The Houmous Pages ......but also Falafel and Schwarma

Funny Jewish Flash Falafel Game

2007-10-28T09:17:00.000Z

Be an Isreal Ars and Serve Fresh falafel jewish game

Check out this amusing online game.

http://www.apple770.com/funny/falafelgame.php

Falafel in Paris

2007-09-24T11:10:00.000+01:00

We are going a little international right now. This past summer, I spent about a month in Paris and got to enjoy all the food it has to offer. Now when you think of Parisian cuisine, it's hard not to jump to frogs legs and snails. However, I found that there were a lot of really tasty vegetarian options scattered throughout the city. One of the most prevalent types of vegetarian cuisine was falafels.

The best part about falafels is that you can get them on Sundays, which is usually when all restaurants and shops are closed, but luckily, le Marais(the Jewish district) stays open. From blocks away, you can see the lines of hunger-driven tourists and locals all waiting for a bite of that delicious sandwich. Now I know that most reviews you read online about falafels in Paris point you towards King Falafel’s neighbor: L’As du Falafel. But as a diner at both restaurants, I honestly preferred the less-renowned King Falafel. At King Falafel, I found the flavor of the falafel balls themselves to be quite superior to that of L’As du Falafel. They also have the option to add an extra spicy sauce that is out of this world. Add on a Coke and you’re only at 6 euros for the whole meal. I must mention, the lemonade at L’As du Falafel is superb. However, you should try both just to see which you prefer, but in LiveVeg’s opinion, King Falafel reigns supreme!

via

Why vote for Hamas

2007-09-07T12:03:00.001+01:00

2007-09-01T09:11:00.001+01:00

I found this amusing film on youtube.com

Arab - Israel Conflict Extends To Felafel

2007-08-30T14:39:00.000+01:00

Its amazing how the Arab - Israel conflicts extends to areas outside of the political and military arenas. This article, from gulfnews.com even includes a 1930's style Jewish characature, this time with 'the Jew' as 'cuisine grabber'.

To me its pretty obvious that Jews having lived all over Europe and the Middle-East have adapted various dishes. I am sure, for example that we didn't invent the bagel, but maybe we did take it and spread its popularity.

Why, I ask, can't people of the Mediterranean and Middle-East celebrate the fact that their food has been absorbed into Israeli culture?

Here's the article:

The undeclared war on Arab cuisine

http://archive.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/region/10150036.html

08/30/2007 08:59 AM | By George S. Hishmeh, Special to Gulf News

My niece, Irene, called me a few days ago indignant that some of her American friends, including some Jews, keep describing typical Arab foods such as falafel, hummus and shawarma, among others, as Israeli.

She wanted to know how she can convince them this is not the case.

I am quite familiar with this problem since many Americans have been aware of this undeclared war at many unsuspecting restaurants specialising in Mediterranean cuisine, or coverage in the media. My first confrontation with this issue came in 1969 when the late Leah Rabin, wife of the assassinated Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin who was then his country's ambassador in Washington, discussed in a New York Times interview Israeli cuisine, and praising labneh (strained yogurt) as healthful food.

My first impulse was to tell my niece that Israel was almost 60 year old and these food items have obviously existed long before then. My curiosity prompted me to "google" Israeli foods. The internet yielded tens of references, including the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs website which carried a feature on Israeli foods.

I couldn't believe my eyes and wished the Arab governments would do the same, but knowing their ineptitude at explaining more life-and-death issues I doubted they will tackle this quiet Israeli attempt at usurping Arab foods. So I did not bother to check but I would like to be proven wrong.

As a matter of fact, Arab-Americans are used to reading sometimes the wildest of statements made against Arabs or Muslims. Two such items appeared in the press this week.

In an Op-Ed column published in The Washington Post, Nina Shea complains about the alleged "cleansing campaign" now underway against non-Muslim minorities in Iraq. Shea, director of the Hudson Institute's Centre for Religious Freedom and a commissioner on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, saw this action as similar to what happened "sixty years ago (to) Iraq's flourishing Jewish population, a third of Baghdad, (that) fled in the wake of coordinated bombing and violence against them". Of the 125,000 only 6,000 remained in Iraq and the remainder settled in Israel.

