Every shuk has entrances and exits, some more open and inviting, some more secret. This entrance to the shuk in Nazareth has a strangely medieval air to me. Even with the electric cables, cars, and plastic objects, not to mention the evenly-cobblestoned street, I can still imagine men in long robes and women with their faces veiled strolling through.
These aluminum cooking pots and the primus cooker made me think of delicious Middle-Eastern home cooking. Women create mouth-watering savory meals out of such simple equipment here.
Chamomile in damp bunches offered by a sidewalk vendor. He was a young man who just set up a few boxes of herbs and greens on the sidewalk.
Jerusalem sage for stuffing.
And, I’m sorry to say, za’atar. I say I’m sorry because I’m fairly sure this was gathered from the wild, where it’s a protected plant.
The vendor weighed out his produce on this little scale, right there on the ground.
We descended through the shuk.
These shoes might be worn by some Oriental princess…or not.
In any case, here is a cobbler to fix your shoes when the soles wear out.
The owner of a metalworks shop contemplating a knotty problem laid out on his table.
A subtle arched corridor leads to a sunny exit. The shuk was closing for the day
A small cemetery tucked away in the middle of the shuk.
And out again, coming up to this decorated door.
Sarah and I visited a coffee shop in the shuk too – another post. Meantime, enjoy these souvenirs.
That shuk is so wonderful! When living in the north, I bought fresh zaatar a few times in the Arab shuks,but always thought it was cultivated. So now I know better…..
The pictures are wonderful, full of vitality and color.
My fav. is the scale and the shoes.
I’m not 100% sure that all za’atar sold in Arab shuks is foraged. It’s easy enough to cultivate, I have friends with big, healthy bushes in their gardens. I’ve read that much of our wild za’atar is illegally gathered and sold, though.
An interesting tip from chef Moshe Basson of the Eucalyptus restaurant: when you find a za’atar bush out in the wild, it’s fine to pinch off some of the tops to take home, just as you would do with a plant you owned. It will make it strong and bushy.
What a great market … I particularly liked your review of all the different kitchen gadgets (I think it appeared on Sarah’s blog). I hadn’t figured out what they were. Regarding the Jerusalem sage — I bought a bunch, but was told it was called “saineh,” which is apparently lashon hapar in Hebrew, which translates into some sort of alkanet/anchusa in English. Are these all the same plant?
Hi, Liz. Vendors have called it saineh or lisan to me. According to chef and food historian Moshe Basson, it’s not “lashon ha par,” which is alkanet, but “marvah merusheshet.” It’s a sage, although it doesn’t look or taste anything like the silvery, narrow leaves that we’re used to cooking with.
Lashon ha par looks like any other alkanet, growing off a tall stalk and bearing pink and blue flowers. I’m not sure it’s edible, but the leaves do release a beneficial mucilage that’s excellent as part of moisturizing lotion.
[...] Nazareth, and a more complete anecdote is Nazareth Shuk: A Kaleidoscope for the Senses. Another great post is by Miriam Kresh, the veteran blogger of Israeli Kitchen, also littered with fabulous [...]