Dear Delicious Community,

Thank you for investing in a gift that not only brings delight and Israeli market magic to your taste buds but also carries a profound impact on the lives of our beloved shuk vendors, struggling in the shadows of the war that descended upon us on October 7th. Our beloved vendors, many of whom have been with us since the founding of Delicious Israel twelve years ago, worry for friends and loved ones under rocket fire and serving in the IDF, and they must balance these burdens with the uncertainty of not knowing whether they will see any customers that day.

Thanks to you, these family businesses will thrive and remain for generations to come.

With your Delicious gift set, you are standing with Roni Shrem and his father Shaul, Turkish-Israelis realizing their dream of a family spice shop in the Carmel Market. You are standing with Rachel, an unshakeable Australian Jewish woman defying hatred and boycotts to produce her sweet sesame halva in the Israeli port city of Ashdod. You are standing with Israeli date farmers in the Arava, with Israeli artist CityKat in the streets of Tel Aviv, and with Persian-Israeli spice vendors Tzion and Itzchak in the Levinsky Market. Your choice directly supports these small family business owners, providing them with the strength to persevere and rebuild. In every bite, there's a story of determination, a tale of a family refusing to be defeated by circumstances.

Your choice to embrace Delicious Israel's holiday gift set is a gesture of solidarity, a reminder that even in the face of adversity, the human spirit prevails.

Wishing you a joyous and meaningful holiday season,

The Delicious Israel Team

Let’s start your Delicious journey!

Scroll down to find more information about the goods in your kit

Hawaij Spice for Coffee 

Meaning “mix” in Yemenite Arabic, this hawaij is a spice blend of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, and other warming spices to be inhaled cozily, baked into steaming seasonal pies, or sipped slowly in tea, coffee or apple cider

Recipes using Hawaij Spice for Coffee:

• Pumpkin Spice but Twice as Nice: Try Hawaij for Coffee

• Cardamom and Cinnamon Poached Apples

Zaatar

The quintessential Israeli seasoning, like a lemony oregano or an exotic thyme, zaatar elevates your dish and transports you eastward. Try it mixed with olive oil, sprinkled on toasted bread, tossed with chopped salads or dusted over roasted veggies drizzled with honey.

Recipes using Zaatar:

• Israeli Chopped Salad

• Ottolenghi's Roast Chicken with Za'atar and Sumac

• Israeli Couscous with Lemon Za'atar Roasted Chickpeas and Carrots

Sumac

It’s fruity and salty, zingy and zesty, sour and sweet. Turkish sumac combines the flavors of cranberry, lemon, and sea salt for a freshness and pop of color (it’s deep purple!) on your salads, meat and fish.

Recipes using Sumac:

• Sumac: All Hail Big Red

• Flame-Fired Eggplant

Dragon’s Breath

Dragon’s Breath is the traditional Turkish name of….just kidding! The Shrem family and their Turkish spice shop boast two, going on three, generations of flavor gurus, and this is a spice blend all their own, created by dad Roni Shrem who took a classic grill mix and, quite literally, turned up the heat. In fact, the name was inspired by a cartoon dragon in a movie his son was watching!

Recipes using Dragon’s Breath:

• Easy and Delicious Dragon's Breath Baked Spicy Fries

• Chicken Shawarma

Amba Spice

This Indian-origin, tangy and curried mango blend was brought to Israel by Iraqi Jews, and is spiced but not spicy. In fact variations of the word “amba” are used to mean mango in multiple Indian languages! Mix the bright yellow powder with water and oil until you achieve a pourable sauce consistency, and elevate everything from salad dressings, to sandwiches, to our favorite - falafel!

Recipes using Amba Spice:

• Sabich Sliders

• Amba: What is it and How Do I Use it?

Cubed Fruit Tea

These diced cubes of dried and candied berries reconstitute into luscious, flavorful, juicy bites of fruit in hot water, offering both a detoxifying, steaming fruit tea to warm your hands and heart, and a healthy snack of seasonal flavors and chewy sweet goodness.

Dried Verbena

The first thing we do before stepping foot in the spice shop, is crush a leaf of verbena (or as we know it, luiza) between our palms, rub it between our fingers, lift our hands to our faces and inhale…There, now your senses are cleansed and ready! Boil your verbena as a loose-leaf tea with an optional lemon peel, steep for five minutes, and add sugar to taste. Mmmmm, zen…

Halva-Coated Pecans

Roasted to perfection and lovingly coated in sweet sesame, these Seed and Mill halva pecans are the creation of three enterprising Jewish women through their joint love of Israel, healthy food, and sweetness. Crafted in the Israeli port city of Ashdod, these addictive nibbles make the perfect purse snack.

Juiciest Medjool Dates

Dark and caramelized, sticky and plump, the medjool has no equal in the world of dates. Eat as is (mind the pit!), or slit the top and stuff them with goat cheese and mint for a chic hors d’oeuvre, with your favorite nut butter for a quick protein bite, with nutella for a melty dessert, or even with a Seed and Mill halva pecan for a nutty treat. The question is, will you do a second date?

CityKat Scenes of Israel Postcard Bundle

A picture is worth a thousand words, and these CityKat scenes of Israel postcards will draw you into their colorful stories and vivid images. Whether as postcards mailed to loved ones, or framed and arranged on your statement gallery wall, this set of nine individual art prints is the perfect visual compliment to the tastes and aromas of your Israeli-style kitchen.

Incense Crystals for Burning or Scattering

Traditional incense plays many roles in Middle Eastern cultures. Keep your home perfumed and prosperous by either slow-burning the aromatic crystals from your Delicious gift set, or scatter a few stones among your favorite wallets and purses. The turquoise color is said to bring prosperity and success, and who couldn’t use some of that?

Custom Delicious Apron

For the first time ever, after many, many requests, our Delicious Israel custom aprons are available to the public! These unique, branded, pocket-front aprons are available exclusively as part of our Gift of Israel set. Snap a picture wearing yours and post it and tag @deliciousisrael to show your Israel pride.