Identifying fish in Israel
Its easy to learn the Hebrew for most foodstuffs - chicken is עוף, ginger is זנגביל, and pumpkin is דלעת, for instance - but when it come to fish there is much confusion out there. Cod can be described in fishmongers or restaurants as קוד (phonetically: "cod"), זאב ים ("ze'ev yam:" sea wolf), בקלה ("bacala"), שיבוט ("shivut") or מרלוזה ("merluza"). The thing is, any of those names can also be used for hake, yet cod and hake aren't even the same genus, never mind species! Add to that the fact that even the English common names vary, and that certain names are used for more than one species or even unrelated fish, so that there are certain fish called bass which are not true bass, and similarly with soles.
So, with a lot of research online in Hebrew and English, I have decided that the only real way to be sure what you are buying is via the scientific name which, handily, is printed on frozen fish packets even if it isn't available in fishmongers or restaurants. In those situations you'll need to use a combination of educated guesswork and a useful list of equivalents. here's one I made earlier!
So, with a lot of research online in Hebrew and English, I have decided that the only real way to be sure what you are buying is via the scientific name which, handily, is printed on frozen fish packets even if it isn't available in fishmongers or restaurants. In those situations you'll need to use a combination of educated guesswork and a useful list of equivalents. here's one I made earlier!