MAIN INGREDIENTS
This internationally popular, beige-colored spread is traditionally made with mashed chickpeas, tahini sesame paste, lemon juice, and garlic. People across the world love hummus for its tangy flavor and the fact that it is filled with nutrients.
When served, it is typically dressed with a drizzle of olive oil, and is then used as a dip for vegetables or a flavorful filling for flatbreads such as pita. Even today, not much is known about its origins, although the earliest mention of hummus dates back to 13th-century Egypt.
VARIATIONS OF Hummus
MOST ICONIC Hummus
View moreFirst brought to Israel in the 1940s and 1950s by the Iraqi Jews, sabich is a sandwich made by stuffing pita bread with fried eggplants, hard-boiled eggs, tahini sauce, Israeli salad, hummus, pickled mango sauce (amba), and parsley. It is often eaten as a snack or a breakfast on Sabbath morning, and can be purchased from many street food vendors.
MOST ICONIC Sabich
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Shakshouka is a delicious combination of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. Although it has an unusual name, the dish is straightforward and easy to make. It is usually made in a skillet in which onions, tomatoes, and spices are cooked until they form a delicious tomato sauce.
Eggs are then added directly to the tomato sauce and poached until done. Merguez sausage can also be added to the dish. It is believed that shakshouka originated in Tunisia, but the dish is well-known and commonly eaten throughout North Africa and the Middle East as well.
MOST ICONIC Shakshouka
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Even though these protein-packed chickpea fritters are listed as one of Israel's national dishes, and are a staple in many Middle Eastern countries including Palestine and Lebanon, it is often suggested that falafel might have evolved from the Egypt dish known as taameya. By the 1950s, to earn a living, Yemenite immigrants in Israel started making falafel in the streets, selling it wrapped in paper, which has eventually transformed this ancient dish into an early form of Israeli fast food and facilitet the global recognition of it.
As an alternative to the Israeli version, the Egyptian taameya uses fava beans instead of chickpeas, while the mixture is typically flavored with parsley, coriander, cumin, and onions. Today, both in Israel and other Middle Eastern countries, falafel fritters are most commonly enjoyed in pita or lafa flatbread sandwiches, topped with fresh or pickled vegetables, and coated either in hummus paste, tahini dip, or a zesty, garlic-flavored yogurt sauce.
MOST ICONIC Falafel
View moreProbably the best-known national dish of Israel, Israeli salad is actually a descendant of Arab and Palestinian salads. Finely diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, (optional) parsley, and either bell peppers or chili peppers are typically dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.
This refreshing salad is served as a main dish or a side, and it is even sold as a street food item, wrapped in pita bread with falafel or shawarma. This healthy salad is also an important part of the traditional Israeli breakfast.
MOST ICONIC Israeli Salad
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 5 Israeli Vegetarian Dishes” list until March 21, 2025, 3,836 ratings were recorded, of which 2,072 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.