You would think that Shea would have checked her facts before making these outrageous and disputed allegations.

Naeim Giladi, an Iraqi Jew who fled to Israel and later settled in the US, maintains in an article that appeared in The Link (April - May 1998) and his book, Ben Gurion's Scandals: How the Haganah & the Mossad Eliminated Jews that "the terrible truth is that the grenades that killed and maimed Iraqi Jews and damaged their property were thrown by Zionist Jews". He also pointed out that Wilbur Crane Eveland, a former senior officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), wrote in his book, Ropes of Sand, published in 1980, that "in attempts to portray the Iraqis as anti-American and to terrorise the Jews, the Zionists planted bombs in the US Information Service library and in synagogues (and) soon leaflets began to appear urging Jews to flee to Israel."

The second incident this week involved New York's newest public school in memory of a world-famous Lebanese-American philosopher and poet, Gibran Khalil Gibran, a Christian, and the city's first to offer instruction in Arabic and on Arab culture. Consequently, it has been has been targeted by critics who alleged that the school will serve as "a potential radical-Islam training ground".

The school's original principal, Debbie Al Montaser, an Arab-American, had to quit for her failure to condemn the use of the word "intifada", a term used by Palestinian Arabs to describe their uprising against Israeli occupation. Danielle Salzberg, a Jewish woman who does not speak Arabic, has been named her interim successor.

Distortions

To cite but one of many distortions and claims about the authenticity of Israeli cuisine, Joan Nathan, author of The Foods of Israel and whose writings and recipes appear on MyJewishLearning.com, maintains that falafel is "the ultimate Israeli food".

On the other hand, Daniel Rogov, the restaurant and wine critics of Haaretz, the leading Israeli newspaper, acknowledges that "despite these longstanding myths, there is nothing Israeli about falafel, shawarma, borekas or hummus ...." and added that "in order to set the culinary record straight, let it be known that falafel .... outdates the existence of the State of Israel by several thousand years, archeologists having discovered the remains of ground chickpeas in the tombs of several of the Pharaohs. Shawarma ... (is) Turkish in origin, as are borekas ... As for hummus, most food historians agree the dish originated some 4,000 years ago, probably in North Africa." Interestingly, his lengthy review titled The International Israeli Table which appears on the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was written three years ago.

Now that the record is hopefully set straight, I am just leaving to have a falafel sandwich at the best falafel and shawarma sandwich in the Washington, D.C. area, prepared by two Palestinian Arab cooks from Israel and working at a neighbourhood Jewish (kosher) restaurant.

George S. Hishmeh is a Washington

Hummus food scare widens

2007-08-27T11:31:00.000+01:00

Dan Bell
Saturday February 17, 2007

Supermarkets across the country emptied their shelves of hummus yesterday after salmonella was found in dips from one of the UK's main suppliers.

The recall was initiated on Wednesday by Marks & Spencer after routine testing at its supplier discovered salmonella contamination in two hummus products. M&S said there had been no complaints or reports of illness from customers.

But the company's supplier, London-based Katsouris, a unit of Icelandic food group Bakkavor, also decided to pull its hummus from Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco, Waitrose and the Co-op.

Katsouris said the move was a precaution as contamination had been found only in the hummus it had supplied to M&S. The recall included M&S own brand hummus, flavoured hummus and topped hummus (all date codes); Co-op own brand hummus and flavoured hummus (all date codes up to February 28, 2007); Sainsbury's own brand hummus, flavoured hummus and topped hummus (all date codes up to February 28, 2007); Somerfield own brand hummus and flavoured hummus (all date codes up to February 28, 2007); Tesco own brand hummus, flavoured hummus and topped hummus (all date codes up to February 28), and Waitrose own brand hummus, flavoured hummus and topped hummus (all date codes up to February 28, 2007).

