From Culinary Desert to Global Hotspot: Israel's Foodie Revolution

For decades, the global culinary world, particularly the French, looked down on both English and Israeli food. Bernard Levin's famous quip about the lack of a "Jewish mother" in Israel perfectly captured the despair of finding decent food here. We remember the days of limited cheese selections, basic wines like Adom Atik and Carmel Hock, and olive oil bought in plastic bottles. Bread was uninspired, fish was just "fish," and meat was invariably overcooked.

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Doesn’t anyone here have a Jewish mother?

But the tide began to turn in the 1980s, truly blossoming in the 1990s. The Golan Heights Winery led the charge in wine, sparking a boutique winery revolution. Simultaneously, improvements in bread, cheese, and olive oil production mirrored this renaissance. Israelis, having traveled and experienced global 'dolce vita,' returned eager to embrace and create fine dining, shifting the national ethos from 'eating to live' to 'living to eat.'

This culinary awakening propelled Israeli chefs to celebrity status. Television cooking shows proliferated, and Israeli cuisine shed its imitation of French fare, forging a unique Eastern Mediterranean fusion. Drawing from North African, Levantine, and Turkish influences, with a distinct Jerusalem and Tel Aviv experimental edge, Israel became a foodie hotspot. Meanwhile, London ascended as the world's culinary capital, highlighting the dramatic shift in global tastes and the rise of Israeli gastronomy.

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The new Israeli wanted to live to eat rather than eat to live.

The next wave saw Israeli chefs, embodying chutzpa, creativity, and innovation, conquer international kitchens from New York to European capitals. Yotam Ottolenghi paved the way, followed by many others. Janna Gur's "The Book of New Israeli Food" chronicled this transformation, remaining a vital resource for understanding this remarkable culinary journey.

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The next manifestation of the Israeli culinary revolution was the export of the Israeli chef, who has become synonymous with chutzpa, creativity, energy, innovation, and quality, not just in New York and the US but also in the capitals of Europe.