Good Eats

If you follow me on Instagram and/or Twitter then you know that I post a lot of photos of my breakfast in Israel. In America, I'm not the biggest fan of breakfast foods, even at breakfast time. I'm most definitely not a breakfast-for-dinner kind of girl. Israel has changed me! American breakfast is usually carbs and sugars, like pancakes, french toast, or potatoes. And we then supplement it with eggs. In America you can also put an egg on anything and it somehow becomes breakfast. I personally think this is a terrible way to start your day. Everything is greasy and you end up in a carb-coma.

Here I want to eat "Israeli breakfast" all the time! In Israel breakfast leaves you feeling a lot more refreshed. It is usually freshly chopped vegetable salads, lots of fresh cream cheeses, delicious breads, and eggs. The eggs here taste different than they do in America. They are amazing!!! Another really delicious thing that is popular for breakfast is something called Shakshouka. Shakshouka is tomatoes and peppers and spices (and sometimes spinach or other vegetables) all stewed together, with poached eggs dropped in it. I've had the privilege of having some amazing homemade shakshouka, as well as many different versions from restaurants. Everyone makes it a bit different, but it is generally always delicious.

Possibly the most important part of (my) breakfast is coffee. I feel torn on this subject, especially because I live in Portland where they really know what they are doing. So, first of all, Starbucks tried to have a store in Israel and it failed miserably. That alone should let you know that coffee culture here is different. Instead of Starbucks, Israel's most notorious coffee shop is Aroma, and they are most famous for what is called "Iced Aroma" or "Iced Coffee". In Israel, if you ask for "iced coffee" it is ice, milk, and espresso blended. It is sort of like a frapacino, but usually sweeter and smoother because it is mixed in a large blending machine. I won't lie; it is delicious. But then if you want just iced coffee, the American way of drip-brewed coffee that has been chilled, you're best bet is to order "ice espresso" or "espresso with ice". "Iced" drinks here tends to mean blended with ice. If you don't want coffee blended with ice then you commonly order "café kar" (קפה קר), which literally means cold coffee. But this is not American ice coffee either. It is actually an iced latte.

But I digress...Despite our coffee confusions, I love Israeli breakfast! I'm definitely going to bring this to America. Call me if you want some shakshouka!