A statement on Bakkavor's website said: "Batches of hummus manufactured by Bakkavor Group in the UK have been recalled. Salmonella was discovered in two varieties of hummus manufactured in one of the group's factories. The cause is related to a raw material." Marks & Spencer is conducting an investigation.

A Food Standards Agency spokeswoman said: "Salmonella can cause food poisoning and shouldn't be present in ready-to-eat food."

Falafel takes over the world

2007-08-16T18:29:00.001+01:00

It all began sixteen years ago at a small stand named 'Maoz,' that a couple named Nachman and Sima Milo set up in the center of Amsterdam. Today, after they have fried a million patties and opened branches in France, New York, and Australia, they are dreaming of becoming the next McDonald's

The Latin Quarter of the capital of France has been a melting pot for countless languages and tastes for a long time. Once, 500 years ago, the students spoke Latin and thus the quarter received its name. Today the Sorbonne students speak more English than Latin, and eat more McDonald's than baguettes.

The crowded streets are a type of giant fast- food court with a pinch of French and a lot of shwarma, or as they call it in France a “Greek sandwich”. But right in the middle of the quarter stands a tiny, green store that has no meat, but has a lot of customers who swear by their pita.

From noon on, there is a non-stop line at the entrance to the Maoz falafel stand. The customers do not really know that they are eating the national food of Israel. When they are engrossed in their pita, they do not really care. For four Euros they can enjoy hot falafel balls, tahini, and a variety of fresh salads for free.
At times it is shaped like a ball, sometimes like a flat burger. It may have a pale brown color, or be darksome. It can have a smooth or grainy texture, and be eaten inside a pita or Turkish bread. Make way for hummus’s brother: falafel. Marie, a 28 year-old Frenchwoman, works in the office next door and came down to buy two full pitas for herself and a co-worker.

“I prefer not to eat meat - and these vegetarian patties are simply amazing,” she said.

Does she know the origin of the food? “I think it is from one of the Arab countries,” she said, and did not associate the name “Maoz” with Israel. “I only know it is cheap and tasty,” Marie summarized and disappeared down one of the alleys.

This is apparently the secret to the success of falafel around the world. The national food of Israel has become a health trend.

From Australia to America, through India, France, Germany, and Spain, Maoz Falafel, which was founded 16 years ago in Amsterdam, is spreading like jellyfish in the Mediterranean Sea. Today, the founders of the franchise, the Milo brothers, have 25 branches and they sell more than 12,000 falafels a day.

“By 2015, I believe that we will have a thousand branches around the world,” said owner Nachman Milo, 59, who is convinced that his forecast is entirely reasonable. “The vegetarian market is huge, and today we have reached the break-through point.”

How much does it cost to insure a pita?

Way before his big break, Maoz was a small stand in Amsterdam that had a sign saying "Falafel like in Israel.”

In the early 90's Nachman and his wife Sima decided to leave Israel for a sabbatical in Amsterdam. They sold their insurance and computers businesses in Israel and arrived in Holland, because Nachman’s brother, Dov, was already living there and because “there is good energy in the air.” Little did they know that in a few months time they would be breathing in oil soaked air.

The path to the falafel stand was coincidental. “We did not think at all about entering the fast food business,” said Nachman. “We bought a piece of real estate and at the end of the street of our building there was a small space where you could not do anything.”

Or almost anything. His wife, Sima, suggested that they use that corner to make Israeli falafel since what they had been served so far in Holland was terrible: Just two balls in a pita without any taste."

India: They believe that in the new branch in Bombay the amchur will become a success story.

Sima, “an exceptional cook” according to her husband, entered the family kitchen in Amsterdam and began developing a recipe for falafel for non-Jews. They chose the name “Maoz” coincidentally “because all the other Israeli names were already taken.”

After they overcame the pita obstacle - “we went to the bakery and explained that we needed big pitas, not miniature ones” - the first Maoz stand in Amsterdam was on its way. Very quickly long lines began to form outside the small nook, which caught Sima and Nachman unprepared.

