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Spring (yes, it's already here) signals the opening of the outdoor barbecue grilling season which reaches its peak on the Independance Day (also named, jokingly, National Mangal Day - 'mangal' being the hebrew word for both the griller and the grilling event itself ).
On weekends and holidays, the picnic spots of beaches, parks and forests become crowded, as mangal is a very popular leisure activity among israelis. Most homes are equipped with the essentials for a successfull outdoor mangal 'adventure': portable grill device , charcoal, skewers, and other accessories.
adding charcoal
The grilling procedure is called Al- Haesh (literally meaning On the fire); the Esh (the fire) being provided by either charcoal or gas.
The goodies that usually accompany the grilled stuff on the set table are: salads, fresh pita bread pockets, dips (tahine, hummus), unless it's during the intermediate days of Passover when we have 'matza' instead of bread , and other specific dips - instead of, or in addition to tahine and hummus.
the cats searching the grass for treats
Vegans also have Al -Haesh. Instead of meat they place on the grill: tofu, veggies, eggplants, potatoes, mushrooms, fruit, and corn. This is best done by using skewers. The result is delicious.
web picture ; veggies on skewers
Mmmmm, beautiful! In like it!
ReplyDeleteNo Duta, i,m not in the front of suvenirs. Is a turist...
Many regards
Hi, Magda
DeleteGlad to hear from you. I greatly enjoy your pictures from Romania in your last posts.
Thanks for the comment.
We have word mangal in our language too, but for small portable fireburners, like the ones knights would use to heat themselves on top of towers etc...
ReplyDeleteCats are such great grass searchers...
I don't do grill ,personally, as everything smoked is cancerous, but I wouldn't mind a grilled shroom or tofu!
I'm not surprised you've got the word 'mangal' in your language, as barbecue is popular not only in the Middle East but also in the Balkan countries.
DeleteYes, it is believed that grilled meat is not so healthy. But, oh ..it's so delicious and irresistible!
As for vegan grill, I wonder about smoke and vegan ideology of planet cleanup.
I originally thought it was a Turkish word since it sounds like it and we had tons of their words in our language previously.
DeleteBalkan countries actually consider grilled meat their national food. Serbia proper eats just that, burgers (that we call pljeskavice), kebabs (that we call raznjici), and especially cevapcici (finger sized grilled minced meat). Us up in Vojvodina mostly eat more Central European food, lots of paprikashes and stews and pasta too (with fried cabbage or with potatoes and onions for example). Grilled food came to Serbia, I think, with Turkish occupation which lasted for 500 extremely blood years. Before that, back in the middle ages our food was very healthy based on veggies, whole meal flour, honey, nuts etc. something that would be a huge hit among tourists today as it is very healthy. I'd call it the monastery food.
Thanks for the interesting update. When I was in Belgrade I had a portion of 'cevap', and I quite liked it; big portion and not expensive.It was in a central place, across the McDonalds, and yet people stood in line.
DeleteHello Duta,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see the barbecue (that's the word we use for both the griller and the grilling event, here in Australia)/mangal. It is compact and yet a lot of meat can be cooked on it at once.
Here, people can pay huge amounts of money for their cookers which have ovens attached for roasting whole cuts of meat.
I enjoy the smell of barbecue but understand when you say your reasons for not attending them anymore, we have those dreaded mosquitoes in summer too. Cheers and thank you for your interesting post :D)
There's a great variety of barbecue/grilling devices on the market - from the most simple, as in the above pictures, to the most sophisticated and expensive.
DeleteThe compact ones can do quite a good job.No need to invest a lot of money in the outdoor adventure.
Looks delicious, here comes warm weather to enjoy!
ReplyDeleteIt tastes delicious too. All kinds of meat and veggies do well on the grates, provided they've been adequately sesoned and marinated prior to the "flame kiss".
DeleteBarbecues are very popular here in Australia, of course.
ReplyDeleteOur Queensland temperatures, in the most part, spring, summer, autumn and winter are conducive to barbecues...although here on the mountain thsse past couple of days and nights we've been receiving some welcome rainfalls because of storms...
I must admit I've not used my gas barbecue in a long, long time...it's next port of call will be the local dump...all part of my de-cluttering, lightening my load.
I can well imagine the popularity in Australia which has not only the right weather but also the finest of meats.
DeleteThere's some difference between barbecue and grilling, but I don't exactly know what it is.
Good Luck with decluttering!
I love barbcue too ! Unfortunately I have the only husband in the world who doesn't like to do the barbecue and pretends I would do it better ! He cooks, but not barbecues. Maybe for this reason our son is a barcue fan and does the bests ! I am also happy that spring approaches although our weather is awful but warmer !
ReplyDeleteThat sounds ok. If not the husband, then the son, or the neighbor.
DeleteIt's usual the men that are in charge of the barbecue; no gender equality yet in this domain:)
The veggie one looks delicious. It's finally getting warmer here too after the coldest wettest winter I remember since moving here.
ReplyDeleteBarbecue isn't just meant for meat eaters. There are some very delicious veggie dishes: grilled eggplant, cauliflower steak,veggie kebabs on skewers, barbecue tofu, etc..
DeleteGlad to know your weather is turning warmer.People are fed up with cold and wetness.
