What’s Eaten Where: Tel Aviv: Cyprus’ closest billionaire community

Not one place in Cyprus makes it onto the list of the world’s 100 wealthiest cities.

The April 2023 report from citizenship investment consultants Henley & Partners lists several places in the region with more than their fair share of millionaires and billionaires, but the majority of cities are far distant: New York clocks in at number 1, with 345,600 millionaires and 59 billionaires; number 2 is Tokyo,; and number 3 is California’s Bay Area. London gets a look-in at number 4.

Locally, Athens is number 43, and Cairo 69. But it’s Tel Aviv, which ranks 30^th on the list of cities with high net worth individuals, that’s geographically closest to Cyprus…

Just 300km away, Tel Aviv is the economic and technological centre of Israel. In late 2021, it was also named the world’s most expensive city, thanks to soaring inflation and supply-chain problems: property prices are rocketing, and many goods have increased in cost by more than 10 per cent!

Fortunately, you can still get a good meal on the cheap if you know where to go. And, given that the local cuisine is a fusion of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern with a distinct Asian and African influence, the menu will be fairly familiar!

The main ingredients are instantly recognisable. Staples include chickpeas, lentils, fava beans, and bulgar wheat. There’s olives, goat cheese and honey. Oodles of tomatoes, aubergines, lemons, clementines, pomegranate and figs. And lots of familiar herbs and spices, such as oregano, sage, fennel, thyme, basil, bay, cumin, saffron and the delectable zaatar.

Speaking of which, you’ll find the local shwarma more highly spiced than our own gyros. Although served in the same way (with hummus or tahini, and served in a toasted pita with a side of fries and pickles), the Tel Aviv version is usually seasoned with the spiciest C’s: cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, cumin, clove and cayenne.

The local falafel (made from chickpeas or fava beans) is another flavoursome concoction, and usually includes quite a bit more garlic than we’re used to. Again, falafel often appear in pita bread stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, and tahini. And, as Israel’s unofficial national dish, it’s found everywhere in the city; a cheap and cheerful street snack that won’t break the bank!

Less familiar is shakshuka, a popular breakfast dish that has its roots firmly in the Middle East. Consisting of simmered tomatoes, onions, garlic, spices, and lightly poached eggs, this one-pan dish can be tailored to taste – you might find anything from sprouts to spinach, squash to feta in your meal, depending on the season.