Jerusalem of Gold ... Loaves

Wednesday, May 6. 2009

We rented an apartment in Jerusalem, an accommodation I strongly recommend over a hotel if you can manage it. It was a little tricky with our cab driver (who spoke only Hebrew and Polish) getting there, but much more relaxed and vastly cheaper than a hotel. The apartment we rented was on Emek Refraim, an attractive yuppie shopping district with great coffee (which I was thrilled about); if you're interested in renting it, contact me.

Anyway, when we arrived, the community center on Emek Refriam was having a street fair, including delicious Arab breads. Pictured above is the cooker for traditional bedouin "crepes", which are then filled with yogurt, onions and spices.

In fact, if there is anything I would happily fire up my Tardis and shop in Jerusalem for, it's the baked goods. Most tourists become familiar with these sesame ring breads, sold on the street all over Jerusalem.

Here's some vendors working the Jaffa Gate in front of the so-called Tower of David.

If you want quality, however, find one of the many bakeries in the Old or New Cities. Look for one which is busy and selling out of stuff. You can get various Arab flatbreads ...

... or more European breads. They'll all be delicious.

As in Europe, here pastry bakers are different establishments from bread bakers. You want to try everything. Sweet pastries are often filled with chocolate, poppy seeds, sweet cheese, or cinnamon and spices. Savory pastries are filled with cheese, potato, mushooms, eggplant and other things. They're hard to tell apart, so buy a bunch and taste them all.