Cynthia H. Roberts
Tzenna (meaning austerity) is the word for food in Israel. Israel cooking really had its origin in 1948 when Israel came into existence. People of at least eighty nationalities have come together to form the population of Israel, each bringing their recipes and traditions from the lands they left.
Israeli cooking is lumped into three categories: European, Oriental (which covers non-European dishes: Arabic, North America, African, Indian, and the far East), and original dishes. Due to modern techniques, Israeli farmers have increased sixfold in the past two decades. Israel is the third largest exporter of avocados (after California and South Africa). They raise guava, citrus fruits, mangos, vegetables, dates, rice and honey.