Visiting Israel is a unique and exciting experience, but navigating the local meat section can be daunting for those unfamiliar with the country’s labeling system. Unlike other places that use familiar names like “ribeye” or “chicken breast,” Israeli meats are labeled by numbers, making it hard to know what to look for. But fear not, we’re here to help! Here’s a guide to understanding Israeli meat cuts and help you pick the perfect one for your next culinary journey.
- #1 Entrecote, Steak Ayin, Vered Hatzela steaks and roast beef, suitable for roasting and grilling. U.S.-rib, rib eye, delmonico U.K.- forerib.
- #2 Rifaan, Tzlaot suitable for slow-roasting, e.g. pot roast, goulash and braising. U.S. and U.K.-chuck or blade
- #3 Brust, Chazeh the favorite cut for salt/corned beef Cheap, lean and delicious after being roasted in a slow oven for a few hours U.S and U.K -brisket or front poitrine.
- #4 Katef, Katef Mercazi pot roast and braising U.S. and U.K.-rib or back rib, some say shoulder
- #5 Tzli, Tzli Katef pot roast, cooking in sauce, slow roasting sliced for minute steak (blade) have the butcher “devein” it for 2 beautiful pieces for your flank steak and London Broil recipes
- #6 Falshe, Fillet Medumeh braising, pot roast, cooking in sauce, slow roasting Chuck Calachel
- #7 Polo, Shrir Hazroa, Shrir for goulash, soup, cholent; with a bone -osso bucco Top rib
- #8- Shoulder Calachel , Shrir Hazroa for goulash, soup, cholent with a bone – osso bucco.
- #9-Shpundra, Kashtit cholent, goulash and soup; with a bone – assado and spare ribs aka: short plate, flank, flanken (boneless) (Short ribs that are cut across the rib bones are known as flanken)
- #10 Tzavar soup and grinding
- #11 Sinta, Moten Roast beef and steaks suitable for roasting and grilling from along the spine, around the waist U.S. and U.K.-sirloin or porterhouse
- #12 Fillet Steaks and carpaccio suitable for roasting and grilling
- #13 Shaitel, Kanaf Haoketz shnitzel, steak, skewering and oven roasting. suitable for roasting and grilling. U.S. -round, U.K. – rump
- #14 Katchke, Ozit Braising, goulash, pot roast and grinding.
- #15 Chuck, Yarcha Braising #16 Kaf Braising, steak, shnitzel and roast.
- #17 Plada, Kislayim Rolada, goulash and grinding
- #18 Poli, Shrir Achori goulash, soup and cholent
- #19 Weisbraten, Rosh Yarcha Braising