Published: 13 September 2022
Last updated: 5 March 2024
Despite air-raid sirens and war, a food culture has emerged over the past 18 months that is drawing diners from across the country.
“Most Israelis think the only thing that exists down here are Qassam rockets and mortar shells,” says Adi Rozen, a resident of the agricultural community of Netiv Ha’asara who leads food tours of southern Israel. “They are completely unaware of the booming culinary scene until they come and see for themselves.”
Rozen set up her company, Sippur Culinary (Culinary Story), four years ago, hoping to introduce out-of-towners to some of the more positive aspects of life on the border. “I felt that there was no better way of doing that than through food,” she explains.
Lian Mattar, 17, and her siblings run the knafeh shop, located on a main drag in Sderot, under the supervision of their mother. For that reason, opening hours vary depending upon what time school finishes on any given day. On the day we visited – which happened to be the first day of the new school year – Lian showed up with her eight-year-old sister just after noon. The two girls immediately got to work making a fresh batch of knafeh.
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‘Booming Culinary Scene’: How Israel’s Gaza Border Is Turning Into a Foodie Haven (Haaretz)
Photo: Lian Mattar at the Knafeh al Usul family business in Sderot (Eliahu Hershkovitz/Haaretz)
