A Quick Shumar Update

So here is an update on our first attempt to 'make' (Hashem made it, we just cut it up & spice it) shumar, better known to Americans as fennel.  Eh.

My D.H. cut it up, put a little lemon juice on it and sprinkled, er, poured on some salt.  Too loose much, Lautrec (bad joke).  It was too salty.  But he said something interesting. Aside from the excess salt, the actual vegetable did not have the same flavor as the ones in Israel.  It had much less flavor.  I find the same thing happens with other vegetables, and fruit, too: here in the States, tomatoes taste a little like...cardboard, with just a hint of the juicy sweetness they should have. Same with cucumbers, peppers, and oranges and clementinas (clementines, to you).  Fruit and vegies are much fresher in Israel, perhaps partly because they don't have to be shipped to kingdom-come from the ends of the earth, one drawback to being in a BIG country.  My daughter agrees: FACT: food, especially fruit and vegetables, are tastier in Israel than here in the States.




But as far as fennel goes, we're gonna give it another try.  Only difference is, next time I prepare the shumar.  And I think I'll add some black pepper...

Comments

Anonymous said…
NO PEPPER !!!
8:49 AM
Lady-Light said…
I heard, from my daughter, actually--that a little, teeny bit of ground black pepper adds flavor. Any comments?
1:55 PM
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