Years ago, I went to Israel to meet social media chef Adeena Sussman.

I got her book, "Sababa," a collection of "fresh, sunny flavours" from her kitchen. The 368-page book explores the several Israeli recipes that Adeena has had throughout her life. One of my favourite recipes in the book is the Dates and Silan.

The Torah mentions dates as one of the original seven species grown in the Land of Israel but disappeared from the land for centuries.  Dates returned to due to Ben-Zion Israeli, a Second Aliyah immigrant, agriculture pioneer settler in Eretz Israel, and founder of Kibbutz Kinneret. He travelled to Egypt, Iraq, Kurdistan, and Persia to revive the palm-growing in Israel. By 1948, he had smuggled and planted date palms across his farm.

Silan is a syrup made by boiling Medjool dates with water. The thick, mushy pulp is then strained to yield a liquid that tastes like honey.

I've tried it, and it has an incredible taste! But isn't that like all Israeli cuisine? The remarkable diversity within the food culture makes Israeli cuisine so wonderful. You can have gefilte fish and hummus together on a dinner table (a combination I wouldn't recommend), but that is how complex and diverse it is. Indeed, many would want to disparage Israel even for its food culture, but that is absurd. Israeli cuisine draws from ancient Jewish culinary traditions that have evolved over centuries. Many of these traditions are rooted in religious practices and the agricultural cycles of the region.

Located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, Israel has absorbed culinary influences from the Middle East and Mediterranean regions. Ingredients like olive oil, fresh vegetables, legumes, and herbs are staples in Israeli cooking. Each wave of immigration has added new layers to Israeli cuisine.

For example, Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe introduced dishes like gefilte fish and borscht. At the same time, Sephardic Jews from Spain and Portugal brought rich, spiced dishes such as shakshuka and bourekas, not to mention the Mizrachi and Ethiopian Jewish food cultures that have grown to become beloved.

However, Israeli cuisine shares many similarities with Palestinian cuisine, including hummus, falafel, tabbouleh, and maqluba. These shared culinary traditions highlight the deep cultural connections in the region. Mizrachi Jews introduced many of these foods into Israeli food culture, foods that they grew up with, whether in Iraq, Iran, Syria, or North Africa. They were the only thing most had after being expelled due to antisemitism.

Yet one thing that makes Israeli cuisine stand out is the culinary innovations; Israeli chefs are known for their creativity and willingness to experiment. It has led to fusion cuisine, combining traditional Israeli dishes with elements from other culinary traditions. Examples include sushi with Middle Eastern ingredients or shakshuka-inspired pizzas. That translates into Israeli street food reflects the country's culinary heritage and innovation; popular street foods like sabich (a sandwich with fried eggplant and hard-boiled eggs) was an innovation brought to Israel by Sabih Tzvi Halabi, an Iraqi Jew who made aliyah and opened a restaurant serving it.

My own experiences with Jewish/Israeli food and food history make me want others not just to enjoy eating it but to learn about it and understand that Israeli/Jewish cuisine isn't "stolen." The Jewish diaspora took dishes they eat daily and made them a little bit more Jewish, kosher in many ways, or rebirthed a food culture connected to the Land of Israel. I am so glad that ADRABA has a Chosen Foods course that helps our students examine our mutual food diversity and where this particular Jewish food comes from.