Nostalgia Sunday – Sugar and… rice?

December 20, 2009 - 7:44 PM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Business, Food, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Nostalgia Sunday 

superbrand_book2I came across Israel Superbrands 2009 while book shopping the other day and stopped short in my tracks. The book, large and glossy, is an annual compendium of the country’s most recognized brand names, from international ones like Toshiba and Lancome, to local favorites like Milky cup o’ chocolate pudding n’ whipped cream and national lottery Mifal HaPayis.

I was surprised (though I shouldn’t have been) to learn that Shimon Peres is a top brand name in Israel. Another non-shocker: there were many different brands of milk products, manufactured by only two companies, thus perpetuating the illusion that there is competition in Israel’s dairy sector.

But perhaps most surprising of all was to learn that Sugat, the Kiryat-Gat based factory whose name is a combination of the “Gat” region and “sugar”, its traditional product since the early days of Statehood, has over the decades cleverly repositioned itself as a purveyor of rice and beans.

sugat_sugar_1kHow’s that again? And why did this happen? This was the company that in 1967 opened the most advanced sugar manufacturing plant in the Middle East. But times – and water policies – change.

As the Sugat website wordily explains it, “At the beginning of the eighties, changes occurred which compelled the founders of Sugat to alter the Company’s policy. Subsidies to European sugar producers led to a steady fall in the price of sugar in the world market, reaching a level much lower than the cost of refining and production of sugar in Israel. The problems of water in Israel were such to render the production of sugar beet no longer feasible as the quantities of water required for its growth were relatively large. At this stage a decision was taken to close the sugar-producing factory and instead become a company packaging and marketing sugar.”

Sugat_factory_oldHaving redefined itself as a packager and marketer, Sugat decided to enter into commodities, starting with rice, a staple product of the Israeli diet. Superbrands writes, “In 1990, when the company decided to brand rice and turn Sugat into a brand, the three advertising agencies refused the account, claiming that the move didn’t stand a chance.”

How wrong they were. Today, Sugat sells packages of everything — from 10-minute prepackaged brown rice and lentil mix to quinoa of every stripe and color. Their logo is all over the supermarket shelves. According to Superbrands, the brand is so ingrained in the Israeli psyche that, “Research showed consumers were convinced that their cupboards at home contain Sugat salt (which, by the way, does not exist).”

They still keep a hand in the sugar biz though — and their website has a nice little article about the history of sugar in the Holy Land.

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Lentil soup

December 7, 2009 - 9:31 AM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Food, General, History and Culture, Israeliness 

hawaijSo Daniel, my husband, has been hankering to get the recipe for a particular lentil soup at one of our favorite shipudiya joints, Bibi — named for the owner, not the prime minister — in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem.

The soup in question is a yellow lentil soup, laden with turmeric and what has been an unknown spice to us. But instead of just asking Bibi, the friendly owner, I’ve just kept trying different lentil soup recipes, trying to attain the right flavor that we’ve been seeking.

Last night, finally, after many evenings of skewers and chips (the Hebrew term for French fries) — kabob and chicken livers for me, grilled pargit (chicken) for Daniel — we finally asked Bibi for that secret ingredient. He gave it up, hawaij, which is a spice mixture, like the kind that you find in many cuisines, and even took Daniel into the kitchen to show him the pot simmering on the fire. Here it is, Israelity readers, we’re sharing it with all of you:

Yellow Lentil Soup (but no measurements, sorry)

Red/orange lentils
Onions
Garlic
Turmeric
Hawaij
Salt and pepper

Cook the lentils until soft; saute onions and garlic, add lentils, and add turmeric, hawaij, salt and pepper.
Add water, and you’re done.

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Rosh Hashana means honey

September 28, 2008 - 12:42 PM by · 2 Comments
Filed under: Food, Holidays 

I’m quite looking forward to tomorrow. I’m hitting the supermarket this evening with a gargantuan shopping list and will spend most of the night prepping all my dishes I’ll be cooking for Rosh Hashana. Dishes for the new year should always be sweet, so nearly everything I make needs to have a healthy dose of honey in it. Luckily, in nearby Kfar Ruth, a small agricultural village established in the late seventies lies a boutique honeymaker who sells the best honey I’ve had in Israel. Shai Spector opened his honey business a few years ago. It is housed in a beautiful building and is open only on Fridays, because Spector spends the rest of the week tending to his bee colonies. His honey come in many different varieties and he even some that are infused with herbs such as zatar (hyssop) and sage.

I’m no fan of honey cake but found a recipe via Baroness Tapuzina and simply cannot resist making it. It’s called Ka’ikeh b’Ah’sal which is a Honey Cake With Sesame Glaze. The recipe is from the Syrian Jewish cookbook “A Fistful of Lentils” by Jennifer Abadi. You can find the recipe here. The Baroness also links to other interesting Rosh Hashana recipes and I’d like to personally thank her for saving me a few hours of research. As a main course I’ll be making Georgian Chicken in Pomegranate and Tamarind Sauce which I also found via her blog.

Shana Tova to all. May this year bring you prosperity, health and much goodness.

HaBayit Shel Shai Spektor

HaBayit Shel Shai Spektor - inside

Honey is delicious

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