We do our fair share of bbqing here too. But I like to do it in the Spring or Winter since it's so hot here in the Summer.
ReplyDeleteSummers are very hot and humid here, and yet people do barbecue even in summer. Spring, however, remains the favorite season for the grilled delicacies.
DeleteYour post and your pics, are making me long for spring. Where I live, our snow is still melting, though it will be gone soon. Looking forward to outdoor grilling...where I live, bratwurst is a favorite for grilling. We do hamburgers, and kabobs, as well. Your food looks yummy!!
ReplyDeleteYour comment reminds me that I was not sure whether to publish the post that mentions Spring, as I know in many countries there's still cold and snow, and it would seem a bit tactless.
DeleteWell, I hope Spring is on its way to your place and with it some yummy outdoor grilling.
I love grilling! I do it, weather permitting, almost every night. Spring is moving it's way in slowly here, but once it arrives, the air will be filled with the smells of grilling. I can't wait.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoy grilling.
DeleteSpring brings with it wonderful smells of flowers, and also... of grilling.
It's indeed moving slowly, but steadily.
The food in Israel all sounds so good to me!
ReplyDeleteI like the picture of the person having it with Matzah. Reminder of the coming feast days. Will you do something for Purim this week? Coming up tomorrow, Happy Purim and spring days!
I kind of like it myself; the triangle of the happy guy, the skewers, and the matzah looks rather funny to me.
DeleteAs for Purim, I used to go and watch the big town parade, but no more. It's too exhausting for me.
Happy Purim and Spring to you too!
Hi Duta, also saw the news from a few days ago about the rockets fired into center Israel. Thinking of you and hope you are ok, Prayers for Israel, and for your safety and Shalom! ♡
ReplyDeleteI'm OK, Thank God. We're, sadly, in a war zone and always expecting bad things to happen. We cannot, and do not want to get used to it, though.
DeleteThank you for the prayers. Shalom, shalom!
Praise God!
DeleteShalom, shalom!
Shalom be upon Israel! Psalms 125
What a wonderful outdoor feast. Making me want summer to come faster. I like how you explained the words and meanings too. We also barbeque with skewers. Take care.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words. Wishing you a swift arrival of the warm weather in Canada. You've had enough snow, ice ,cold. Now, it's time for some outdoor barbecue.
DeleteI can hardly wait for summer and the grilling season! It's still too cold here in Chicago area to grill. That looks like quite a good spread at the barbecue. The veggies look delicious and the cats look great too, they will surely find something good in their searching! take care
ReplyDeleteJudging by your posts on cooking, I'm sure your grilling is of the highest quality and delicacy!
DeleteHope summer is on the way to Chicago, and will reach you soon, Pam.
I am ready for spring too. The trees are blooming now and while the tempatures are not yet there I am ready to BBQ too. Now it just needs to arrive. Our old one broke.
ReplyDeleteGood for you and your family! No problem to replace a mangal. There's such a variety on the market,that one gets confused! If only you get the right weather and mood soon!
DeleteIt all looks so delicious! I agree with you about the mosquitoes and smoke. We like to grill outside, then eat out food inside without the bugs!
ReplyDeleteMosquitoes and ants, waste no time. The moment they feel a little warmer they immediately make their appearance.
DeleteGood idea to do the grilling outside and the eating inside!
This post reminded me of when we did grill outdoors in warmer weather. We no longer can do so now that we live in an apt with no common outdoor areas.Even if any where available, barbecuing would not be an allowed use. We do, however, have a small propane grill, which we may take to a local park once the weather is warm enough, but not now.
ReplyDeleteI envy the law and order in your area. I live in the Middle-East where people hardly obey any law. Allowed or not, barbecuing is sometimes being done in common outdoor spots of apartement buildings.
DeleteI had to smile at the cats looking for treats. Some things are the same the world over! :)
ReplyDeleteRight; cats searching the grass -it's the same all over the world, and their cute search puts a smile on one's face. Smiling is good. Laughter is even better, so they say.
DeleteVery interesting I love grilled meat and the vegan option looks delicious as well. Nice to learn more about your culture Duta and great that spring is starting soon
ReplyDeleteBoth opions on the grill, meat and vegan, are delicious if prepared properly and with fresh,quality products. Barbecue is popular in many cultures around the world, and it's not without good reason.
DeleteThis is a lovely tradition! I cannot do crowds, but I hear you about the smoke and such.
ReplyDeleteThe tradition is indeed a nice one, but as I advance in age I become more sensitive to smoke and smells. We have to pay attention to our body's reactions if we don't wish to get health issues.
DeleteThere is nothing like cooking on a grill to make food taste its very best, I think. I love just about anything done that way, meat or veggies. Now I'm hungry!
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming over today. I'm far behind on commenting and reading blogs but doing my best to catch up.
Agreed. Once one gets to know the preparation steps, it all becomes simple and uncomplicated. The result is tasty and loved by most people.
DeleteBarbeques can be such fun, and there are so many great foods you can enjoy at them. We have meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans in our wider circle of family and friends so I do try to cater for all tastes. I think BBQ's can be so relaxed and full of enjoyment … I like them.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Indeed, all types of eaters (meateaters, vegetarians, vegans)can enjoy BBQ. Any food item done on the mangal is delicious; a delight to the senses.
Delete