“People would block the trolley tracks and the driver would get annoyed. We said to ourselves that we had a hit on our hands and we had to do something with it.” In the beginning they continued to improve the menu, which was not only based on falafel but also on salads. “Each time I entered the kitchen and tried a different salad until I arrived at the current method,” Sima said, “we spent 10 hours a day on our feet.”

Five years later it was time for an expansion, which quickly conquered Europe and then the world. At first it was only in Holland, where today there are ten branches of Maoz Falafel. Then it was Paris’ turn with one branch and then after the partners brothers Boaz and Lior Shvitzer joined, Maoz Falafel went on to conquer the world. Today the franchise has branches in Germany, Spain, Australia, Britain, and even in Union Square in the heart of Manhattan.

The magazine Time Out New York gave the new immigrants the unlimited culinary opportunity with a grade of five out of six in a review that was published a few weeks ago in their fast food column. “Cheap and healthier than most other fast food chains,” praised the reviewer. After New York, it was India's turn, where they are opening the first branch in Bombay. There will soon be a branch in China.

Seeing green

What is missing from the stands is the Israeli identification of the Maoz chain that has disappeared in recent years. Today the branches around the world do not carry the mythological sign “Falafel like in Israel.” The emphasis is now on values such as vegetarianism, freshness, and a healthy lifestyle.

“All the branches look the same, with the same logo and the word 'vegetarian.' They are all painted green because we are talking about healthy food,” explained Milo. The word “falafel” is also missing from the signs, and today they call the food served at the stand a “Maoz”.

“We want to become like McDonald's. It will be impossible to imitate us because the product will be identified with the name of the franchise,”

explained the owners who see a rosy-green future, the same color as the stands.

Nachman and Sima insist that erasing the Israeli identification was not done for political reasons.

“Even though over the years there were some Egyptians who got angry that we presented the food as Israeli and they claimed that we stole their national treasure,” Nachman said while insisting that he has never encountered real hostility.

The trans-national brand was done for marketing purposes and not, god forbid, for any anti-Israel reason.

“It is important that you write that we try to only buy products made in Israel,” said Sima who is proud of the tahini that drips off the chins of the clients from Bombay to Munich.

Falafel around the world - how they like it:

France: At the stand in Paris the spicy tomato sauce and onions work overtime.

Spain: They eat cooked chickpeas next to their pita.

Germany: The falafel addicts dip their falafel balls in vinegar.

Holland: They love their falafel with a lot of mayonnaise.

Falafel

2007-08-16T13:56:00.001+01:00

Falafel
Originally uploaded by *SteveH

Beautifully shot image of falafel. These really look as if they fresh from the pan and ready to eat.

Felafel Video

2007-08-16T09:23:00.000+01:00

Jordan Bans Shawarma

2007-08-15T13:55:00.000+01:00

Jordan banned restaurants across the kingdom from selling popular chicken "shawarma" sandwiches from Monday after more than 200 people were treated for salmonella-linked food poisoning.

"I took the decision in accordance with the law to ban the sale of chicken shawarma sandwiches until further notice," acting health minister Mohammed Zuneibat told a news conference.

The ban will be lifted after "the proper mechanisms are set up to ensure that this does not occur again," said Zuneibat, adding that around 600 fast food restaurants will be affected.

Dozens of people have been treated for food poisoning after eating salmonella-tainted sandwiches from a fast food restaurant in the Baqaa Palestinian camp northwest of Amman.

Zuneibat said that by mid-morning on Monday the number of those affected had risen to 206, blaming poorly cooked chicken which developed the salmonella bacteria that causes high fever.

The authorities on Sunday arrested the restaurant owner and the government opened an investigation, Zuneibat said.

Officials meanwhile insisted that a 23-year-old man who died on Sunday after eating a sandwich bought from the Baqaa shop had died of a heart attack.

"Salmonella did not have any direct relation with the death of Bilal Hassan. He had a heart condition and died of a heart attack," state coroner Momen Hadidi told AFP.

Shawarma sandwiches are very popular across the Middle East and made of lamb, beef or chicken meat which is packed into layers that are placed on a skewer that girates in front of a vertical oven.

