The selection at Beit Lechem includes a wide variety of fresh and aged cheese...goat yogurts in assorted flavors, premium Dutch butter, homemade jams and more... Yonatan Sternberg visits Baka's kosher delicatessen.
Situated on the main street of Jerusalem's Baka' neighborhood, Beit Lechem (Hebrew for “house of bread”) opened about a year and a half ago as a small kosher one-stop-shop dairy delicatessen with a warm and homey feel. If you have some spare time, take a walk around the neighborhood and check out the very impressive old Arab buildings from the end of the 19th century. Tall ceilings and impressive arches; the expression rings true that they definitely do not build them like they used to!
Back to the delicatessen, Sigal and Uri Ochayun opened Beit Lechem. They initially traveled across the country for four months, meeting with boutique producers and importers of quality foodstuffs, in order to handpick and create a wide portfolio of products.
At Beit Lechem they strive to provide a unique, fresh and diverse range of products. The selection at Beit Lechem includes a wide variety of fresh and aged cheeses, mostly goat and sheep cheese from a variety of Israeli dairies, as well as couple of premium-imported cheeses. You can also find goat yogurts in assorted flavors, premium Dutch butter, homemade jams, marmalades and preserves, various types of sauces and marinades, boutique Israeli wines and even a boutique beer produced by the Negev Brewery, pickles and olives from the north, olive oils, chocolate bars and pralines and a large selection of breads spanning over sixteen different flavors - French, rye, sourdough, walnut, whole wheat, olive bread, sundried tomatoes, pecan blueberry bread and more.
Beit Lechem also offers handmade decorative ceramic tiles and wooden butcher blocks. If you are looking for a stylish housewarming gift or a gift for a holiday host, you can pick up one of these blocks, place a few chunks of cheese atop and select a bottle of wine.
On Fridays Beit Lechem brings in various types of cakes and cookies, fresh pastries and homemade traditional challah bread that, according to Sigal, brings back delightful childhood memories.
Enjoy!
