Jerusalem's unique culinary mix

Claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians as their capital, Jerusalem is ridden with tensions. Still, in the city's rich cuisine, different traditions mix and meet. At the Azura restaurant in West Jerusalem's main market, manager Moshe Shrefler checks the lentil stew in his tiny kitchen. Azura is a popular destination in the Iraqi section of the market.

The specialty at Azura restaurant is oxtail stew, cooked for two days in a rich sauce with red peppers. It’s only served on Tuesdays, and Israelis flock to the restaurant to get it before it runs out.

The oxtail stew cooks for two days in a wide aluminum pot before it is served to customers. Azura manager Moshe Shrefler says his restaurant doesn't just do Iraqi food well - it's also a showcase for traditional Jewish food too.

These kerosene burners, known as 'ptiliyot' in Hebrew, are a hallmark of traditional Jewish restaurants. At Azura, the workers say the old pots make the food taste better.

At Kosta’s restaurant in the Old City, owner Fareed Harroubi serves delicate pigeons, stuffed with nutmeg-infused rice. It’s a Palestinian specialty, served to tables already loaded with bright pickled turnips, red and green salads, tehina sauce and hummus.

Fareed Harroubi says he learned the art of stuffing pigeons from a Greek cook. He makes his signature dish, along with a house-cured pastrami, in the tiny kitchen of this Old City restaurant.

Asaf Granit is one of the three chefs who run Machneyuda. He says he planned the restaurant with an open kitchen, so customers could see and hear the chefs at their work. The restaurant has become a leading trendsetter in West Jerusalem, and one of the few serving non-kosher food.

At the Machneyuda restaurant, named for the iconic west Jerusalem market round the corner, the chefs find their ingredients and inspiration in the fresh produce stalls. The restaurant prides itself on modern interpretations of traditional cuisine - here, a ceviche salad of raw fish is served with strawberries.

At the Idkedik restaurant in Jerusalem's Old City, cook Wafa Ishad Idkedik Walaa mashes chickpeas by hand to make hummus. He says this makes for a better flavor and a cheaper price. He says Israelis, on the other hand, always use food processors.

Jerusalem’s main vegetable market is full of shoppers navigating narrow alleyways and sellers shouting prices, with everyone dodging the huge cartloads of empty vegetable boxes. It's also where the city's chefs find their ingredients at the start of each day.

In the Old City, the foods range from sit-down dinners on tables loaded with salads, to fresh pomegranate juice squeezed out as a quick drink at this Palestinian snack joint.

Outside the Azura restaurant in the Machane Yehuda market, older men sit in the Iraqi quarter and play dominoes and backgammon while slurping down thick black coffee.