Dairy Products at Mahane Yehuda Market, Jerusalem, Israel
I think this one speaks for itself. The fresh dairy products in Israel are outstanding. In this picture, at a tiny dairy stall in the Mahane Yehuda market (the Jewish shouk), you can see yogurt, labneh (yogurt cheese, foreground with the basket texture), feta, and several flavored cheeses including zatar spice and olive. There is also often fresh mozzarella style cheeses but they are too rubbery, I don’t think the knowledge or preference has come over from Italy yet. The flavor of the yogurt is smooth and deep, without the sharp edges of most unsweetened American varieties.
(Alternate transliterated spellings for the market include Machane, Mahaneh, Machane, and Yehudah).
delicious!
Israel also produces a Buffalo yogourt and some very fine goat cheeses. If you are in the Mahane Yehuda market, there are a few very fine cheese shops. For the largest and most incredible selection of imported cheeses, check out Basher on Etz Hayyim Street corner of HaAgas. To help you find places in the shuq, check out my map of Mahane Yehuda at http://israeltours.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/mahane-yehuda-the-market/
Shmuel