Country Information

Israeli eating has distinctive characteristics, especially the fondness for fresh, finely chopped salads, eaten at every meal including breakfast. In general the cuisine is a fusion of East and West, plus many dishes and flavours brought by Jewish immigrants from all over the world. Most restaurants are moderately priced. Table service is the norm, except at the many low-cost snack bars. Restaurants, bars and cafés catering for tourists usually have menus in both Hebrew and English.

Things to know: The Hebrew word kosher means conforming to Jewish religious laws. The laws include not eating milk, cream or cheese in the same meal as meat and avoiding pork and shellfish (although imitation seafood is common and may be indistinguishable from the real thing).

National specialities:
• Falafel (deep-fried balls of mashed chickpeas) in a pita bread, with hummus (ground chickpeas), tahina (sesame seed sauce) and salads.
• Salads, which include savoury vegetable dishes served cold, such as aubergines.
• Shishlik (charcoal-grilled meat on a skewer).
• Shwarma (slices of grilled meat served in a pita bread with salad).
• Ashkenazi classics like cholent (Shabbat meat stew) and gefilte fish, a white fish dish.

National drinks:
• Soft drinks (Israelis are among the world's largest consumers).
• Fresh fruit juices are very popular and widely available, made from all kinds of fruit.
• The wines of Israel range from light white to dry red and sweet rosé. The best come from the Golan and Carmel regions.
• Gold Star and Maccabe (Israeli beers).
• Sabra (chocolate and orange liqueur). A centre for liqueurs is the monastery at Latrun on the road between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Legal drinking age: 18.

Tipping: A 15% service charge is added to restaurant, café and hotel bills by law. There is no need to add any further tip.

There are nightclubs and discos in most cities. Israel's club scene, particularly Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, draws DJs and club fans from the USA and Europe. Tel Aviv has a wealth of entertainment and there are rock, jazz, folk and pop music clubs in all the main cities and resorts. Israeli folklore and dance shows can be seen everywhere, especially in the kibbutzim. Nightlife in Jerusalem is a little more muted but there are definitely a few good clubs, including the legendary Haoman 17.

Particularly prominent in Israeli life are classical music, ballet, opera and theatre, which are mainly based in Tel Aviv. The city is home to 18 of Israel's 35 performing arts centres, including the mainstream Habima Theatre (www.habima.co.il) and the contemporary Suzanne Dellal Centre (www.suzannedellal.org.il). The New Israel Opera (www.israel-opera.co.il) performs at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts centre. The Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra (www.ipo.co.il) can be heard at the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv, the Haifa Auditorium, and the ICC Center in Jerusalem.

Cinema is extremely popular in Israel and many cinemas screen three daily shows of international and local films (all Hebrew films are subtitled in English and French). Tickets and even the films themselves can be purchased from ticket agencies and sometimes from hotels.

There is a wide choice for shoppers in Israel. Contrary to a widespread belief among visitors, bargaining is not usual in Israel except in the few Arab markets. There are also very animated Jewish markets (shuks) of tremendous cultural diversity, notably the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv. The best place to buy food is at these outdoor markets; the produce is cheap and fresh.

Tourists benefit from a zero rate of VAT (a tax on transactions) on many goods and services. In addition, when buying from souvenir and specialist shops displaying a Ministry of Tourism sign, especially jewellers and luxury good stores, it is possible to obtain a refund of VAT: when making your purchase, ask for a Tax Refund Invoice; then, when leaving the country, take the invoice to the tax refund desk at the airport or port for the VAT refund.

Shopping hours: Sun-Fri 0800-1900; some shops close 1300-1600 and some early on Friday. Remember that Jewish-run stores close for Shabbat from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, while Arabic stores close Friday. It takes a while to realise that Sunday is a normal working day unlike in Christian countries. For shoppers, Jewish stores are therefore open Friday, Arab markets Saturday and both are open Sunday when Christian stores close. Shops in hotels are often open until midnight.