The Yoav Yehuda region is only a short drive away from the Center of the country. It is hard to believe that one has arrived in the right place - a land of rolling hills covered with red anemones, almond and Judas trees in full bloom of pink and purple; olive groves and vineyards interspersed with monasteries and churches; moshavim, kibbutzim, farms and wineries. This beautiful region is host to the 7th Rural Food Festival which is sponsored by the Yoav Yehuda Tourist Association and supported by Partnership 2000 of the Jewish Agency.

The Committee for Economic Development of Beit Shemesh-Yehuda Plains-Washington-South Africa Partnership 2000 supports the Rural Food Festival as part of its overall effort to label the Region as a preferred destination for domestic and foreign tourism and to encourage local entrepreneurship.

The festival will take place between the 15th of February and the 10th of March - four weekends of rural food, unequaled hospitality in the homes of the cooks, in the moshav courtyards, in the winery cellars and on the sheep farms.

The producer of the festival, Efrat Eliyasaff-Gurfinkel: "The Food Festival in Yoav Yehuda, which is in its 7th year, proves that food and rural tourism can become a long-lived tradition. What is unique about the Festival is that it takes place simultaneously in 60 different locations over a period of one full month. Tens of thousands of guests visit the Festival each year and have made it a refreshing breath of beauty, relaxation and good taste." Efrat adds: "The Festival products reflect a philosophy in which people and nature live side by side. This approach has created a rich and diverse region based on respect and mutual benefit."

This year, the Festival will emphasize the connection and the commitment of the participants to nature - to all the herbs, seeds, leaves and fruits that the rain brings up in the hills and the valleys.
From their kitchens, the residents of the region will serve up a diverse selection of dishes - bubbling stews, heartwarming soups, and more. They will be made from the abundance of plants that grow wild in nature, such as chubeza, wild asparagus, mushrooms, arum, gundelia and more.

The Yoav Yehuda region combines food with the cultural variety that characterizes the season: music in the monasteries, countless hikes in the beautiful parks, by car, by foot and by bicycle…Artists and craftsmen of the region are also involved in this experiences offered by the Festival and the products of their skills reinforce the synergy created here.

For more details, contact the Yoav-Yehuda Tourism Association, Tel: 08-8502240 or go to www.touryoav.org.il