Mealtime: Puaa

One of my favorite areas to hang out is the Jaffa Flea Market. When vendors are selling their wares, it is fun to see what random things Israelis are trying to get rid of. The area around the flea market is also a great place to sit down and have a meal. There are a bunch of great restaurants in and around the flea market including Dr Shakshouka, Aboulafia Bakery, and Italkiya. Besides these fantastic restaurants, the flea market is the home to one of my favorite restaurants that is also pretty affordable. Puaa is one of those restaurants in the flea market that many visitors come to to satisfy their hunger. When you walk inside Puaa you would think that much of the decorations, chairs, and tables were salvaged and bought from the flea market down the street. The menu draws inspiration from the mixture of cultures that makes up Israeli culture as a whole. Menu items include Ashkenazi favorites such as chopped liver, to fresh salads, and to the all time Israeli favorite schnitzel. Puaa has such a wide variety of menu items that even the most stubborn foodie will find something to eat. Puaa also makes a delicious sangria which you should order if you are with a group. For a great dining experience that will not break your wallet Puaa is a good choice. With great food and ambiance at a decent price what can be better?

Shawarma Sheinken

Right behind falafel in the hierarchy of Israeli street foods would have to be the shawarma. Shawarma is marinated meat that is roasted on a vertical spit. Usually shawarma is made with chicken, turkey, lamb, or in some cases veal. When shawarma is made with turkey or chicken is usually made with the dark meat of the birds and then lamb fat is interspersed throughout. When you walk by a stall that sells shawarma the smell of it cooking is intoxicating . Whether is a pita, baguette, or laffa shawarma reigns as the meat lover's choice for street food. One of my favorite places to grab a shawarma is Shawarma Sheinkin on the corner of Sheinken, Allenby, and King George streets in Tel Aviv. It is right across the street from the Carmel Market and Nachalat Binyamin Market which makes it extremely accessible. Shawarma Sheinken offers customers shawarma made from turkey mixed with chicken, lamb mixed with veal, and mix which is what I usually get. Like other shawarma and falafel stands, Shawarma Sheinken offers a variety of add ons like Israeli salad, hummus, amba(spicy pickled mango), zhug (Yemenite Chili Paste), fried eggplant, cabbage, tehina, onions, and french fries known in Israel as chips. There are other places to get shawarma in Tel Aviv, but Shawarma Sheinken is the best to find around Carmel Market and King George St in my opinion. When you order be prepared to know exactly what you want. The employees will get annoyed with you if you take your time. Also know that waiting in lines does not really happen in Israel. The key is to get to the register and order as quickly as possible. On the whole it should take about 2 minutes to receive your shawarma after you order. Another tip is to get out of the stall to eat your shawarma. Shawarma Sheinken occupies a small area and does constant business. The high turnover means that they want their customers to order, pick up, and get out which is usually the case for all shawarma and falafel stalls. If you are hungry around the Carmel Market, give Shawarma Sheinken a try. I hope you enjoy its greatness.

what is hummus?

I have spent the last year eating hummus everyday. That is quite an accomplishment by any human being. Hummus was its own category in the food pyramid for me. I would eat hummus all day long if I could. I would even have it for breakfast. This might sound strange, but actually hummus is considered to be a dish to be eaten in the morning by Arabs.  This can be seen in hummus joints in Israel closing by noon because they run out of it. When I came home from living in Tel Aviv for a year I saw this in my old grocery store in Worcester, Massachusetts:

I had always thought hummus was made exclusively from chick peas pureed with olive oil, tehina, garlic, and other spices. I guess I am wrong now. I guess you can now in the United States take a traditional dish make it with non traditional ingredients and call it by its traditional name. Right next to the yellow lentil, edamame, wasabi edamame, and the black bean hummus was regular hummus. The hummus that I know and love. I understand people trying to be creative while diversifying the food market with interesting ways of making hummus, but can we call something hummus when by definition it is not made with any of the principal ingredients? I do not think we can call it hummus. Linguistically, hummus in both Arabic and Hebrew  means chickpeas. Therefore, hummus must be made with chickpeas. While I do not care if you by these hummus imposters, be aware that you are eating bean dip and not real hummus.

The picture above is from one of my favorite hummus joints in Jaffa called Abu Hassan. They only make their hummus with chickpeas. No yellow lentils, no edamame, and no black beans.

Shuk Hatikvah (Hatikvah Market)

While living in South Tel Aviv I would do much of my grocery shopping at the market in Hatikvah neighborhood. It was not very far from my apartment in Kiryat Shalom and many of my volunteer sites were around the market. While many visitors to Tel Aviv know and flock to Carmel Market, the residents of South Tel Aviv flock to Shuk Hatikvah. If you want the best produce for amazingly reasonable prices, Shuk Hatikva has what you are looking for. Most of the produce that is sold in the market is seasonally grown. This is the norm for most of the markets in Israel. So if you are looking for mangoes in February you are out of luck at Shuk Hatikvah. All around the market you can see the amazing food being sold and also being prepared in the many different restaurants that are located throughout the market and that line Etzel St. The food that the stalls and restaurants sell tells the story of the people making and selling the food. There are Iraqis selling amba, sabich, laffa, and kubbe soup. There are Russians selling smoked salmon, vodka, black bread, and other Russian foods that a homesick Russian would want to have on hand at all times. The Eritrean women working at the pita bakery stuffing pita as it comes out of the oven into bags. Stopping by the same deli in the meat section to snack on schnitzel bites, stuffed grape leaves, moroccan cigars(meat or potato filled eggrolls but thinner), pickles of every vartiety, a plethora of prepared salads, and the abundance of olives. Smelling Israeli favorites such as shawarma, falafel, and kebabs also captivates your senses. Going on a Friday morning before the stalls close for Shabbat is a sight to see. The market bustles with activity everywhere you look. The scene is the neighborhood buying the food for their Shabbat dinner with family and friends. To get Shuk Hatikvah is quite easy. Many of the buses within Tel Aviv and also the shared taxis called Sherut can be used to get to the market and the Hatikvah neighborhood. You can also have a taxi but it is going to be more expensive than taking the bus or sherut. I love Shuk Hatikvah not because it was close by, it was because it had everything you would want to eat. Fresh, seasonal produce, fresh meat, hot out of the oven pita, and some of the most delicious falafel and shawarma anywhere in Tel Aviv. Its not a tourist trap like Carmel Market in the city center, it serves the South Tel Aviv community. For a different market experience Shuk Hatikvah is a very delicious option.

Shuk HaCarmel( Carmel Market)

Carmel Market is centrally located in the city center of Tel Aviv off of Allenby St. The market sells an abundance of products ranging from the typical T-shirt souvenir stands, to Judaica, to hookah stores, to produce, bread, cheese, seafood, and meats. Its central location makes it a stop for many visitors to the city. Most of the food products on sale at the Carmel Market are always what is fresh and available during the season. So if you want fresh strawberries out of season you will not be able to find them at Carmel Market. The neighborhoods that surround the market are also worth adventuring around. Every Tuesday and Friday there is the Nachalat Binyamin Street Market, which is adjacent to the Carmel Market. There are also a multitude of great restaurants with the market and surrounding it as well. A good meal is not far when you are in the area surrounding the Carmel Market. Like many other businesses, the Carmel Market is closed on Shabbat. While it is not the only market, it is one of most visited markets in the city and in Israel. I highly recommend stoppping at the Carmel Market and taking your time walking through the stalls. If you are a fan of hummus there is a great hummus restaurant located in the center of market called Hummus HaCarmel. All in all if you are visiting Tel Aviv, please make the Carmel Market a stop.