The Unexpected Pleasure of Eating Out in Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (B)

I didn’t expect to eat particularly well in Israel. I had memories from my last visit of endless amounts of falafel, fish and salad, and not much else. But I was pleased and surprised to find that the food had changed out of all recognition. Eating out in Jerusalem was one of the many pleasures of this trip.

Of course, you will find lots of Middle Eastern food here. There is no shortage of hummus and falafel (fried balls of crushed chickpeas), or of halva, a sesame-based dessert. And tahini, a versatile sesame paste, seems to turn up everywhere. I even had tahini on ice cream in one restaurant; doused with honey and nuts it was an unusual but surprisingly enjoyable combination.

But the population of Jerusalem has its roots in communities around the world, and there is also a thriving international cuisine. There are Armenian cafés in the Old City, and Italian and Mediterranean restaurants in the new town. What you often find is a sort of fusion, different cuisines adapted to local ingredients. This is particularly evident in the breakfast buffets served in large hotels: a dazzling array of salads, hot and cold dishes, fish and cheeses. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).