Tag: Guide

Eating our Way through the North of Israel

16 Comments

It was getting embarrassing. After living in Israel for two years, I still hadn’t been North of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. Sure, I’ve explored the Negev far more than most people who live in “the center.” I’ve vacationed in Eilat and snorkeled in the Red Sea. I’ve hiked in Mitzpe Ramon, floated in the Dead Sea, and have even explored the tiny shuk in Ashkelon. I know Tel Aviv and Jerusalem nearly as well as I know Be’er Sheva, the city where I live. But I’d yet to make it up North. Everywhere else is just over an hour from me. As soon as you start getting into two-plus hours of travel, and the need for a car, well, it was easier to put off.

Caesarea {KatherineMartinelli.com}

Continue reading “Eating our Way through the North of Israel” →

Restaurants in Istanbul: A Brief Guide

45 Comments
The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
The Blue Mosque

Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, is a magical city. Mosques with Disney-style minarets dot the skyline while the syncopated calls to prayer drift from competing muezzin throats, aided by speakers to carry their call through the air. It’s eerie and beautiful, much like the city itself. And the food. Oh the food! Living in Israel, the flavors were familiar and I realized just how many Israeli dishes are Turkish in origin. Continue reading “Restaurants in Istanbul: A Brief Guide” →

Announcing My Latest Endeavor: Rama Food Tour App

38 Comments

Rama Food Tour Jerusalem Mahane Yehuda

It feels like just yesterday that I was announcing my e-cookbook! Well, I’ve had a good few months. I am now excited to announce that the app I wrote for Rama Food Tours has finally been released! Tasting Mahane Yehuda is a self-guided food tour of one of my favorite places in Israel: Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market. It includes stops at five of my all-time favorite places to eat and graze in the shuk, from the best halva you’ll ever eat (seriously, even halva haters can’t resist), to a hidden gem of a restaurant with Israeli comfort food. For only $0.99 it’s worth buying even if you’re not planning on visiting Jerusalem. You know, because you like me 🙂 (download it here)

 

Continue reading "Announcing My Latest Endeavor: Rama Food Tour App" →

A Food Tour of Ramle

26 Comments

Ramle shuk Israel

A few weeks ago I went on a fun foodie outing to a city in Israel called Ramle. Beth (of fabulous food blog Beth Michelle) and I drove up from Be’er Sheva to meet with Liz of Cafe Liz and Sarah of Food Bridge. It’s a fascinating place with a wonderful shuk (market) and a vibrant Indian-Jewish community. I came back with wonderful goodies like curry leaves and tamarind paste! We were in amazing hands with Liz and Sarah, who also happen to lead food tours through Ramle with Israel Food Tours. I have to admit that I’m a little worn out (but happy!) from a week of the in-laws visiting, so I’ll let Sarah and Liz’s blogs and my photos do most of the talking! Continue reading “A Food Tour of Ramle” →

Guest Post: 7 Top Food Photography Tips + Giveaway Winner

27 Comments

When Georgette of Chocolate and Figs invited me to do a guest post on the importance of good food photography on food blogs, I wasn’t just honored, I was blown away! I’ve been an admirer of Chocolate and Figs for some time now and can’t get enough of Georgette’s wonderful photography and recipes. Continue reading “Guest Post: 7 Top Food Photography Tips + Giveaway Winner” →

Israeli Food: A Primer

29 Comments

This article first appeared in Go Girl Magazine. Please check it out here!

Last week marked my one year anniversary of living in Israel. Prior to moving here, I had never even visited the country, so was not entirely sure what to expect. Being a food writer, I was most excited about one thing: the food. As a fairly young country, Israeli cuisine is something that is still being defined, a mixture of cultures from around the world. The cuisines of its neighboring Middle Eastern countries are reflected in many of the dishes, but you’ll also find North African, Mediterranean, Eastern European, and Asian influences. Continue reading “Israeli Food: A Primer” →

Where to Shop for Food in Be’er Sheva

47 Comments

You may have heard about the tent protests going on around Israel right now. It’s being called the largest social protest in the country’s history. It all began in July when a woman named Daphne Leef pitched a tent on Tel Aviv’s upscale Rothschild Avenue in response to the lack of affordable housing. As with any successful movement these days, she started a Facebook page and people quickly joined her. Soon thousands of tents lined the street and it spread to other cities in the country. Continue reading “Where to Shop for Food in Be’er Sheva” →

To Abu Ghosh, In Search of Israel’s Best Hummus

21 Comments

 

In a country that can’t agree on much of anything, where everyone claims to be the best at whatever they do, and where people are so passionate about hummus, if you ask 50 different Israelis where to get the best hummus, you will get 50 different answers. The title of best hummus is hotly contested and there are as many styles (Lebanese, Jordanian, Syrian, Druze, etc., etc.) as there are opinions. But, somehow, there seems to be some sort of consensus that the Arab village of Abu Ghosh, just outside Jerusalem, is the hummus capital of Israel. Continue reading “To Abu Ghosh, In Search of Israel’s Best Hummus” →

A Culinary Tour of Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda Market

22 Comments

Culinary tours are my new obsession. And luckily the culinary tour has made it’s way to Israel. What better way to explore a place – whether you live there or are just visiting – than by getting an insiders view of the food? In Israel there is an abundance of incredible markets and hidden gems that can be difficult to navigate on your own. Continue reading “A Culinary Tour of Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda Market” →

Restaurants, Baths and a Market: Budapest, Part II

6 Comments

Now that I’ve bored you with the details of our trials, tribulations, and family reunion in Budapest, it’s time to get to the important stuff: the food. Since we were there such a short time and met with so many complications I have a much shorter list of places worth eating than in Berlin or Prague. I can’t in good conscience tell you to go to the crappy Italian restaurant we succumbed to because apparently we can’t go two weeks without carbonara. This isn’t to say that Budapest doesn’t have good food – we had some great food – we just weren’t at the top of our game. Continue reading “Restaurants, Baths and a Market: Budapest, Part II” →