In Search of Israeli Cuisine (2016) is an Israeli film written and directed by Roger Sherman.
The film follows Israeli-American chef Michael Solomonov as he travels through Israel, sampling cuisines and talking to chefs. Solomonov is the perfect choice for a movie like this. He isn't diffident, but he isn't arrogant either. He has a friendly, open manner, which makes people comfortable when they talk with him. He's appreciative of the food, and he sometimes participates in its preparation. He watches people prepare the food. While they prepare it, they also tell him about their culture, and how it contributes to the Israeli cultural blend.
Some argue that "Israeli cuisine" as such does not exist. At the moment, Israeli cuisine is made up of Palestinian cuisine, and the cuisines brought to Israel by Jews from the lands from which the emigrated.
The Israeli/Palestinian conflict is always just beneath the surface in Israel, and people discuss it. However, there's a second cultural conflict--between Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe, and Sephardic Jews from the Mediterranean region. Ashkenazi food is what most of us in the U.S. think of as "Jewish food." Sephardic food is what most of us think of as "Middle Eastern Food."
Right now, the two traditions haven't blended. Maybe that's all for the best. Two much blending may mean that these splendid distinct cuisines will be lost. What the film makes clear is that restaurants in Israeli offer many many wonderful cuisines, and, if you have enough time, you could sample them all. (Israel is a small country. It's "The size of New Jersey," as Michael likes to repeat. You can drive from the north to the south in a few hours, and find exactly the food you want.)
We saw this movie at the Dryden Theatre in The George Eastman Museum in Rochester, NY. It was screened as part of the excellent Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. It will work well on the small screen. However, as far as I can tell, it's not available on DVD yet.
P.S. The Rochester International Jewish Film Festival always has interesting movies. I'd also like to mention that it's the best managed film festival I've ever attended. Because of the hard work and expertise of the staff and volunteers, programs start on time, stay on time, and end on time. From ticket purchase to the end-of-festival party, everything works. My compliments to director Lori Harter and everyone else involved.
The film follows Israeli-American chef Michael Solomonov as he travels through Israel, sampling cuisines and talking to chefs. Solomonov is the perfect choice for a movie like this. He isn't diffident, but he isn't arrogant either. He has a friendly, open manner, which makes people comfortable when they talk with him. He's appreciative of the food, and he sometimes participates in its preparation. He watches people prepare the food. While they prepare it, they also tell him about their culture, and how it contributes to the Israeli cultural blend.
Some argue that "Israeli cuisine" as such does not exist. At the moment, Israeli cuisine is made up of Palestinian cuisine, and the cuisines brought to Israel by Jews from the lands from which the emigrated.
The Israeli/Palestinian conflict is always just beneath the surface in Israel, and people discuss it. However, there's a second cultural conflict--between Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe, and Sephardic Jews from the Mediterranean region. Ashkenazi food is what most of us in the U.S. think of as "Jewish food." Sephardic food is what most of us think of as "Middle Eastern Food."
Right now, the two traditions haven't blended. Maybe that's all for the best. Two much blending may mean that these splendid distinct cuisines will be lost. What the film makes clear is that restaurants in Israeli offer many many wonderful cuisines, and, if you have enough time, you could sample them all. (Israel is a small country. It's "The size of New Jersey," as Michael likes to repeat. You can drive from the north to the south in a few hours, and find exactly the food you want.)
We saw this movie at the Dryden Theatre in The George Eastman Museum in Rochester, NY. It was screened as part of the excellent Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. It will work well on the small screen. However, as far as I can tell, it's not available on DVD yet.
P.S. The Rochester International Jewish Film Festival always has interesting movies. I'd also like to mention that it's the best managed film festival I've ever attended. Because of the hard work and expertise of the staff and volunteers, programs start on time, stay on time, and end on time. From ticket purchase to the end-of-festival party, everything works. My compliments to director Lori Harter and everyone else involved.