Last year hundreds of Jordanians were treated for food poisoning after eating shawarma sandwiches, prompting the authorities to crack down on fast food restaurants.

Zuneibat has been acting health minister since the former health and water ministers resigned last month following the outbreak of hundreds of cases of waterborne diarrhoea and fever.

Just Falafs

2007-08-15T13:35:00.000+01:00

Some of the best falafels in London are sold at Taboon in Golders Green, a small takeaway that's hugely popular locally. Elsewhere, this ubiquitous Israeli and Middle Eastern snack has been embraced by the veggie brigade, unfortunately often resulting in cold, hard, bullet-like croquettes that are nothing like the real thing. In contrast, Taboon's falafels are light and tasty, and come with excellent pita, pickles and sauces. It's long been my favourite falafel place in London. Until now.

Despite the sort of punning name that would make even Victor Lewis-Smith blanch, Just Falafs is an enlightened fast food eatery - is there any other kind these days? - in Covent Garden Piazza that ticks all the right boxes. The ingredients are mostly organic and seasonal, and the hot beverages are fairtrade. Inside the tiny takeaway, there are a few high chairs for eating in, and a small seating area outside, complete with parasol heaters.

Chickpea falafels, flavoured with dill, fresh coriander and whole coriander seeds came with mild, creamy tahini, spiky green chilli sauce, and strident aubergine sauce inside khobez (soft Middle Eastern flatbreads), along with beetroot, carrot and nut, mixed sprouts, and other sprightly salads of choice.

There's also an imaginative range of soft drinks, plus porridge, soup, and lentil dahl. But the falafels are the main thing here: crispy on the outside, light and fluffy within, and packed with a fresh, lively flavour - why, you wouldn't think they'd come out of a vegetarian kitchen.

www.justfalafs.com

Hilarious Video!

2007-08-15T09:51:00.001+01:00

Nominations for Best Houmous and Schwarma

2007-08-15T09:45:00.000+01:00

Best Humous, Israel

Lina's, the Old City, Jerusalem "The best humous in the universe. Very subtle and creamy. 5 balls"
- David Pileggi

Lebanese Restaurant, Abu Ghosh "Unique, smooth, almost egg-like taste, 5 Balls"
- Herschel Julius

Abu Hassan, Jaffa "Worth waiting the long queue and sharing a table with people you don't know. Go early - the 'ful' runs out by 2 P.M."
- David Cohen

Abu Shukri, the Old City, Jerusalem "This place is in the Muslim quarter of the Old City - my Arab friends recommend it."
- Lisa Richlen

Tanami, Ahuza Street, Ra'anana "Hard to believe that you get the ultimate humous in Ra'anana of all places, but it is so. This family-run 2x2 establishment produces better humous than can be found in even the best Jerusalem holes-in-the-wall."

"It's fresh, warm from the pot, and tastes like heaven. It can be served in good traditional 'complet' fashion at the four small tables, or take out. This humous deserves more than five felafels, but lets just say five anyway."
- Margo Sugarman

Majdal Shams, Hermon "Ask anyone who has done miluim on the Hermon, its the creamiest, smoothest, and the taste stays with you long after you leave. It's easily the best I've ever tasted in Israel, in Australia, or in America ! Five (5) balls & harif !!"
- Mark Axel

Pinati's, Jerusalem and Ashkara tel aviv "No best of hummus list is complete without them!"

Best Humous, Abroad

Rami's, Brookline, Mass. "Tastes just like in Israel!! And Rami's a nice guy too. 5 falafel balls"
- Miriam Farber

Humous Place, MacDougal Street, NYC "A bright and friendly place that serves perfectly prepared and garnished humous (in three varieties) with great salads and home-made thick pitas. Five balls; simply the best I've had. After all, it's pretty much the only thing they make."
- Eric R. Obenzinger, NYC

Na-na, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia "All the Israelis go here - It's the closest thing to good hummous outside of Israel, smooth and delicate in taste. You can get takeaway tubs or eat in"
- Anital Fu

