By Eva Trieger
SAN DIEGO — Isn’t Israeli food characterized by falafel, hummus and tehina? If you are drooling, licking your lips and nodding in eager anticipation of spicy, fried chickpeas with heady spices, think again! Film Director Roger Sherman has created a mind-blowing, gut busting culinary travelogue for the 27th San Diego Jewish Film Festival.
In Search of Israeli Cuisine explores the 150 plus ethnic influences that have exploded in Israel before and since its inception in 1948. The nascent cuisine is difficult to define and in fact, foodies argue whether one can actually nail it down, as there are so many contributors and myriad regions from which the flavors are born.
In a recent phone interview with Sherman, I learned much about his connection to Israel and the food, and joined him in his scavenger hunt as I watched his 97 minute film. This film will be shown at the San Diego Jewish Film Festival in this version, but a PBS version will feature additional scenes and more of the research.
Sherman shared with me, that although he is Jewish, he never had a particularly strong drive to visit Israel. He thought he’d prefer the food and experiences in Paris, but through a mutual friend, Sherman was introduced to chef and restaurateur, Israeli born, Philly raised Michael Solomonov. Solomonov, owner of Zahav restaurant in Philadelphia, underwent his own metamorphosis in the filming of this project as he returned to Israel, with his family, for the tenth anniversary of his brother’s death. (His brother had lived in Israel and while serving as a soldier was killed.) This association caused Sherman to have an epiphany and by “putting Mike in situations and letting him go” he was able to gain a greater understanding for the diverse cultures that comprise Israeli cuisine.
The beautiful film is a tantalizing trail of gastronomic adventures. Wonderfully crafted with maps of the region, the viewer is invited to tour along with Solomonov. The initial trip was undertaken in 2013, when Sherman and his wife, founding editor of Saveur magazine, Dorothy Kalin, made a ten day scouting trip. Later that year Sherman spent 30 days photographing and traversing Israel with two cameras, traveling by bus. A year and one half later, he returned to finish the film and obtain additional interviews.
In Search of Israeli Cuisine reveals the personal language of food, as spoken by the disparate ethnic groups that call the country their home. Sherman explained how the immigrant populations have influenced the culinary scene. Syrians, Lebanese, Egyptians, Russians, Eastern Europeans, Ethiopians and others have brought their recipes, spices and cooking methods to Eretz Yisroel. Today, the vast array of food items is only matched by the number of chefs, vintners, and appetites.
Through the film, I learned that it was not until the economic boom of the 1980s that Israelis began to try out new foods and cuisines. When immigrants arrived, the last thing they wanted was to be reminded of the tsurris filled homes they left. They were proud to be Israelis and sought to shake off their own mama’s cooking. Chef Ruthie Russo noted that “people were ashamed of presenting their grandmother’s cooking mainly because of Israel’s history.” They craved a new identity and they were determined to wrest control and be in charge of their own fate and destiny. They did it through food.
With an improved financial climate, Israelis began traveling to Europe and America and taking note of the culinary environment. Food became yet another venue for self-expression. Thanks to Ben Yehuda, Israelis had a language of their own. Just as Hebrew defined a national character, so too, did chefs attempt to establish a national cuisine. And it is not a static one.
The filmmaker visited restaurants owned by Palestinians, Israelis, Moroccans, Muslims and enjoyed conversations with chefs and sous chefs. One restaurant owner, Hussam Abbas, believes that we can learn the ways in which “food makes peace,” at times, and how the Intifada hurt Palestinian/Arab restaurants and others. His Kebab el Babor is a dish that he believes promotes harmony!
Each stop along the tour provides insights not only into the ideologies of each chef, but a belief central to many Israelis. Fresh food, home grown ingredients are preferred and many of the dishes are not the typical slowly simmered, long cooked items, because, as Eyal Shani puts it, “there is no tomorrow. We can’t plan. You can’t imagine you’ll be old.” Sadly, this sentiment has proven true in this volatile country surrounded by enemies on all sides.
Innovation in this arid land has also influenced the cuisine. Cherry tomatoes were the brainchild of Moshe Dayan, then Agriculture Minister, in Kadesh Barnea, a town near the Egyptian border where the soil is irrigated with salt water under the Negev desert. In Mt. Eitan, cheeses are aged in caves. A Druze orchard produces olives after seeing what the item has done for Italian food’s popularity. In the desert, seven kinds of peaches are produced in orchards that employ collected flood waters.
Before the twentieth century, there were no vineyards in Israel. After Rothschild introduced grape varieties, interest in viniculture began to grow. In the 1980s Israel boasted one winery. Today, over 300 boutique/garage wineries feature every type of wine from “rude, in your face wines” to the Golan’s highly rated, sophisticated wines.
Prior to producing this film, Sherman made a movie about New York City chef and restaurant owner Danny Meyer. The Restaurateur made in 1998, and completed in 2011, won him the James Beard Award. This is but one of the awards the author, director, producer, creator and cinematographer has garnered. An Emmy, a Peabody and two Academy Award nomination are also in his cornucopia.
Salivating viewers need not wait until the San Diego Jewish Film Festival opens in February to see Sherman’s film. A special San Diego premiere will be shown Sunday, August 21, at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center in La Jolla. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 858.362.1348 or online at www.sdjff.org.
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Trieger is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. She may be contacted via eva.trieger@sdjewishworld.com. Comments intended for publication in the space below MUST be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/ her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the United States.)