Israel: a promised land for all the vegans of the world

Today Israel is considered to be the most vegan friendly country in the world (and it is the first country to introduce vegan diet in its army meals). About 5 % of the population is vegan and about 8 % - vegetarian.

Plenty of vegan and veg-friendly restaurants, great falafels and hummus, lively markets offering fresh fruit and vegetables whole year makes it a place worth paying a visit.

Even if you come to Israel during winter (December-January), the temperatures in Tel Aviv do not usually fall below 5°C and if you are lucky enough, you may even enjoy a swim in the Dead sea in January: sometimes the temperature jumps up to 26-28°C at the coast, and the water warms up to 20-24°C, even in January.

Summer and fall is great for veggie-lovers, but winter is the right time to try oranges, lemons, grapefruits and pomegranates. 

January - kumquats are almost ripe!

The market in Tel Aviv is the heart of the city: bustling with life, full of smells and sounds.

It is hard to resist and not to buy huge and perfectly ripe avocados, not to try local olive oils or home-made tahini halva. 

One must be careful and look what is going inside the bag: the vendors like to add more than asked (and of course, charge more as well).

It's best to speak Hebrew while shopping in the market, Russian also works OK. You may find some difficulties in using English (or maybe it's just an excuse when the seller wants to add an extra fruit to your bag : )

If you like cats, you should walk around the butcher's where you can make many huge and well-fed feline friends.

Spices sold in Jerusalem

Everytime you feel hunger, all you need to do is to look for a sign:

פלאפל

That's right, it says "falafel" - a great levantine snack made of chickpeas, served in pita bread with vegetables and tahini sauce.

Falafel in pita bread, bought in Tel Aviv. You can usually stuff your sandwich with pickled vegetables by yourself. I was pleasantly surprised by purple tomatoes which were marinated in beetroot juice.

It probably does not look amazing in a picture, but hummus is one of the greatest joy in a vegan world. And Israel is famous about its hummus - you can get some fresh hummus in snackbars or buy hundreds of different hummus with herbs, spices, pepper, garlic and etc. in any supermarket.

Sabich - Iraqi sandwich with grilled aubergine is also a must try. Just make sure you ask not to put an egg in it to make it vegan!