▼ Café El Mirage First Taste: Fata Morgana, a new kosher restaurant opens in Scottsdale. BY BAHAR ANOOSHAHR K osher restaurant Fata Morgana opened in Scottsdale in January in a space formerly occupied by Aunt Abby’s Confections. Co-owners Bar Timi and David Babaganov, who hail from Israel and Canada, respectively, founded the eatery because “there were not a lot of kosher restaurants for the size of the Jewish community here,” says Timi. “Fata Morgana” is an Italian term meaning “mirage.” It refers to Morgan le Fay, King Arthur’s half-sister, a sorceress who had the power to change shape and make images appear to others (such as ships hovering above the horizon). Scientifically, when cold air gets trapped under warm air, light refracts down, and images appear to float above the horizon. The restaurant, which leans Israeli, is what Babaganov has called “essentially a little mirage in Arizona.” The simple space is clean and inviting, with modern rustic decor and a casual vibe. Two large photos decorate the wall — one of spoons filled with spices the color of fall foliage, and the other, in black and white, of signs pointing to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Once you’ve had your fill of gazing at the counter boxes of pastries from Brooklyn-based Reisman’s — the country’s first commercial kosher bakery — you seat yourself. The four-page menu is divided into hot and cold appetizers, salads, entrees, sand- wiches, vegetarian, kiddos, sushi, and dessert. We asked about the diverse nature of the menu. Why Moroccan Cigars? Why Yemeni bread? It turns out that Israel is a melting pot of cuisines. It’s a fascinating history as told by the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Israel Center, and one that lends some insight into Fata Morgana’s dishes and ingredients. The Sephardic Jews brought Ottoman- influenced food, such as pies, stuffed vege- tables, pastels, sabmousak (meat hand pie), burekas (filled puff pastry or filo dough), rice, and bulgar pilafs. The Hasidic Jews of Eastern Europe brought kugel Yerushalmi (a peppery, oniony noodle pudding). Those from Russia and Poland used local vegetables such as zucchini, peppers, eggplant, chick- peas, and artichokes. During Israel’s early years, when Holocaust survivors and Jews from Arab and other countries arrived in huge numbers, food rationing was common. That scarcity resulted in substitute Bahar Anooshahr Bahar Anooshahr Above: Malawach, a dish of Yemenite origin. Left: Inside Fata Morgana in Scottsdale. ingredients: eggplants stood in for chopped liver, turkey for veal schnitzel, and fish for meat in Iraqi kubbeh (dumplings filled with ground beef and pine nuts). The Central European immigrants brought schnitzel and strudel; Russians added beet borscht and herring dishes. Ashkenazic Jews contributed chicken soup, lox, knishes, chopped liver, and pastries with yeast — chocolate rolls, babka, layered pastries, and nut spirals (schneken). Immigrants from North Africa brought grilled meats, puff pastries, stuffed vegeta- bles, pita, salads, rice dishes, couscous, matbucha (tomato and red pepper cooked salad), chraime (spicy fish stew), and shak- shouka (eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce). Iraq-influenced dishes consist of amba (mango), kubbeh, kebab, pickled vegeta- bles, sabich (see below). Turkey contrib- uted taramosalata (fish egg dip) >> p 31 27 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES MARCH 24TH– MARCH 30TH, 2022
