Jerusalem Mixed Grill

Jerusalem mixed grill is chicken thigh meat cut small and pan-seared alongside chicken hearts, spleen and liver, seasoned with a dark blend of cumin, turmeric and black pepper and usually stuffed into pita. It was invented in the 1960s at Machane Yehuda, Jerusalem's covered market, by grill stands turning the offal butchers couldn't sell into a dish market workers could afford — and the stall identity stuck, even now that it appears on restaurant menus across the city.

What it really is

Chicken thigh, hearts, spleen and liver are diced small enough to cook fast on a hot plancha, tossed with plenty of onion and a spice mix built around cumin, turmeric and black pepper that gives the whole pan its dark, almost bronzed colour — locally called "Jerusalem mix" and sold ready-blended at the market's spice stalls. The offal is not a garnish or a stretch of the meat; it's the reason the dish exists, and a version made only with thigh meat is missing the point along with the taste.

How it's served

• Piled hot from the plancha into a pita or onto a plate, with the onions still cooked in.
• With tahini, amba or a chopped salad on the side, and pickles almost always present.
• As a market lunch or a casual dinner, rarely as a formal starter.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the organs it contains — some guests order it precisely for the liver and hearts, and others need to know to avoid it.
• Say it's a Jerusalem specialty; the city is where the dish is settled, not a generic "Israeli grill."
• Flag the wheat in the pita if that's how it's served.