B-bye bourekas

July 31, 2008 - 9:14 AM by Jessica · 1 Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, Environment, Food, General, Israeliness

Chef Erez Komorovsky, the founder of Israeli sourdough heaven Lehem Erez, says “there is no logical reason” for Israelis, who “live in a land of abundant olive oil, to go anywhere near trans fat, unless they are locked into a conference room for most of the day. ‘And then their situation is not all that great,’ he says.”

Komorovsky is quoted in a Haaretz article about saying b-bye to bourekas, those layers of filo dough slathered with margarine, as well as rugelach (yes, including Jerusalem’s famous Marzipan bakery in Machane Yehuda) and other popular pastries that Israelis love, yet are smothered in trans fat, read margarine, canola or soy oil.

I’m chuckling over Komorovsky’s conference room comment, since it’s simply so right on the mark, given the Israeli penchant for putting out plates of potato bourekas, chocolate wafers and sesame-studded pretzels, along with water and soda at pretty much any conference room gathering, whether it be at the Knesset or a venture capital firm boardroom. Okay, maybe Herzliya venture capitalists are sticking to fresh fruit and sparkling water these days. But every bakery slides out its trays of vegetable- and cheese-filled bourekas each day, along with cinnamon and chocolate rugelach, and people buy them by the box and bagful.

“Israelis’ affection for bourekas and manufactured pastries, along with the long work days that lead to snacks of this sort, are liable to have disastrous results. Another risk factor is the widespread use of margarine in Israel – in part due to kashrut considerations – since margarine is entirely trans fat,” according to the Haaretz article. And while “the good news for Israelis is that restaurants here are better than in the United States. Even McDonald’s in Israel stopped using trans fats as far back as 2004, and switched to canola oil,” we’re still a country that likes its trans fat in plenty of products.

I’m hooked on these concepts right now because I’m reading Barbara Kingsolver’s excellent new book, “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life”, and contemplating finally starting my compost pile and growing some more vegetables in our garden. Don’t know whether that will actually happen. But I’ll tell you this much: No more bourekas in this house.

Share with others

Tags: Barbara Kingsolver, bourekas, bread, Erez Komorovsky, food transfat, israeli food, lechem erez, machane yehuda, Marzipan

Aromification

July 23, 2008 - 4:47 PM by Jessica · 9 Comments
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, Food, General, History and Culture

Admittedly, I spend a lot of time in Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda, the outdoor food — as well as clothing, kitchenware and other sundry items — market that is known for its fresh produce, spices, fish, breads and cheeses. I’ve always loved the charm of its narrow streets, the gruff stall owners, even jostling and jockeying for position with the other shoppers wheeling their heavily-laden grandma carts.

And, like many others, I stopped shopping there during the tough days of the intifada, when it didn’t feel safe, just like many other neighborhoods in Jerusalem. What brought me back was the renaissance of the shuk about seven years ago, led by Eli Mizrachi, a second generation roasted nut stall owner. Mizrachi, along with a group of fellow stall owners, opened the market’s first cafe, then known as Everything for the Baker as well as Coffee (now called Cafe Mizrachi), and led the charge to clean and renovate the shuk’s dilapidated streets and sidewalks.

Mizrachi’s efforts brought many people back to the market, as well as a different breed of stall owners, from clothing boutiques and small cafes to a couple of galleries and restaurants. And yes, their customers stick around to buy their halva and cheeses, olives and fruit. It’s one-stop shopping.

But I can’t say I’m pleased about the latest turn of events in Machane Yehuda. I was on my way toward Mizrachi the other day, when I noticed the distinctive black-and-red sign of a new Aroma cafe on the open part of the market. It’s the usual Aroma setup, chairs and tables outside, barista bar inside, customers happily chowing down on their egg sandwiches and coffees. The new Aroma is taking up the space of two stalls, and according to Eli Mizrachi, the space was purchased six months ago but ongoing arguments with City Hall delayed the opening of this particular branch.

I’m generally a satisfied and willing Aroma customer, but you won’t catch me frequenting this particular branch.

Share with others

Tags: Cafe Mizrachi, Food, jerusalem, machane yehuda, outdoor market

Urban chic witch doctor

June 17, 2008 - 12:32 PM by Harry · 4 Comments
Filed under: Food, Travel

Uzieli Shuk Machane Yehuda’s resident shaman, Uzi-Eli Chezi runs his retail stall like it’s part theme park attraction, part spiritual folk remedy center. Uzi-Eli bases his natural remedies (various juice mixtures, soaps, creams, serums) on recipes from the writings of Rabbi Moses Maimonides, a North African Jewish philosopher from the Middle Ages who is also known for his contributions as a physician.

“Both of my grandfathers – who were brothers – would make holistic energy drinks,” Uzieli recently told Jerusalemite, the Jerusalem culture guide. “When I finished my army service, I spent five years traveling through 12 different countries, learning about herbs and natural medicine. I used this knowledge to create formulas for healing drinks,” which he soon began to market out of his own home, before opening his shop in the shuk five years ago.

These formulas rely heavily on gat (khat, a leaf known for its energizing properties) and etrog (citron, the local yellow citrus fruit most famous for being shaken with the lulav during the holiday of Sukkot), and he buys all of his ingredients from his neighbors in the open-air market. He also creates remedies from kombucha mushrooms, dates, fenugreek, passion fruit, goat milk yogurt, pomegranate and apple.

Uzi-Eli explains:

Drinking etrog juice leads to strength in the body, and feelings of satiation and calmness. It also improves heart health, and will make a person smell better. It helps fight depression, helps cure hot flashes in women and gives men strength and virility.

But even if one questions the true healing merits of Uzi-Eli’s concoctions, one surely must give him credit for the place he holds in Jerusalem’s cultural landscape. The guy has regulars and potential customers alike constantly approaching him (or sometimes submitting to his offers) for consultations, which almost universally end with some gat extract being schpritzed down the throat. Plus, he is just about as esoterically charming an institution as one can find in the shuk, so who cares if his schug (a traditional Middle Eastern condiment of ground fresh chili peppers and herbs) isn’t as spicy as the next guy’s?

Share with others