I was living in Jerusalem and had met a fellow Canadian who was back-packing around Europe and Israel. I don't remember his name, but I remember his comment that it was easy to find good, inexpensive food in the Old City of Jerusalem...
Where? I wanted to know.
He told me about a certain restaurant - then added: But I've also discovered an amazing bakery where people who live in the Old City take their food to be baked. They have a large stone wood-burning oven. Families bring in trays of bread and other things to be baked there. But they also sell their own bread and you can buy it, drizzled with olive oil and some spices like oregano, or with an egg. It's always fresh out of the oven and tastes amazing.
I asked him to show me where it was.
He led me though a maze of streets in a residential area, not the shopping area I usually visited. A group of people were standing outside the doorway, waiting. Inside a darkish room, a man was working at a large rectangular hole in the wall, putting in trays of baked goods - and taking them out - using a large wooden paddle. The oven was full of trays of different shapes and sizes.
I watched him in amazement: Nothing ever tipped over or burned.
He took out a large round tray of triangular pastries... Noticing my stare, he turned to me and asked: Do you want to taste?
Sure, I replied, surprised at his offer...
He deftly removed one of the pastries before handing the tray to a little boy to take home.
It was filled with spinach, but had the aroma of lemon. Delicious!
I have loved these pastries ever since - even though I've never tasted any that have matched the flavor of the one taken fresh from the oven.
I wondered if the housewife who had sent the pastries to be baked noticed that one was gone!
(While looking online for a recipe, I came across this one, in video! Enjoy!)
No comments:
Post a Comment