José Pizarro is crouching next to an Anglo-Nubian goat, craning his neck for a selfie. It’s a hot sun pounding the Judea Mountains, and the dizzying, midday heat makes the scene between the Spanish chef and the nanny goat seem even more surreal.
It’s the fourth day of a tour round Israel with some of Britain’s top chefs, and this surreal feeling is becoming familiar. The cheesemaker arrives. He’s dressed in white trousers, a sleeveless white shirt with a white beard resting against his chest. ‘Wizard,’ whispers chef Tom Sellers. The cheesemaker dips a long-handled spoon into a jar of labneh, and carefully scrapes the tangy yoghurt onto Fergus Henderson’s outstretched finger. The tasting begins.
Each day on the trip has channelled a dreamlike quality. We eat poached sweet courgettes in chef Eerez Komarovsky’s garden, and fish topped with a blackened pinecone, giving off little wisps of smoke. It feels surreal sharing a kebab with Fergus Henderson on the streets of Tel Aviv and watching chef Pascal Aussignac haggle over the price of a falafel press.
Comments ()
Zhoug and tahini: a road trip around the flavours of Israel
Change your username in user settings to something more personal.
This comment was edited
Please enter text
Comments must be less than characters
Report this comment
Please state your report in the space below
This comment was edited
Please enter text
Comments must be less than characters
Report this comment
Please state your report in the space below
Change your username in user settings to something more personal.
Report this comment
Please state your report in the space below
Thank you for the report
It will be dealt with as soon as possible.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?