Israeli chef, Oren Ron, introduced city students to the best of Israeli food and cooking during his recent visit to the Redcarpet Hotel Management & Culinary Academy in Pune. Talking to students on whether or not a true Israeli cuisine really exists, chef Ron, who has served the Israeli defence forces for three years, said, “A lot of Israeli dishes are inspired by what the European defence officers used to eat. In fact, there is no Israeli cuisine as such; it is actually a blend of different cuisines such as French,
Italian, Palestinian and Russian, with a lot of use of fresh herbs, vegetables, dairy products, especially white cheese and white bread.”
While describing the Israeli food culture, Ron said, “For breakfast and dinner, people usually eat small quantities, whereas lunch being the most important meal in Israel, it is moderately heavy. Israelis prefer wines and Israeli wines are quite famous amongst the connoisseurs of wine world over.”
According to him, alcohol consumption in Israel is not as high as in Europe. Talking more about Israel’s food culture, Ron revealed that Israeli men love to cook for their families and also enjoy participating in cookery shows and competitions. “Cooking is very diverse in Israel; it’s like a way of celebration. It is a way of bringing together people, both in hard and happy times like Rosh Hashanah, the Israeli new year,” he said.
Telling the students that molecular cooking is quite prevalent in restaurants in Israel, Ron said that it involves laboratory equipment and transformation of ingredients while cooking.
“It is practised by food professionals and scientists in many professional kitchens and laboratories with the help of technical innovations, to explore existing recipes as well as inventing new
dishes,” he said.
During the food demonstration session, Ron guided students how to prepare lip-smacking dishes like Lahmacun (Turkish dish), Harname (Moroccan fish dish), Majadra (Arabian dish) and Halva Paree (French dessert).
