Mifgash Hashech
Mifgash Hashech
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A cheesy hot-pocket of deliciousness!
Indulge me in this story to illustrate the potency of this eatery.
It is 1998. 2:45 AM. I am deep in REM sleep in my Jerusalem apartment while studying in rabbinical school. The phone rings. I answer it in a groggy stupor.
“Heelllloooo” I say.
“Mifgash Hashech. 10 Minutes. Be ready!” said in a demanding and emphatic voice on the other side of the phone line.
I answer, “Ok. ……Who is this?”
The point of the story is, at 2:30 in the morning, I can be woken for Mifgash Hasheck – and will quickly jump out of bed to eat there – and could care less who is accompanying me.
Mifgash Hashech used to be an inside-Israel secret. Like the ‘chocolate factory’ in Dimona, only the locals, especially cabbies, knew about it. The original location, in Talpiot – the industrial district of Jerusalem, is open 24 hours a day, 6 days a week and no matter the time, everything is fresh. Today, the secret is out of the bag. They have 11 locations throughout Israel but, not all are open 24 hours a day. However, they all share the same ingredients and ethic and most locations are equally delicious.
For Americans, Mifgash Hashech is an Israeli hot-pocket. A little larger in since an influenced by Middle Eastern taboon cooking, these doughy pastries are filled with cheeses, mushrooms, pizza sauce, zatar or more (these are some of the options) and are served piping hot. It is held in its wax paper sheet that it is handed to you in while eating as you negotiate your impatience to dig right in, yet not burn the roof of your mouth.
Some of the locations have expanded their baking expertise to include some pastries and varieties of borekas. They are true to form and equally toothsome. I cannot walk by without ordering a pizza or a mushroom pastry. I pick out sesame seeds from my teeth for hours and relish in the sweet delight of what can be an afternoon snack or a full on meal.
A few locations now have a ‘build your own salad bar.’ In my mind’s eye I envision a Mizrahi cab driver with as bulging belly being scolded by his outspoken wife - the only human in the world who scares him.
“Stop eating the Meshoulash at Mifgash Hashech, and order a salad” she says in my dream. So to keep the business they expanded their repertoire. Still, I know of no one that goes to Mifgash Hashech for salad.
Just know, if you are going to Mifgash Hashech at ANY hour, I need 6 minutes to be ready, even from a deep sleep. It is worth interrupting even the most pleasant dreams for this unique culinary treat!
