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Culinary tourism

The food side of my guiding in Israel: notes from the culinary tourism course I trained on, and the farms, wineries, markets and family kitchens I take guests to, from the Sharon to the Carmel Market. Behind all of it, the people who grow and cook the food.

5 articles

5 articles
Bottles of Akko gin and Galilee eau de vie lined up on a wooden tasting table
North · Galilee

The Western Galilee: behind every dish there’s a story

The fourth day of Israel’s culinary tourism course was the long one, north to the Western Galilee. A social-enterprise kitchen, a widow’s olives in a Crusader village, a logistics manager turned baker, the country’s first boutique distillery and a hummus place named for a father who never saw it open.

A tour group seated around a table eating lunch at the Marag cafe in Kfar Vradim An overhead view of bowls of home-cured black and green olives and a plate of labneh on Madeleine's table A golden-brown baked loaf dusted with sesame seeds cooling on a steel surface Copper and steel distilling equipment inside a converted factory building A metal bowl of warm chickpeas topped with fresh coriander at Hummus el Abed Abu Hamid in Old Akko A pastry maker spreading knafeh filling and demonstrating to a visiting group
A glass of red wine beside squares of Valrhona dark chocolate on a marble tasting bar
North · Carmel

Zichron Ya’akov: wine, beer and a long lunch

Day three of Israel’s culinary tourism course was billed as a wine day around Zichron Ya’akov. What I remember is a scorned grape, a brisket queue, a bar mitzvah spent in a brewery and a horse farm that turned into a restaurant.

Rows of dark sourdough loaves cooling on wire racks at the Tishbi bakery Barak Dahan speaking to a visiting group in the yard outside the Somek winery production building Bottles of Dictator Israeli craft beer lined up along a bar An overhead view of a large platter of spiced rice topped with slow-cooked lamb
A close-up of a purple cabbage with deep violet, pink-veined leaves grown on an organic farm in the Sharon
Centre · Sharon

The Sharon: Israel’s quiet Tuscany

The first field trip of Israel’s culinary tourism course took us to the Sharon: an organic farm run by an ex-lawyer, a cheese-making family spread across the religious divide, olive oil and a boutique winery that revived a forgotten grape.

Greenhouse trays of dense young chive shoots ready to pick at the Meshek Albrecht organic farm A filled glass of white wine on a cork placemat beside a small dish of sesame snacks A wooden board bearing several varieties of Israeli artisan cheese, yellow, white and aged Rows of large stainless-steel storage tanks inside the Mesik olive oil factory at Kibbutz Magal A worn wooden table laid with bowls of beetroot and carrot salad, cooked greens and flatbread, the meal at the Kaima farm in Beerotayim
A live olive oil tasting demonstration at the culinary tourism course, the instructor tasting oil from a small cup
Course Thoughts

The theory of a good food tour

Day one of the culinary course was in a classroom. It changed how I think about a food stop, and gave me the line I still use with guests: behind the food, there are always people.

Colourful spice and dried-fruit blends at an Israeli market stall
Course Thoughts

Why I trained as a culinary tour guide in Israel

I love food, and somewhere along the years it became a bigger part of my tours. So I took Israel’s only culinary tourism course for guides. Here’s why, and what’s coming.

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