What to Eat in Jerusalem | Page 2 of 2
Arab Markets by Damascus Gate: Shopping in Jerusalem Even on Shabbat
While western Jerusalem falls silent for Shabbat, past Damascus Gate vendors keep weighing vegetables on hand scales and cardamom coffee still fills the air. The Arab markets in the Old City's Muslim Quarter run on their own calendar. I walked through them on a Saturday morning - from empty alleys to a cup of coffee, where the cafe owner remembered Czechoslovakia.
Jerusalem Bagel: The Sesame Bread from the Gates of the Old City
A sesame oval as long as your forearm that, unlike its New York namesake, is never boiled, only baked. Beigele yerushalmi in Hebrew, ka'ak al-Quds in Arabic - why it's named after Jerusalem, not even the Hebrew Wikipedia knows. Where it came from, who bakes it in the Old City, and why it pays to buy it a few alleys away from the gate.
Za'atar: The Levantine Spice Blend with Sumac and Sesame
Za'atar is a spice blend of dried Syrian oregano, tart sumac, toasted sesame, and salt - all across the Levant, you mix it with olive oil and dip bread in it. The same word means both the herb and the finished blend. It is eaten mostly in the morning, on manakish flatbread or on labneh, and in Jerusalem you even get it in a little bag with your kaak al-Quds bagel.