The loubia, also known as the black-eyed pea, in Mahane Yehuda Market, between Jerusalem\u2019s pain and the blessing of a good year<\/p>\n
On Monday morning, Jerusalem woke up to a difficult event. A shooting attack at the Ramot junction claimed lives of people on their way to work and school. The grief still hovered in the air, but a few hours later, in Mahane Yehuda Market, the sound of the light rail on Jaffa Street was heard again, and the hum of life returned. Streams of visitors flowed into the market\u2019s alleys. Jerusalemites from Pisgat Ze\u2019ev and the Bukharan neighborhood, alongside students from Osishkin and Agripas, wandered among the stalls in search of the black-eyed pea, also called loubia or rubia<\/p>\n
This vegetable is a blessing for Rosh Hashanah, symbolizing abundance, good deeds, and prosperity<\/p>\n
At Abu Ahmad\u2019s stall in \u201cPri Etz\u201d alley, piles of fresh green loubia were sold at 24 shekels per kilo, quickly snatched up by shoppers. Jerusalem continued to hold on to life and the hope of a better year. \u201cMy mother sent me in the 1970s to buy loubia in the Iraqi Market,\u201d recalled one shopper, while filling a bag with pods. \u201cShe always cooked it with small cubes of meat. It was a delicacy<\/p>\n
In our home, my mother cooked dry loubia for the holiday. We waited for the moment when my father would bless it after the apple in honey, the pomegranate, and the other symbols. Loubia warm and comforting, soft and delicate with a taste of more<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s loubia at the supermarket near our home in Har Homa,\u201d one shopper told his friend, \u201cbut I prefer to take the bus, then the light rail to Mahane Yehuda, just to return with fresh loubia, pomegranates from the tree, and a giant leek. The heart pulls me here \u2013 it\u2019s part of the holiday preparations
\u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d replied his friend. \u201cLuckily, there was space at the market\u2019s parking lot, so I arrived without trouble<\/p>\n
Beyond its price and symbolism, loubia is considered a superfood. It is rich in plant protein, iron, and fiber. The dry beans are reminiscent of white beans, but with a subtle sweetness. The fresh pods resemble green beans, also abundant at the stalls<\/p>\n