Ten salads, six vegetables, four meat options and one full stomach! Shabbat is always special, but with a large Moroccan family, you have a Shabbat you will never forget. At a small house in Haifa, we spent Shabbat with Matar’s family which included grandparents, four aunts, three uncles and a countless number of young cousins running around. Like a typical Shabbat we started with prayers, but at this dinner only the men stood up for the prayers – that was their job. The women on the other hand work all day to make a delicious meal. The women who cooked sat at their own table in the kitchen. They would serve the food to the rest of the family, and the food never stopped coming!
Being a bit of a picky eater, when I was faced with foods I had never heard of I wasn’t sure what to do. Earlier in the day I received a text from my older brother. He said “you’re so lucky you are eating with a Moroccan family. At dinner make sure to be as adventurous as possible. The food might seem weird, but it is one of the best meals you will ever eat.” I kept my promise to my brother and I tried everything! Though it was spicy the food was excellent.
We started with an array of ten different salads, but these salads were not typical American salads. To name just a few we had dried fruit salad, tabouli and babaganoush(spelling?). When the salads were served I was told not to fill up on them as more food was coming out. We then had delicious fish, rice and brisket, but that was not the end!! The women brought out more and more food. Everyone was stuffed after a long 4 course meal.
This Shabbat was one to remember not just because of the food but also because of the environment. We were in the heart of Israel. Everyone dreams of having a homemade Shabbat in Israel and we got to live it. This Shabbat was an extraordinary time which I will never forget!
Being a bit of a picky eater, when I was faced with foods I had never heard of I wasn’t sure what to do. Earlier in the day I received a text from my older brother. He said “you’re so lucky you are eating with a Moroccan family. At dinner make sure to be as adventurous as possible. The food might seem weird, but it is one of the best meals you will ever eat.” I kept my promise to my brother and I tried everything! Though it was spicy the food was excellent.
We started with an array of ten different salads, but these salads were not typical American salads. To name just a few we had dried fruit salad, tabouli and babaganoush(spelling?). When the salads were served I was told not to fill up on them as more food was coming out. We then had delicious fish, rice and brisket, but that was not the end!! The women brought out more and more food. Everyone was stuffed after a long 4 course meal.
This Shabbat was one to remember not just because of the food but also because of the environment. We were in the heart of Israel. Everyone dreams of having a homemade Shabbat in Israel and we got to live it. This Shabbat was an extraordinary time which I will never forget!