War over a pita: Israeli restaurant in NYC faces backlash over arayes burger

Arutz Sheva ^ | 17/9/26

[Eleutheria5]

An Israeli-owned restaurant in New York City has found itself at the center of an online controversy after adding arayes to its menu, prompting accusations from pro-Palestinian activists that it was appropriating Arab and Palestinian cuisine.

Shifka, a Mediterranean pita restaurant located at 324 Bowery in Manhattan, recently added an “Arayes Burger" to its menu, consisting of beef, caramelized onions and tahini-yogurt.

According to a report by Al Araby TV, a video published by the restaurant promoting the dish sparked criticism on social media, with users accusing the Israeli-owned establishment of “stealing" another Arab dish.

Al Araby presented the controversy under the headline, “‘Stealing another dish’: Israeli restaurant in New York adds arayes to its menu, sparking outrage," placing the dispute within the broader debate over the origins and national identity of foods eaten throughout the Middle East.

Shifka, however, does not identify the arayes burger as an Israeli dish on its menu. The restaurant describes its cuisine more broadly as Mediterranean street food.

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TOPICS: Food; Humor; Society; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: appropriation; arayesburger; gmafb; stealingcuisine

[Eleutheria5]

1. Dairy (yogurt) and meat are not kosher together 2. Tehina yogurt sounds disgusting 3. What? They heisted some hamburgers and (ugh) tehina yogurt from some Arabs? 4. Jews are middle eastern, too. Close to half of Israelis are from middle eastern countries, because when they were driven out of those countries, where they had lived for centuries on account of there being a Jewish state, they went to said Jewish state to live. So they cooked the cuisine they had grown up with. 5. We got "genocides" to commit, and that works up an appetite. 6. FOAD. Then get a life.

[I want the USA back]

“Appropriating” means taking possession of something for one’s own use. Serving a dish is not appropriating.

[ComputerGuy]

An Arab dish? No thanks.

[Hyman Roth]

I Pita the fool who steals my arab dish.

[whitney69]

“Serving a dish is not appropriating”

But procuring the parts of the dish is. However in this country it’s called supply and demand and a major tool of our financial system. My background is Scoth/Irish. Does that mean I can’t serve fish and chips in the US.

If they don’t like it, do go eat there. Others will.

wy69

[MIchaelTArchangel]

Shifka. I recently had surgery on my eye so forgive me for seeing the “f” as a “t”.

[Scrambler Bob]

Do they serve glasses of water?

EEK

[maro]

I find the whole idea of cultural appropriation baffling, especially when it comes to food. Does that mean I can’t eat pasta? Wait, isn’t there a theory that the Italians stole the idea of pasta from the Chinese? Maybe the Italians can’t eat pasta either. Not that long ago, eating all sorts of cuisine with a good conscience was the hallmark of a liberal.

[Brian Griffin]

“Dairy (yogurt) and meat are not kosher together”

I had a Jewish friend who said he inquired about the matter and the rule came about because clay vessels were once used for cooking and the residue of the mixture was too difficult to clean off.

[Brian Griffin]

I made lasagna last night, and many nights before.

I’m alive and posting.

[Vision]

Sounds like pro-Palestinian activists are appropriating Christian white male culture by being in America. They should leave.

[Brian Griffin]

Israel has residents that came from many countries, including Arab ones.

Its food is highly varied.

[dfwgator]

What a PITA!

[montag813]

There is no such thing as a Palestinian. They are Jordanian Arabs, who did not invent pitas, or arayes.

[Brian Griffin]

WIKI

Yotam Assaf Ottolenghi (Hebrew: יותם אוטולנגי; born 14 December 1968) is an Israeli- British chef, restaurateur, and food writer. Alongside Sami Tamimi, he is the co-owner of nine delis and restaurants in London and Bicester Village and the author of several bestselling cookbooks, including Ottolenghi: The Cookbook (2008), Plenty (2010), Jerusalem (2012) and Simple (2018).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yotam_Ottolenghi

Sami Tamimi (Arabic: سامي التميمي) is a Palestinian chef and author living in London. He is the co-owner of six delis and restaurants in London. Tamimi is also the co-author of several bestselling cookbooks, including Ottolenghi (2008), Jerusalem (2012) and Falastin (2020). His first solo cookbook, Boustany, was published in 2025.

Tamimi grew up in a Muslim family in the Old City of East Jerusalem. Tamimi moved out of his family home at 17. He started his career as a porter at Mount Zion, a Jerusalem hotel. Tamimi quickly became a chef at Mount Zion and after a number of jobs he became head chef of Lilith in Tel Aviv. An English customer at Lilith offered Tamimi a job. He accepted and in 1997 he moved to London to run the kitchen at the bakery Baker & Spice.

In 1999 while Tamimi was running Baker & Spice, Yotam Ottolenghi visited the store. “It was completely magical,” Ottolenghi said. “I saw all these walls and counters covered with a marvelous mix of food. There were Middle Eastern salads, Italian Caprese salads, rotisserie chickens, even char-grilled broccoli.” Soon afterwards, Ottolenghi started working there. Tamimi was in charge of the savories and Ottolenghi was in charge of the pastries. The two became friends and talked about going into business together. In 2002 Tamimi became partners with Noam Bar and Yotam Ottolenghi in the deli Ottolenghi in Notting Hill. They have expanded to more locations and now this group runs the restaurants Rovi and Nopi.

Tamimi and Ottolenghi have written two critically acclaimed cookbooks, Ottolenghi and Jerusalem. The latter has won many awards, including the International Book Award from the James Beard Foundation in 2013, and it has been credited with starting many cookbook clubs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_Tamimi

[posterchild]

How do the indigenous of Hamburg feel about this appropriation?

[posterchild]

Has Kim Jong Un weighed in about his father’s invention of gogigyeopbbang (”double bread with meat”).

[mac_truck]

Obviously this ‘controversy’ will be good for business. I wonder how much the restaurant paid to have it published?

[Eleutheria5]

Jordan is a madeup state, carved out of 70% of the British Mandate so as to give “King” Hussein a toy state to replace Syria, which the French grabbed under Sikes/Picot, but were unable to hold onto. “King” Hussein was quickly assassinated, leaving his five-year-old son’s regent in charge.

And he didn’t invent pitas or arayes, either. Neither did Sykes, Picot, or Lawrence of Arabia.

This is just another stupid, made-up “outrage” by the “Free Free Palestine” crowd, who ought to be back in school attending classes.

[Eleutheria5]

Churchill massacred them with carpet bombing, and on top of that outrage, he stole their name and gave it to the Burger King. There will be justice!;-}