Bagel of Jerusalem

A Remarkable Taste

Jerusalem is famous for its sesame bagel that according to many, cannot be copied or imitated. Some believe that the secret lies in the special recipe that is used by the Jerusalemite bakers; others think that the water of Jerusalem makes all the difference, while some think that the taste is merely a psychological matter.^[1] Regardless of the reason behind the remarkable taste, thousands of tourists and visitors from other Palestinian cities aim to buy the Jerusalemite bagel once in the city.^[2]

The bagel of Jerusalem narrates the story of a people with a long history of civilization and heritage. It is basically rounded or oval shaped bread covered with sesame and baked in a firewood oven.^[3] While the bakers of Jerusalem assure that the bagel is made of traditional ingredients such as flour, water, sugar, sesame, and a chemical l called Chifaro used to enhance the dough, they point to the firewood ovens as the secret of the recipe.^[4]

As the bagel work started from the Old City of Jerusalem, the area has ovens that date back to several hundred years and mainly work on olive or lemon wood, which give the bread a special taste that cannot be provided by the electric ovens.^[5]

The secret is also connected to the precise standards and skilled formation of the dough. Up until the late 80s of the past century, the bagel was completely rounded, similar to the Turkish bagel. Later, however, the people of Jerusalem came up with the oval shape that saves time and allows the bagel to cook faster.^[6]

Israeli Restrictions

Due to the heavy presence of people in the Old City, the bagel has a good market in the month of Ramadan and on Fridays. It can be found on gigs in the Gate of Sahirah and Damascus Gate. It is considered a good meal as it is appeased and cheap.^[7]

However, the arbitrary policy of the Israeli occupation in Jerusalem that aims mainly to put more restrictions on the Palestinians there led to closing many ovens. only a sum of 20 ovens distributed in the old city quarters are left.^[8]

Bagel is subject to confiscation under the pretext that gigs are not licensed from the government to sell in the area and that the bagel itself does not follow the recipe of the Jewish fowl. The wall of apartheid on the other hand affects the bagel market negatively; along with the blockades, the movement of buyers and product distribution is highly blocked.^[9] After the sale exceeded the 1500 bagel per day, it does not exceed the 800 units now.^[10]