Humus Bar, Ahuza St. Ra'anana "Another shockingly good bit of old world food from urban chic Ra'anana. Humus Bar is a whole on the wall with perhaps the best humus in the country - try it with 'ful' and a 'beytza' for maximum effectiveness..."
- Ari B. Goldberg

Best shawarma, Abroad
Samis, Hendon, London - "Its all about the matbucha. But the meat is just the right texture and taste. Beats sollys every time! Nothing beats sitting outside the restaurant filling your face with delicious meat...except doing the same thing in Israel! Yalla betar."
-Jeremy Last

Pick-a-Pita, New York, New York
"The shawarma in this whole-in-a-wall restaurant rivals all the shawarma I have ever eaten in Israel. Combined with their excellent humous and charif, this place is no doubt the best choice outside the holy land." -Yitz Landes

Max's Deli, Wheaton, Maryland
"The best shawarma ever!." -Jessica Balsam

Best shawarma, Israel

Pamonim, Ramat Hasharon - "Makes the best Pargit Shawarma! I ate a lot of it in my time and this place wins hands down. I make the trip once a week (if not for the calories, I'd be there everyday) to have myself, not one serving, but TWO great portions! And I don't chew...I inhale Touche!?"
- Alter

Pamonim, Ramat Hasharon - "The BEST Chicken Shwarma ! I'm addicted."
- Diana

Shawarma Hazan, Haifa - "Haifa's Shawarma Hazan may or may not have the best Shawarma in Israel, but it is, without a doubt, the most Shawarmaiest Shawarma around. What I mean by that is that their Shawarma is the orignial,no-nonsense version, from which all the watered down, anti-pasta influenced versions you might stumble across stem from. Their pitas are hot and soft and filled with lamb shawarma, cabbage, parsley,
onion, tehina and a generous dollop of yellow Amba sauce ontop. This
Shwarama is defenitely hardcore and if you're not a die-hard shwarma
fan or if you haven't got yellow amba sauce burning in your veins, i
suggest you go eat somewhere else and spare your stomach the misery of
the day after."
- Gil Shefler

Along the Path

2007-08-15T09:28:00.000+01:00

The Hummus Blog is dedicated to informing readers about hummus, its nutritious value, how to eat it, where to get it and even how to make it.

The latest Hummus Blog entry is about combining the spiritual with culinary. I.e. If you’re planning a visit to Jerusalem’s Via Dolorosa, HB advises stopping into Hummus Abu Shukri for the “real deal” experience.

Abu Shukri is at the end of the Via Dolorosa in the Christian Quarter and…

…Apparently, August is not a very good time to walk the hilly kilometer or so from where we were to Abu Shukri, so we got there exhausted. Afterwards, when going up Via Dolorosa, we understood why it is called “the way of suffering”. Be smarter than us: try to find your way to the top of the Via, then go down and end up at Abu Shukri. The way back is not hardly as steep…

But about the hummus:

There seems to be a great dispute over the question who has “the secret” of Abu Shukri’s hummus, who’s “the original Abu Shukri”. A well established school of Hummusiologists argue that the REAL Abu Shukri, left Abu Gosh decades ago, and his sons today make the same hummus in their restaurant, exotically located at the heart of old Jerusalem, just in front of the lower end of the Via Dolorosa.

Check it out.

via www.israelity.com

Basic Houmous Recipe

2006-12-18T11:18:00.000Z

Ingredients

1 cup dry chick peas
1 garlic clove
1/2 tbsp baking powder
6 tbsp tahini
1/4 cup water
2 lemons
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
Sprig of fresh mint or parsley

Method

* Soak the chick peas overnight.

* Strain, wash and cover with water, add the baking powder and put the pan on a high temperature. When it starts to boil, reduce temperature and leave to simmer until soft. If the water evaporates during the process, add hot water.

* Once ready, drain the chick peas, put in the food processor, add tahini, salt, crushed garlic and water. Mix the ingredients until very smooth.

* Add the lemon juice and mix for another few minutes.

* Serve the Houmous in a small bowl and garnish with olive oil and fresh mint.

