Jump into spring with the Mateh Yehuda Food Festival

A trek on the Israel National Trail toward Ein Mata is a wonderful introduction to nature after the cold winter.

By MEITAL SHARABI
The gallery of sculptor and painter Ze’ev Primor, in Tzur Hadassah. (photo credit: MEITAL SHARABI)
The gallery of sculptor and painter Ze’ev Primor, in Tzur Hadassah.
(photo credit: MEITAL SHARABI)
The delightful weather we’ve experienced these last few weekends and the gorgeous flowers covering the countryside are enough to get even hard-core couch potatoes out into nature. Literally everywhere you go lately, you’ll see the colorful signs of spring and renewal.
And once again it is time for the Mateh Yehuda Food Festival, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Just outside Jerusalem, the area’s picturesque hills are covered with cyclamen and anemones, vineyards and olive groves, and dotted by rural communities.
This is the last weekend of the festival, so if you’re interested in sampling the finest Kurdish, Moroccan, Tunisian, Indian, Cochin, Argentinean and Bulgarian cuisine in the homes of local cooks, don’t miss this opportunity.
The festival will take place in a number of moshavim and kibbutzim in the Mateh Yehuda region, each place in its own unique style. Many families will open their homes for the tasting of artisan cheeses and stews made with locally grown and picked herbs. There will be chocolate-making and petits fours workshops, and of course lots of trails to hike in between.
In my opinion, the most exciting aspect of the festival is meeting and interacting with the artisans who create these delicacies, and open up their houses and hearts to all of us visitors.
The first few moments you step into one of their homes might feel a little strange, like you’re invading their privacy, but hosts quickly make guests feel at home, regaling them with fascinating stories of their escapades.
After you’ve tasted the delicacies of the region and are satiated, it’s time to explore the hiking trails in the area.
There’s a perfect (i.e. short) 40-minute circular trail surrounded by loads of blossoms and water called Khirbet Hanut, which begins in the parking area located on an ancient road leading to Jerusalem.
Just near the beginning of the trail is a mound that in ancient times was believed to be the burial place of Goliath’s head; each time people would pass by, they would throw another stone on the pile – and as a result, the hill grew higher and higher.
There’s also a beautiful mosaic floor in Khirbet Hanut, which unfortunately has been terribly damaged over the years and has only been partly restored.
A Mameluke khan was built on top of the remains of the Byzantine church, and the mosaic its only remaining relic.
From here, you can walk along the Israel National Trail toward Ein Mata, where you’ll come across a plethora of flowering cyclamen, anemones, tulips, iris and dandelions.
When you’ve finished the hike and have built up a healthy appetite, I recommend stopping at one of the area moshavim for brunch. Since the region isn’t called the Israeli Tuscany for nothing, I also suggest going for a wine tasting. Lina Slutzkin opened Kadma Winery in Moshav Kfar Uriya five years ago with her family after working in hitech for 20 years. Kadma ferments its wines in large earthenware casks, built especially for the winery in Georgia; Slutzkin decided to make wine in the traditional Georgian method following a visit to her birthplace.
Kadma’s first harvest in 2010 brought in 20 barrels that weighed 150 kg. each.
The wine sits for four to five months in the earthenware casks, whose sides are coated with beeswax; afterwards, the wine is transferred to oak barrels where it is aged until it is ready to be bottled.
The winery currently produces about 10,000 bottles a year of Cabernet, Merlot, Shiraz, Petit Verdot and Chenin Blanc; Slutzkin also serves a heavenly brunch every Sunday morning.
During the festival, Kadma Winery will be offering interactive wine and cheese tasting tours in which participants will journey back to ancient times. Tours commence on the hour.
Wine and cheese tour: NIS 35
Brunch + wine & cheese tour: NIS 59 to NIS 79
Preregistration required: 054-919-5156
If you like home-brewed alcoholic apple cider, you should definitely stop by the Neilson family’s brewery and stock up for your picnic. Denny and Matt Neilson opened Buster’s Cider (named after their golden retriever) after making aliya from Tennessee 11 years ago. They began by distilling wine on their balcony but, unhappy with the results, decided to try out beer – and finally settled on cider.
It took the father-and-son team three years of experimenting before they came up with their two products: 67 and 48 (which refer to the amount of alcohol in the cider); they also offer an alcoholic lemonade. Enjoy some chili con carne alongside your cold cider and take a tour of the brewery, where the Neilsons will explain the alcohol-making process.
Hours: Fridays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Details: 054-638-1106
There’s more to this festival than alcohol and food. Many artists who live in the Mateh Yehuda region have opened their homes to visitors interested in viewing local art.
One such artist is Ze’ev Primor in Tzur Hadassah; a sculptor and a painter, Primor has been creating surrealist and classic artworks for over 40 years.
To register for a guided tour at Primor’s gallery at 3 Dafna Street, Tzur Hadassah: 052- 544-5340
If you’d love a taste of regional food but prefer eating in a restaurant, I recommend Abir Ha’ela in Moshav Tzafririm, run by Aram and Bat-Sheva Dekel in their courtyard.
They will be offering a fixed meat menu during the festival, but a vegetarian alternative is available; they will also be offering their special spiced chili and honey-wheat home-brewed beer.
Throughout the year, the restaurant is open on weekends. Even if you’re not in the mood for a meal, I suggest stopping off at Abir Ha’ela just to enjoy the beer.
Meal: NIS 118 per person
Reservations: 054-700-0512
Of course no day would complete without the perfect dessert, so if you’re in the mood, I recommend making a chocolate stop at “Saba’s Gallery” in Moshav Tzafririm, where Galia Levy will be selling a selection of pralines, truffles and handmade petits fours. Levy loves coming up with new flavors, and guests are welcome to try her new selections: light orchid praline, cardamom truffle and passion fruit.
Details: 052-340-4536
Location: Mateh Yehuda
Length: Day-long outing with option for overnight stay
When: March 20-21
Details: www.tour-yehuda.org.il
Translated by Hannah Hochner.


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