By the time I made aliyah, the selection of food products available locally was very comprehensive, and today there are just a couple of hard-to-find items that I request from visiting family and friends.

 I know this wasn't always the case, however, and students regularly tell me of the days when everyday ingredients like basmati rice, Parmesan and fresh herbs were awarded gourmet status, while 'exotic' products like pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and Thai curry pastes were unheard of.

 Yes, Israel's culinary scene has certainly come a long way, and today I'm the one cramming local products into my travel bags to schlep back to distant foodie friends.

 Pomegranate syrup, for example, is likened to liquid gold in some countries, yet it's available on every supermarket shelf in Israel and adds a distinctive tang to salad dressings, dips and chicken dishes.

Prettily pink sumac is another typically Mediterranean spice that enhances vegetables with its lemony flavor, and it's the addition of sumac that turns the sliced onions served in shwarma and falafel salad bars their attractive, cerise color.  

Of course, a list of 'Only In Israel' ingredients wouldn't be complete without mentioning Middle Eastern za'tar.

This under-utilized spice doesn't only belong atop freshly baked bagels, but is also superb when used in conjunction with lemon and olive oil as a marinade for chicken and lamb, and also adds interest to white cheeses.

All of these flavorful ingredients have a place in my kitchen and in my cooking, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be silan date honey. A sweet, thick syrup made entirely from dried dates, it is similar to honey but is darker in color with a pronounced caramel taste. Apart from tasting that much more exciting than regular honey, silan is also extremely economical, and this all-natural ingredient can be substituted in any recipe calling for honey, caramel, molasses or syrup.

Typical to Israel, historians believe that the "honey" in the "Land of Milk & Honey" actually refers to silan.

Here I've combined silan with the pureed date spread used in baking - another unique, local ingredient - to produce a salad with a dressing that tastes so good that you'll want to slurp it up with a spoon!

Celebrate summer cheese & date salad with silan dressing

250 g soft cream cheese or soft goat's cheese
3 – 4 tablespoons date spread
Large bag baby lettuce leaves
1/2 cup cranberries
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
Toasted, natural almonds to garnish

DRESSING

 5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon silan date honey
1/2 tablespoon date spread

2 tablespoons thick tahini paste
3 tablespoons chopped, natural almonds 

1: Combine dressing ingredients and thin with 3 to 4 tablespoons of water to make a smooth dressing.
2: Combine leaves, cranberries and red onions on a flat platter.
3: Mix cheese with date spread to make a firm paste.
4: Roll cheese into balls and then coat with chopped almonds - or simply drop spoonfuls of cheese mixture onto salad leaves - then pour over dressing and top with almonds.
 COOK'S NOTES: I personally love goat's cheese but if you don't, then substitute with a plain cream cheese. The tahini paste referred to here is the natural, thick paste on supermarket shelves and not ready-made tahini in the refrigerators. Date spread is sold in a plastic tub with the baking goods and sometimes has chopped nuts added, which is even better. This dressing is incredible with a chicken salad too. Use strips of ready roasted chicken for convenience and top with fried Chinese rice noodles – fry threadlike white  in hot sunflower oil where they instantly puff up  -  for crunch!

Delicious! culinary and decor workshops are held in a kosher kitchen in Hod Hasharon. Write to me at delicious.newsletter@gmail.com to sign up for my weekly newsletter with FREE recipes, shopping hints and course details. You can also find out more about Delicious! - and access previous newsletter recipes - by visiting my site at www.deliciouskitchen.weebly.com