Hummus Elite
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Glatt Kosher Middle Eastern / Mediterranean Cuisine
 
What is Israeli Vegetable Salad?

Traditionally called "salat yerakot yisraeli", this national dish of Israel is made of finely chopped lettuce, unpeeled cucumbers, red or green peppers, parsley, onions and tomatoes. Commonly used dressing ingredients include black pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. Israeli vegetable salad, or just Israeli salad, is famous for using only the freshest of vegetables and chopping them into the finest, tiniest pieces possible. Distinguished kibbutz cooks are revered for their ability to chop vegetables, especially the cucumbers and tomatoes, into perfectly diced pieces.

Variations of this delectable salad involve mixing grated carrots, sliced chives, sliced radishes, sliced fennel, shredded cabbage and herbs such as sumac, mint or za'tar. Israeli salad can be eaten by itself , served with other dishes or placed into pita breads stuffed with shawarma or falafel. Once an important aspect of traditional Israeli morning meals, it has now been mostly replaced by Western cereals but is still found in Israel hotels serving breakfast buffets and also in many rural Israeli homes.

People living on the kibbutzum popularized this salad due to the easy-to-grow vegetables used in the recipe. The Hebrew word "kibbutz" means "clustering or gathering" and colloquially refers to an Israeli collective community founded on agriculture. Originally, the kibbutzim started as a sort of utopia combining Zionist and socialist ideologies. However, a few kibbutzum today have been privatized and supplanted with industrial factories an technological enterprises. As of 2010, approximately 260 kibbutzim still existed in Israel, with their agricultural produce comprising nearly 40 percent of Israel's total food output.

Israeli salad is prepared differently by Jews living in India and North African Jews. Indian Jews add finely chopped green chili peppers and ginger while North African Jews sometimes add cayenne pepper and preserved lemon peel. Salads similar to Israeli salad are found in Iran, where it is called Persian salad shirazi, and Turkey, where locals eat choban salad.

Varieties of Israeli salad include augmenting the basic four ingredients (lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumbers and olive oil) with feta cheese, a recipe that is Sephardic inspired. Traditionally produced in Greece, brined curd feta cheese is a crumbly, slightly salty, aged cheese created in blocks and exhibiting a mildly grainy texture. Used in salads, pastries and an assorted baked dishes, feta is actually regulated by the European Union. Only cheese made from sheep milk or a blend of goat and sheep milk may be labeled as true “feta” cheese. Other Israeli salad types include festive (colorful) Israeli salad and Israeli eggplant salad.

As one of Israel's most classically delicious foods, Israeli salad is typically served with falafel or chicken schnitzel for lunch and hummus, pita bread and olives for dinner.
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