Israeli breakfast, all day long

The bountiful buffets that have made “Israeli breakfast” famous among tourists usually include shakshouka, a spicy North African concoction of eggs poached in a tomato-pepper-onion sauce. So it was no surprise that Lonely Planet included the shakshouka at Jerusalem’s Tmol Shilshom café on its recent Top 10 list of the world’s best breakfasts.

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But Jewish food writer and historian Gil Marks tells ISRAEL21c that this signature dish is actually a latecomer to the already laden Israeli breakfast table. The classic must-haves, he says, are scrambled or hardboiled eggs, a variety of chopped vegetable salads, semolina porridge, cheeses, fresh breads, plain and flavored yogurts, fruit and granola, washed down with fresh juice and/or coffee or tea. It was only in the past couple of decades that ethnic foods got added to the smorgasbord that has become a cultural tradition in Israeli hotels and restaurants: shakshouka, Iberian-inspired pashtida (a cross between a kugel and a quiche), Yemenite malawach (fried bread dough), Eastern European blintzes and smoked fish, American sweetened cereals, oatmeal, bagels, pancakes and waffles, along with pastries to top it off. It’s all included in the price of a hotel room pretty much anywhere in Israel, and savvy guests will always come to the dining room armed with a doggie bag to pack up items for their next meal – assuming they even get hungry before dinnertime. More...

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