Cafe Liz

About

Welcome to my kitchen in Tel Aviv.

I like fresh food and my own cooking, I read the ingredient list on everything I buy, and I get excited by outdoor markets, kitchen stores and cute dishware (some of which I make). The blog is a hobby. In real life, I’m an editor and an economist.

Modern Israeli cuisine

Many of my recipes could probably be categorized as modern Israeli. Modern Israeli cuisine is still developing and evolving, and falls into the greater category of what people call Mediterranean cuisine — lots of fresh vegetables, and lots of olive oil. It’s based on fresh, local produce — Israel is an agricultural powerhouse — with a local twist based on traditional ingredients native to the area. It’s just beginning to receive international recognition, and you can read more about it at the Washington Post, The Atlantic, The New York Times and The Jewish Journal.

Find recipes that are vegan, parve, dairy and more

You can go through my posts based on photo thumbnails, or an alphabetical listing.

I’m not actually vegetarian, but my kitchen is. All recipes on my blog are kosher: Vegan, parve and dairy recipes are tagged accordingly. Posts with multiple recipes or variations may have more than one tag.

Recipes that are kosher for Passover, Ashkenazi-style (kitniyot and chametz free) or Sephardi-style (chametz free), are also tagged accordingly. These categories do not include recipes that could be easily altered to suit Passover.

A quick explanatory note about kashrut: Kashrut, meaning kosherness, refers to specific preparation methods that observant Jews have practiced over the centuries. If you’re looking to make food for a friend who keeps kosher, a kosher recipe isn’t enough — your kitchen and ingredients will determine whether the recipe is kosher, too. Best to coordinate with your friend.

What else can you find here?

I also have posts discussing various aspects of Israeli food culture, market tours, Tel Aviv highlights and restaurants. I also write travel posts when I get a chance to take a vacation.

Press and featured posts

I’ve been interviewed by a handful of international publications in various languages (not all of which are available online), and Cafe Liz topped PresenTense Magazine’s list of the top 10 Jewish food blogs. Individual posts have also been featured on Tastespotting, Foodgawker and Saveur.

Thanks

Thanks to Tal for lending me server space, and Eitan for the technical support and the constant willingness to do the dishes.

And, of course, my mother, for inspiring many of my recipes, as she keeps noting in her comments.

23 Comments »

Have something to say? Tried a recipe and liked it, or want to suggest a variation? You're invited to post it here. RSS feed for comments on this post.

1. It I started cooking again, these would be some tasty dishes to try. I need you to be my personal chef. I can provide room and board, plus a small stipend.

   Comment by Lorraine — November 24, 2008 #

2. What a fantastic website/blog! Very inspiring and you must be an extremely creative person. I will keep an eye with this place.

   Comment by Kiku — November 17, 2009 #

3. Hi,

   Cool. Where in the carmel market is the guy that sells Thai stuff? Does he have morning glory greens?

   Just back from Thailand and I have such a yen…

   Shabat Shalom,

   Adam

   Comment by Adam — December 11, 2009 #

4. Hey Adam, I’ve seen two stands that sometimes have morning glory. One is on the main market street, pretty much smack in the middle, and if you’re coming from Allenby, he’ll be on your left, a few stands after the guy selling grilled meat sandwiches and yelling “delicious” on Fridays.

   The other is on a side street. Again, if you’re coming from Allenby, it’s on the parallel street to the right of the market street. If you’re walking down the main market street, you turn right between the cheese-seller and the greens stand, across from the bedding store, and pass through the meat shops until the next street. The stand is across from “Eli Dagim” and is always busy with Asian shoppers.

   Good luck!

   Comment by Liz — December 13, 2009 #

5. I love this blog, Liz. Lovely, original food ideas (that patterned spaghetti was breathtaking) and beautiful photos. I’m just…totally jealous.

   Mimi

   Comment by Mimi — December 24, 2009 #

6. Thanks, Mimi! Looking forward to meeting you.

   Comment by Liz — December 24, 2009 #

7. I found your blog via Mom in Israel. Lovely recipes. I’ll most certainly come back.

   Comment by Ilana-Davita — December 29, 2009 #

8. Hi Ilana, thanks for stopping by!

   Comment by Liz — January 3, 2010 #

9. I found your blog while searching for loquat recipes. You’re recipes look inspiring, so I’ve bookmarked you for future searches. Can’t wait to try out some of your creations!

   Comment by chris — March 12, 2010 #

10. Great! There will be more loquat recipes soon, since they’re just coming into season here.

    Comment by Liz — March 15, 2010 #

11. Hi Liz,
    Could I subscribe to your blog? I really like what I see so far and hope you do open a cafe in Tel Aviv.

    If I need a screen name to join – miamimango – is the one I use.

    Thanks for the vegan recipe for Pesach. My vegan friend will love it!!
    Kol tuv,
    Debbie

    Comment by Debbie Niskin — March 21, 2010 #

12. Debbie, I’ve signed you up for e-mail updates, you’ll get an e-mail asking you to confirm it. Hag sameach!

    Comment by Liz — March 21, 2010 #

13. Hello Liz,

    Found your blog when I was searching on Baklava (bird’s nest). It instantly became a bookmark & a favourite. =) Will definitely be coming back here often.

    Lots of love from Singapore!
    Rawdah

    Comment by Rawdah — August 22, 2010 #

14. Hi Rawdah, thanks for writing! It’s always amazing to find out I have readers in far-off and interesting places.

    Comment by Liz — August 22, 2010 #

15. I called by for a little inspiration – as always, an enjoyable visit!
    regards from Melbourne Australia.

    Comment by Sandy — October 2, 2010 #

16. Thanks Sandy, glad you stopped by!

    Comment by Liz — October 3, 2010 #

17. I LOVE YOUR BLOG ! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK !

    Comment by CARMIT — January 12, 2011 #

18. Thanks, Carmit!

    Comment by Liz — January 14, 2011 #

19. You replaced the picture of the purple cauliflower!

    Comment by Ethan — August 10, 2011 #

20. The time had come

    Comment by Liz — August 10, 2011 #

21. Hey this is such a cool site. Lovely recipes, great tips, beautiful photos & a fun, friendly writing style. Looking forward to adventuring here.

    Comment by Frith — November 12, 2011 #

22. Fabulous website! I’m a huge foodie and moved to TLV a year ago…your site has been a great intro to the food world here and love your info on markets – it’s exactly what I needed. Keep up the great work!

    Comment by sevan — January 10, 2012 #

23. Hi Liz!

    I nominated your blog for the Liebster Blog Award! Hope it sends some traffic your way! I love reading your blog!

    Comment by Lauren — May 20, 2012 #

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