Located on the corner of Hahalutsim St and Levinsky St in the famous Levinsky Market (close to Cafe Levinsky) is Tavlinsky, a unique market that has organic products that range from soaps and candles to spices and sauces. The array of products caught my eye as I was walking from a nearby coffee shop and had to stop inside to check it out.
When I went inside I met Hila Gadidi, who now owns the shop alongside her mother, Iris Gadidi for the past 10 years. Iris opened the shop because she wanted people to be consuming organic products. Iris was inspired by her mother to open the store. When Iris was a child, her mother gave her a Persian Havang, a type of pot used to grind many things, such as spices. One of which is saffron, Hila said, but you can grind any type of spice with it efficiently.
Hila preaches for her mother, who she claims was an independent woman for opening this shop all by herself. It’s difficult to open a shop here in this market, Hila said, but she is proud of her mother for being able to do so.
Tavlinksy grinds and produces all of its spices on-site, without the use of any preservatives or additives. At Tavlinsky, their mission is to serve the people the best, most organic spices. When you go to any other grocery store and buy spices, you are most likely not getting quality products. “The species you buy in-store are cheap, but they are not real spices,” Hila noted. I left the store with the Tuscany spice for 35 shekels, which I plan to make to make so many recipes with.
Hila let me smell and even try some of the spices. One spice that I smelled was the “Iranian cumin”, which had a delicious strong smell that can be used to cook many different things. She also let me try the cinnamon, which they grind directly from the stick.
“Not a lot of people like cinnamon. This is because the cinnamon is bitter, if it’s bitter, it’s not real cinnamon,” Hila told me. However, when I tried her cinnamon, it was almost spicy, exactly how you would like cinnamon to be. According to Hila, if the cinnamon is bitter, that means it has been mixed with coffee bean shells.
When I asked Hila how her business helps preserve of the planet, she told me “it’s not for the environment, it’s for the people.”
According to Hila, when you take real, natural medicine, and not unnatural, chemical-based medicine, it is so much better for you. The spices in the shop are for healing, “when you are stressed you drink the tea, when you have a headache, you drink the tea”.
Her best seller is the Organic Moringa, which is a superfood like spirulina. According to Hila is one of the healthiest superfoods in the world. Hila’s personal favorite is the Tuscany blend (which I had to buy for myself), which can use to make almost anything. Some of which can be schnitzel, chicken, pasta, salmon, potatoes, cauliflower and so much more.
Tavlinksy also sells other natural products, such as candles and essential oils. (Here is our guide to the 11 essential healing oils every home needs).
If you are into rocks, Tavlinksy has a wide assortment to choose from. Each rock that Tavlinsky has available has a description associated with it so her customers can understand the meaning behind each one. For example, the green agate is supposed to help with self-confidence by cleansing the aura. Another example is the strawberry quartz, which stimulates the energy center in the heart and encourages universal love.
Tavlinksy is also all over social media, including Instagram, Facebook, and even Tiktok, which they have gone viral on. They can be found as “Tavlinksy” on TikTok and one of their videos got 273.4K views.
If you find yourself in the Levinksy market, I highly suggest you check out Tavlinksy. Whether you speak with Iris or Hila, you are ensured to get amazing customer service and the best, most organic products around. Especially if you are into cooking, you will find so many interesting spices and products here in the Levinsky Market.
Love the idea of healing herbs? Try growing these 7 herbs and spices at home.
You can find more information on Tavlinksy on their website: www.tavlinsky.co.il or you can call: (972) 03-672-1818.
Tavlinksy address is Levinski St 57, Tel Aviv-Yafo, 6652615
