Day 2 of Taste of Israel took us to Nazareth, a place that's special for me as it's the hometown of Jesus of Nazareth. I've felt God leading me closer to Him this entire summer and it's pretty amazing when I think about how I went from Bethlehem in Pennsylvania, USA to Bethlehem in Israel/ Palestine to Bethlehem (Belem) in Lisbon, Portugal all within the span of 2 months.
We first visited the Basilica of the Announciation, the largest Christian sanctuary in the Middle East. The current church was constructed in 1969 over the site of an earlier Byzantine and Crusader era church, and was where the Annunciation of Mary (Mother of Jesus) took place.
The first shrine was built in 427 AD, comprising an altar in the cave where Mary had lived but a larger structure was commissioned by Emperor Constantine 1, who had directed his mother, Saint Helena, to found churches commemorating important events in Jesus's life.
The lower of the two-storey church (Grotto of the Annunciation) was believed to be the original childhood home of Mary (Mother of Jesus) and where the angelic announcement occurred.
Throughout the basilica were mosaic murals of Virgin Mary (typical of Byzantine art) donated by every country in the world with a catholic community. It was really interesting to see the influences of cultures in these art, as evident by the Japanese portrayal of Mary and Jesus in one of the murals above.
After the church visit, we were brought on a culinary and spice tour of Nazareth.
The first stop was Dewan Alsaraya Restarant where we were introduced to Qatayef, a small pancake that is folded and stuffed with unsalted goat's cheese or with walnuts and cinnamon. It is then dried and soaked in syrup.
Qatayef is the dessert most closely identified with Ramadan (the holy month in which Muslims fast) and it usually ends the iftar (breaking the fast) meal enjoyed together by families each evening during sunset. During Ramadan, Abu Ashraf (owner) would single-handedly make 150kg of these pancakes A DAY. That's like thousands and thousands of Qatayefs!
Foodprinted on 3 September 2012, Monday
We first visited the Basilica of the Announciation, the largest Christian sanctuary in the Middle East. The current church was constructed in 1969 over the site of an earlier Byzantine and Crusader era church, and was where the Annunciation of Mary (Mother of Jesus) took place.
The first shrine was built in 427 AD, comprising an altar in the cave where Mary had lived but a larger structure was commissioned by Emperor Constantine 1, who had directed his mother, Saint Helena, to found churches commemorating important events in Jesus's life.
The lower of the two-storey church (Grotto of the Annunciation) was believed to be the original childhood home of Mary (Mother of Jesus) and where the angelic announcement occurred.
Throughout the basilica were mosaic murals of Virgin Mary (typical of Byzantine art) donated by every country in the world with a catholic community. It was really interesting to see the influences of cultures in these art, as evident by the Japanese portrayal of Mary and Jesus in one of the murals above.
After the church visit, we were brought on a culinary and spice tour of Nazareth.
The first stop was Dewan Alsaraya Restarant where we were introduced to Qatayef, a small pancake that is folded and stuffed with unsalted goat's cheese or with walnuts and cinnamon. It is then dried and soaked in syrup.
Qatayef is the dessert most closely identified with Ramadan (the holy month in which Muslims fast) and it usually ends the iftar (breaking the fast) meal enjoyed together by families each evening during sunset. During Ramadan, Abu Ashraf (owner) would single-handedly make 150kg of these pancakes A DAY. That's like thousands and thousands of Qatayefs!
Besides Qatayefs, try the Arabic coffee that Abu Ashraf makes - the taste of Cardamon is awesome!
Abu Ashraf (pictured) has been serving his famous Qatayefs to locals and well-informed tourists and by famous, I mean famous - he had loads of Lonely planets, culinary guides and documentaries to show us when we visited. :) But I think the real gem is the man himself. He was so passionate about Qatayefs, he said that when he dies, he hopes that it's while he's making Qatayefs. (!!!)
Our next stop was a hummus/ falafel joint that opened just 2.5 weeks ago:
Hummus (one of my fave foods!) - boiled chickpeas (best if soaked overnight) which are mashed and blended with Tahini (white sesame paste), olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. It actually originates in Egypt but is now common in the Middle East.
Falafel (I don't like it that much cos' it's usually dry and oily) - deep-fried ball made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both. Again, this originates in Egypt and is usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket and are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce and drizzled with tahini-based sauces.
[Top left: Hummus, Bottom right: Falafel]
We were also brought to the Fauzi Azar Inn, a 200-year-old Arab mansion turned guest house in the heart of the Souq (market) in the Old City. Hailed by Lonely Planet as "one of the highlights of a stay in the Galilee", it's also a base for touring the Galilee and the famous 65km Jesus Trail from Nazareth to Capernaum.
Suraida Azar, one of the descendants of the Azar family (reowned as one of the richest and most powerful families in the Galilee), gave us a tour of the building. The Fauzi is a three-story building built in the 18th century which incorporated a 6m high, hand-painted ceiling (pictured), a Turkish marble floor, a magnificent main living area with panoramic views and a courtyard decorated with elegant limestone arches. The architecture is so beautiful that even Tony Blair visited it in 2011!
Beautiful ceilings and an introduction by current owner, Suraida Azar.
Next up was a visit to the Galilee Mill, El Babour, a spice mill with more than 1000 kinds of spices and medicinal herbs, and a place that speaks of Nazareth's commercial past. It was built at the end of the 19th century and provided grinding and storage for the city's farmers. When the British arrived, the Germans left and modern grinding machines from Europe were imported. The spice mill has been run for three generations by the Kanaza family, and we got to meet Tony (pictured), the friendly owner, who gave us not just an interesting tour (he spoke of how his grandfather used to grind special flour with protein for the British soldiers), but spices to bring home!
I loved how the spices, grains, nuts and fried fruits of all kinds were still bulging out from sacks lined along the floor like the good old days!
[Top: All 6 bloggers, Taste of Israel team & Staff at El Babour; Bottom: Spices!]
Oh! And I learned something new. ALERT: I initially thought the bright orange spice on the floor was Saffron, which is worth its weight in gold (literally!) and was appalled at how they left such treasure on the floor unattended. But I later learned that this was Safflower (locals call it Zaffron) (more related to Sunflower), not Saffron - so make sure you know what you're paying for! Seems like there's been many cases of Safflower posing successfully as (fake) Saffron in the Middle East!
Foodprinted on 3 September 2012, Monday
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