Note:

If you are using chickpeas from a can, wash well, add fresh water and put it on a high temperature for 10 minutes. Drain and follow the above instructions.

Hummus Bros

2006-03-28T14:27:00.000+01:00

Amazing houmous, lovely toppings, great original concept and fast. The service was friendly and helpful, and the food arrived very quickly. We were on our way to the theatre and were in and out in 20 minutes (although I could have easily continued drinking my mint tea for the next hour...). Bang in the middle of Soho, this is one place you have to experience. We paid 7 pounds a head (drinks and all) - so great value for money too. "RECOMMENDED"

88 Wardour St, W1F 0TJ Soho

Moaz

2006-03-25T16:09:00.000Z

The Maoz logo will be familiar to anyone who’s ever hungrily roamed the streets of central Amsterdam. The small chain is now expanding into territory outside its native Netherlands: along with branches in Spain, France and even the US, it’s opened this plain but surprisingly large takeout operation right on ever-buzzing Old Compton Street. The menu is perfectly simple: freshly made falafel . There are a few tables should you wish to eat in.

43 Old Compton Street, London, W1D 6HG

Taboon

2006-03-25T14:47:00.000Z

Taboon means oven in Arabic and in their Taboon in the jewish area of north-west London they bake some amazing pit, propably the best in London and laffa (Iraqi pita) But the speciality is the specialty is falafel in pita with hummus and salad; good value.

17 Russell Parade, Golders Green, London map

The Shwarma Place on Bograshov and Ben Yahuda

2006-03-24T16:10:00.000Z

In Tel Aviv, as in other places in Israel, everyone is constantly stuffing ther faces. Dominating the junction of Bograshov and Ben Yehuda is a place that ticks all of the Shwarma lovers boxes. They don't just sell one type of Shwarma either, you can choose from the Holy Trinity of lamb, turkey or chicken and either eat in or take your prize and devour it while you make your way.

Take as much salad as you want, as long as it will fit on the tiny salad plate that you are given. Enjoy your Shwarma by the plateful, the pita breadful or in a wrap. The wrap will contain enough meat to feed a small but hungry family.

Also offers a choice of sauces, from mild through to hot chilli sauce, to minty, yoghurty sauces.

Highly recommended.

Corner of Bograshov and Ben Yahuda

Falafel Gina

2006-03-24T15:38:00.000Z

Talk to the people that eat at Gina's and you'll find that everyone has there own reason for loving it. Some say it is the soft and fluffy pita bread, others will say that it is the way each ball is perfectly crisp on the outside, warm and yeilding on the inside. In any case, people will walk the length of Tel Aviv just for a falafel fix. Gina's is the city's falafel afficionado's favourite and for very good reasons. Very much worth a visit.

22 Shoken Street, Tel Aviv

Houmous Akram

2006-03-24T15:31:00.000Z

Though I am not a fan of Sheinkin Street, Houmous Akram attracted me as a place where you could see young Arabs and young Jews sitting together and enjoying the vibe.

As far as the houmous is concerned it is made freshly every day and has an almost indefinably delicious flavour. Is the garlic? Is is the lemony freshness? Is it the love that the chef puts in?

59 Sheikin Street, Tel Aviv

Meshausha

2006-03-24T15:12:00.000Z

On my daily perambulations around the Pinsker/Bograshov area, I would often pass this buzzy little place, but there would never be a spare table.

Eventually the day arrived when it was time to take my seat in its sunny dining area.

The name is apparently Galillee slang for a plate of Houmous with houmous grains and judging from the amount of eulogising notes on the wall this place is well regarded amongst the local houmous cognecenti.

They also do an excellent eggplant platter and their pickles are homemade and quite delicious.

40 Pinsker Street, Tel Aviv

Houmous Ashkara

2006-03-24T15:06:00.000Z

This very popular northern Tel Aviv houmous joint serves smooth as well as grainy houmous. Their vegetable soup is also a favourite, served by a very vocal waitress who is wont to praise both her soup and her houmous in song.

45 Yermiyahu Street, Tel Aviv