Adeena Sussman Image by Courtesy of Adeena Sussman

In the U.S. it’s fairly easy to think you know all there is to know about Israeli cuisine. It’s all about hummus and falafel, right? With “Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors from My Israeli Kitchen,” Adeena Sussman, 48, became the latest in a line of cookbook authors — think Yotam Ottolenghi and Michael Solomonov — to lovingly dismantle that misconception. Labneh topped with sumac sounds normal; add caramelized pineapple, as Sussman does, and it becomes something infinitely more surprising and enrapturing. Ditto for a caramel tart flavored with tahini, or a spin on a Negroni in which the cocktail’s classic Campari is replaced with pomegranate juice. American-born and living in Tel Aviv, Sussman’s humble approach to fresh ingredients, deep sensitivity to the flavors of her adopted homeland and careful recipe testing yielded a book rife with the unexpected. The cooking (and eating) public was richer for it.

Adeena Sussman

Breakfast: I do coffee or iced coffee (the cold brew from Sababa, infused with cardamom and cinnamon, is pretty killer) and then I “make” my own half and half here in Tel Aviv since Israel doesn’t sell it — I literally combine half milk and half cream and store it in my fridge in a little corked bottle.

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What’s the last thing you listened to on your phone? A mix of classic 90s hip hop and “The Daily” podcast.

Earliest Jewish memory? Our Orthodox synagogue in Palo Alto, Calif., famously met in the lobby of a bank that was closed on Saturdays. My friends and I used to raid the bank’s coffee closet and eat the C&H sugar cubes right out of the box.

Heroes: Barack Obama, for bravery and for all I am sure he endured silently throughout his presidency. My husband, Jay Shofet, for never wavering from his political instincts or principles; Ruth Reichl, for effortlessly blending feelings and food.

2019 memory: Receiving my Israeli passport (I made aliyah in late 2018); seeing three of my recipes featured in The New York Times.

What is your favorite thing about being Jewish? The food (duh). In its best form. The focus on tikkun olam and community.

What app can you not live without? Instagram, Spotify, Waze.

Weekend ritual: Swimming laps at Tel Aviv’s Gordon Pool, an open-air, saltwater, Olympic-sized pool.

Read more

A Forward article about “Sababa.”

A 2018 interview with the Forward.

A New York Times article about Sussman’s recipe for amba (pickled mango).

Follow Adeena Sussman on Twitter @AdeenaSussman

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