Pundits may claim that, technically, Israel has no truly native cuisine, no foods that were invented in and exclusive to Israel itself. But as usual, pundits are wrong. It's a good question for philosophers whether fusions like schnitzel in pita with hummus and Arab salad represents an entirely new food, but for those not convinced by that, there's sabich.

Invented by Iraqi Jewish immigrants in the town of Ramat Gan, sabich quickly spread all over the country. The idea is simple enough: take a pita, spread it with hummus, and stuff it with cucumbers, tomatoes, optional pickles and cabbage, fried eggplant slices, and slices of hardboiled egg, then top it all off with techina, amba (spicy/sweet mango sauce), charif (hot sauce) and additional hummus.

It may sound like a bit of a train wreck of flavors – and make no mistake, it is – but it's absolutely delicious.

The best place in Jerusalem for sabich is the appropriately named Hasabichiya, where the genial owner slowly and carefully makes you the perfect sabich with a smile. The lines snaking out from the ordering window are testament to his success.