Highlighting products from Israel
An IMBHO reader suggested we review Lev Haolam, an organization supporting Israelite entrepreneurs.
One thing we invest our time in at IMBHO is our search for products with stories. We love to find true entrepreneurs, who, against all odds, get their products to market successfully. Lev Haolam promotes Israelite entrepreneurs and their products, and for that we say, IMBHO-yes!
We support entrepreneurs no matter their race, creed or religion because it’s the heart of an entrepreneur that matters most. Entrepreneurs are a rare breed. It takes fortitude and determination to risk everything and follow your passion.
Lev Haolam is a subscription service. For $99 per month, you get a variety of products delivered to your home from food to cosmetics to other tangible artifacts. The spices and oils received in monthly boxes are favorites. Dried fruit, chocolate, and nuts give you an additional taste of this region. These products allow you to step out of the world you know and immerse yourself in another culture.
Adding Mediterranean flavor to meals is a big trend in the U.S. The Galilean Za’atar Spice Blend we tried gives you a quick and easy way to transform common dishes into a global tasting experience. The ingredients in this spice blend include hyssop, sesame seeds, canola oil, sumac, olive oil, and sea salt. A short list of ingredients, in this case, doesn’t translate into single-note flavors.
Hyssop, the primary ingredient, gives off a minty flavor profile, but is slightly bitter. It also has a floral overtone. This herb grows in the Middle East.
Visit the Blogging Herb Man for hyssop cooking tips.
Sumac is dried berries from the wild sumac flower. Its flavor profile is like lemon juice, giving the spice blend its acidity notes.
Serious Eats offers some ideas on how to use Sumac.
We searched the website associated with this product but couldn’t find this spice blend. However, we found a similar product on Amazon: Sindyanna of Galilee Za’atar. It currently costs $22.79 for two 2.82oz jars of the spice blend. There’s also a video on Amazon that shows the production of this product using traditional methods.
At IMBHO, we love our tea. It’s been a cool spring, so we’re still enjoying hot tea in the mornings and evenings. Shalva Tea offers Israeli-grown herbal teas. We tried the Ein Gedi Oasis tea, which is a blend of fennel seed, sage, dandelion, carob and zootah. According to the video, this blend is great for anyone with stomach problems.
This tea is delicate in flavor and among our testers believed to be a good nighttime or after dinner tea giving off a sense of calming. Shalva is the Hebrew word for peace, calmness and tranquility, so it makes sense. The caffeine-free blend is pure herbs—no added flavors or colors.
Zootah is White Micromeria or white-leaved savory, an evergreen shrub endemic to Israel. The flavor profile is mint.
Other varieties available in this tea include Arava (chamomile & lavender), Elah Valley (rose & peppermint), and Jerusalem (lemongrass & hibiscus). Visit the Shalva Tea website for more information. Price for the tea starts at $24.95 for 200 grams (.44 lbs) of loose-leaf tea. One cup of tea only takes 1 teaspoon of the herbal blend, so 200 grams will last awhile.
The owner of Shalva Tea, David Ross, is Norwegian and immigrated to Israel from the United States in 2014. “Selling herbs grown here is a way to give a pure taste of Israel,” Ross said. “I started my herbal tea company at a stressful time, following a war with Gaza. It was my way of trying to calm things down a bit.” (Read more about the company and the entrepreneur on the Jewish Telegraphic Agency website: How a Norwegian-American immigrant is helping calm Israelis’ nerves.)
If you love dates, Jordan River Dates are premium. They are hand-picked and pesticide free. Beyond the products they offer, they also align with a powerful set of beliefs and values, giving back to others. “Our commitment is to offer employment opportunities for the underprivileged women in our local community. We employ females from the local community providing them with two meals & daily transportation to and from their residences.”
The Jordan River Dates facility is located 200 meters to the Eastern side of the Jordan River. “This allows the yielding of distinguished dates: unique in color, taste, and texture.”
While we tried the Medjool dates, this company also offers Barhi dates, which are typically consumed fresh. They are golden yellow and sweet.
Other products we tried on this Lev Haolam adventure include:
Granola Silan—from a company in the pastoral Golan Heights of Northern Israel. Silan is an all-natural date syrup made from 100 percent steamed and pressed dates. We couldn’t find any information that allowed us further discovery on the company behind the product.
Chocolate Coated Matzo from Yehuda Matzos, is a seventh generation Israeli company that has been baking matzos since 1921. The taste and texture are like that of sugar wafer cookies.
Cocoa Forest Milk Chocolate with Honey, from Yaara Cacao, is premium chocolate. The website is written in Hebrew, but you can explore the Facebook page for more information (in English).
Along with each month’s products, you get a 14-page Lev Haolam booklet with further information on the products along with recipes and other regional information. This helps further the understanding of everything this culture and society brings to the world.
The stories are vast, and the history of the Israeli people and their part of the world comes alive through their products. IMBHO-yes for peace, love and understanding.
