: 02-6245613. Open Sunday to Thursday 11:00-22:00, Friday 9:00-13:00. Kosher.

Halva, lots of halva in Mahne Yehuda market

Mountains of chocolate

In the German Colony lies an ice cream shop that my sister-in-law introduced me to last summer, “Har Zahav – Emek Hashokolad” (Golden Mountain-Chocolate Valley) is its name. Here I ate wonderful chestnut ice cream. Other flavors available include chocolate and pine nuts (a house favorite) or fig sorbet, baked goods by the ‘Erno’ bakery and chocolates handmade by Dalia Goldberg, the owner.

• Har Zahav – Emek Hashokolad. 23 Emek Refaim St. Tel: 02-5611433, 02-5635721. Open Sunday-Wednesday 9:00-21:00, Thursday 9:00-22:00, Friday 9:00-16:00. Kosher.

The jewel in the crown - Mahane Yehuda market

The highlight of any culinary tour in Jerusalem is the Mahane Yehuda market. It’s easy to spend hours strolling through the alleyways, tasting its secrets. “Ever since Tel Avivians like you have labeled our market as trendy, we, the locals can only come at very specific hours”, complains my Jerusalemite friend. “Fridays have become unbearable and the prices have gone up. The neighborly atmosphere that used to be here has disappeared.”

Many people already know about “Azura”, “Tzahaku”, “Mizrahi” and other respected culinary establishments in the market. I chose some slightly less known places.

Mahane Yehuda market - the jewel in the crown

Khat with the Rambam’s blessing

“Three generations of spiritual and herbal remedies prepared according to the Rambam” announces Uzi-El at his juice stand (“the table of health and beauty”) in the market. Two graceful young ladies offer me blended fresh juice in an abundance of flavors: ‘Rambam’s drink’ (dates, bitter almonds and sweet almonds. Delicious!), ‘Etrogat’ (citrus juice of etrog and khat leaves. Excellent!), khat-celery, khat-chocolate, pomegranate - apple and one very green drink, impossible to drink called ‘nature’s crown’. There is juice for every ailment, medication for every problem. NIS 12 for a small glass.

(Khat is an East African plant that contains an amphetamine-like stimulant which causes excitement and euphoria)

• Uzi-El’s juice stand. 10 HaEgoz St. Mahaneh Yehuda.

Ilan's honey shop at the market

Some honey, honey?

In a relaxed, compelling manner, Ilan explains about all the different kinds of honey and honeycombs found at his stall. He recommends the honey produced from the Tamarisk tree (and it is delicious). Soon gourmet truffles grown in the Negev desert will be available for purchase.

• Ilan’s honey stall. 48 Agrippas St. Mahaneh Yehuda

Mezaitim

The boutique of gourmet cuisine, ‘Mezaitim’, was opened by two brothers Ami and Itzik. They sell Israeli wines, olive oil, cheeses, excellent homemade flax seed breads (by Adam from the Tekoa settlement) and, of course, lots of delicious olives (zaitim).

• Mezaitim. 13 Hashezif St. Mahaneh Yehuda

The burekas peddler

As someone who is used to the roars of the burekas peddlers in the Carmel market in Tel Aviv ("Today only! Three burekas for ten shekels!!), it was refreshing to find a woman burekas pedler, well dressed and attractive calling out loudly “Burekas, ladies and gentleman, with mushrooms, cheese or potatoes.”

• Burekas Wisdom from Haifa. Mahaneh Yehuda St.

Ethiopian produce

Two Ethiopian shops can be found in the market: the first called “Topuram Besa” and the second “Pasilidas” (apologies for the inaccurate spelling). Spices, grains and pulses can be found at these two stores.

Quinoa and lavender ice tea

“Lavender” is a brand new organic shop in the market. “This is not just a health food shop”, says Assaf, the manager “but an organic, ecological shop with a difference”. You wont find books on health food here (who sits down to read in the market, anyway?) and lectures are held here in the evenings (evenings? in the market?). Meanwhile, I cool down with a refreshing iced lavender tea (delicious!) and I buy some organic stuff (seasoned quinoa and teriyaki sauce). Discounts promised to students and residents of the Nahlaot neighborhood. The shop is close to the Jaffa Rd. entrance of the market.

'Not just a health food shop'

At the end of the day, still walking the steep streets of Jerusalem, I realize that I’m awash with euphoria. It could be the gat I drank in Uzi-El’s health potion, maybe a dash of the “Jerusalem Syndrome”, or, it could be the colorful blend of Gita’s scones, the olives, the pakoora and the flax seed bread all in my stomach. The colorful blend that is Jerusalem.