It’s Christmas time, a time when we celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus! It’s also a time when every radio station is playing jingly music about Santa, and every store has something bright and shiny to sell.

A few years ago, I found myself struggling to find the Nativity Story buried underneath all the red felt and glitzy wrapping paper. After all, Jesus was born in Bethlehem – a Palestinian city in modern day Israel – under the humblest of circumstances. His bed was a pile of hay surrounded by farm animals. And Mary and Joseph did not eat a feast of turkey with all the trimmings or hot chocolate with frosted sugar cookies.

It got me thinking: What DID Mary and Joseph eat on the long journey to give birth to the baby Jesus?

To learn more about Israeli food, we watched a short video on farming in the Arava Desert. More than 60% of Israel is desert, so learning new and innovative agricultural techniques has been an important part of Israel’s development. Fruits that can be dried are also a big part of their diet.

Then we learned 10 Amazing Facts About the Dead Sea by watching another short video. The kids got a kick out of seeing tourist slather themselves with mud from head to toe!

“Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – Jesus Christ

Bible verse John 14:27

Even when it’s not Christmas, it’s difficult to discuss Israel without mentioning religion, because it forms such a huge part of their national identity. Israel is predominantly Jewish at approximately 74% of the population. (Jesus was a Jew, after all.) Muslim is Israel’s next largest religion at roughly 21%, while Christians form about 2% of the population.

Temple Mount is a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem that has been revered as a holy site in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam for thousands of years. It’s the holiest monument to Jews, and the direction they turn to during prayer. Many Jews slip written prayers into the Western Wall, one of the retaining walls of the plaza. Within the plaza is a site claimed by Jews to be the First Temple of King Solomon. The plaza on Temple Mount is also the site of the al-Aqsa Mosque, the second oldest mosque in Islam.

With a better understanding of what people eat in Israel, we started a new Christmas tradition where we eat what Mary and Joseph would’ve eaten on their way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It’s been a fun way to get into the spirit of the Nativity Story without scrapping our other holiday traditions.

Drinks and Nibbles

While they undoubtedly drank wine, we gave the kids mint tea, which they loved.

Our appetizer was a platter of Medjool dates, green and black olives, dried apricots, herbed Feta cheese, and “everything” bagel chips with garlic hummus. Delicious!

Main Course

The main course was lamb shawarma, one of Israel’s national street foods. I served it with homemade tzatziki sauce, which was super easy and fresh. (Full disclosure: Jews who only eat Kosher foods would not put this on their shawarma, because they’re not supposed to mix dairy with meat.)

The side dish was mujadara, a caramelized onion and rice dish. I’ve included the recipe below in case you’re interested.

Dessert

For dessert, I made rugelach, our favorite cookie from Israel. I learned how to make it in college and was delighted that I actually knew an Israeli recipe! It may not have frosting or sprinkles, but it’s still festive and my kids love it.

I made two kinds: fig with pecans, and raspberry with chocolate. Yum!

Recipe: Mujadara

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup basmati or Persian rice

2 TBSP olive oil

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 cup green or brown lentils

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 tsp salt

2 TBSP olive oil

3 large onions, sliced

1 tsp sugar Fresh parsley

TOOLS:

Measuring cup

Bowl

Colander

Measuring spoons

Heavy pot with lid

Cutting board and knife

Skillet

PROCESS:

Rinse the rice in a bowl, stirring it and draining it until the water is less milky.

Pour olive oil in a heavy pot and add your spices. Stir over Med-High heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the washed rice and stir it until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add the lentils, turmeric, and chicken stock. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook it until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Taste it, and add more water if the rice is not tender.

Meanwhile, caramelize your onions. In a heavy skillet, add olive oil and onions over Med-High heat. Stir occasionally for about 7 minutes. Then add the sugar and continue cooking until they’re a caramel color.

When the rice is ready, add the caramelized onions. Top with chopped parsley.

I hope you enjoyed this post on teaching kids about Israel! Check back here – or check out my YouTube channel, World Geography Wednesday – for more ideas on teaching geography to kids through delicious international recipes. Hope to see you next week!