Moshe Basson

Moshe Basson (; born 1950) is an Israeli chef, restaurateur, and food folklorist. An early proponent of the Slow Food movement in Israel, he is the owner and head chef of The Eucalyptus restaurant in Jerusalem. He specializes in traditional regional cuisine, biblical ingredients, and the use of wild plants and herbs that he gathers himself on foraging expeditions in the Jerusalem hills. He is a member of the Israeli-Palestinian group Chefs for Peace and a two-time winner of the international Couscous Fest in Italy.

Early life Moshe Basson was born in Iraq in 1950. He immigrated to Israel with his family when he was nine months old. The family was assigned to a refugee absorption camp in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem. Arriving in 1951 during the Passover holiday, they were allocated a shack with corrugated tin walls and no floor.

Cooking career Twenty-five years after the planting of the eucalyptus tree, Basson's brother Ya'acov built a restaurant around the tree, The menu was originally geared to working people, but Moshe began incorporating wild edible roots and plants that he gathered in the surrounding fields, and emphasizing seasonal produce. Soon the restaurant began attracting a foodie crowd.

The Eucalyptus reopened in 2007 back on Hyrcanus Street. As of 2015, the restaurant is in Hutzot Hayotzer opposite the Walls of Jerusalem. He is known for his contemporary interpretations of traditional cuisine and the use of biblical ingredients, including the Seven Species.

Basson liberally uses regional flavouring herbs, such as hyssop and za'atar. Basson said he learned about edible roots and plants from the Arab women who patronized his parents' bakery in his youth, His homemade focaccia is served with a selection of herbed spreads. In 2009 he was a co-sponsor of International Slow Food Day/Terra Madre Day in Israel, with separate events for adults and schoolchildren. Their son Ronny, also a chef, works at The Eucalyptus.