Shakshuka diplomacy in China

Peleg Lewi, Israeli Consul General in Guangzhou – one of China’s three largest cities – recently appeared on the Guangdong television station, where he participated in a program on food, culture and Israeli tourism.

Vivian, the program’s host, presented Lewi with the traditional Chinese gift of eggs that are eaten during Lixia, the beginning of the Chinese summer season. In turn, Lewi prepared shakshuka, the popular Israeli dish made from poached eggs in a sauce of tomatoes, pepper, onion, garlic and olive oil, and served it with Israeli wine.  Shakshuka is said to have originated in Tunisia or Morocco, and the dish was brought to Israel by immigrants from Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Libya.

Lewi shared the Jewish cultural heritage behind this delicacy and recounted Sino-Israeli stories from the past and present. The Chinese word “Li” means beginning. In this early summer, the program expressed the friendly spirit of relations between Israel and China, in this, the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.