Yom Yerushalayim, or Jerusalem Day, will be celebrated this week on Thursday night, May 21, and Friday, May 22, 2020. Jerusalem was established as the capital of Israel by King David almost 3,000 years ago, and the Jerusalem Antiquities Authority has just discovered more ancient ruins near the Western Wall.
My question is: What food should we eat to celebrate Jerusalem Day? I reached out for expert advice and received a few suggestions. The top winners were Jerusalem Mixed Grill (מעורב ירושלמי) and Jerusalem bagels.
You can find great kiosks selling Jerusalem mixed grill around the city, but particularly near Mahane Yehuda. The smell of the greasy, spicy mixtures wafts through the streets, and here is a video about the originator of this fine fare.
Another contender, the Jerusalem Bagel, is found all over the city. During the Six Day War in 1967 Jerusalem was reunited by the Israelis. Tourism blossomed in the city and these bagels, sold by vendors became super popular. They are long and oval, and the bagel itself is softer and lighter than the usual bagels. They are covered with sesame seeds and served with zatar, an Israeli spice mixture, which is given in a little packet made of newsprint.
The bagel recipe is a closely guarded secret, but adding extra oil to a regular bread recipe will make the dough lighter.
Here are two recipes, one for zatar, and one for a homemade Jerusalem Grill.
Zatar: (from Janna Gur’s cookbook)
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted in a pan
1/2 cup dried hyssop
1 Tablespoon sumac
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grind the hyssop in a spice mill or blender until it is powder. If you don’t have hyssop you can use dried rosemary or thyme. Add all the other ingredients and you are ready to go!
Jerusalem Grill
about 1 1/2 lbs. chicken innards- liver, heart, spleens, plus some chicken breast or thigh.
For a vegetarian version chop up firm tofu & portobello mushrooms, and you can add blanched cauliflower
4 sliced onions
4 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. salt
Cut the chicken into small pieces. Put into a bowl with the onions and the garlic. Pour on some olive oil and the spices, and leave to marinate in the fridge for 3 -24 hours.
Heat up a large frying pan and add some olive oil. Pour in the meat mixture. Fry until the meat is done. Serve in a pita with tehina, hummus, pickles, and olives. Enjoy!
Have a wonderful Jerusalem Day. I hope you found my Jerusalem food blog interesting and that you might even try something new!
Have a happy Shabbat Shalom and stay safe. -Laya
Laya Crust 