Hebrew for Asking About Ingredients

When you are buying food in Israel, you often need to ask what is inside something. This comes up at a supermarket, bakery, falafel stand, café, or when someone offers you homemade food. You do not need advanced Hebrew for this. A few short questions are enough.

The most useful questions

The simplest question is:

מה יש בזה?
Ma yesh be-ze?
What is in this?

If you want to sound a little more specific, you can say:

מה יש בתוך זה?
Ma yesh betoch ze?
What is inside this?

In everyday Hebrew, מה יש בזה? is usually the one you will hear most often.

If you want to ask directly about ingredients, you can also say:

מה המרכיבים?
Ma ha-merkivim?
What are the ingredients?

That is especially useful for packaged food or anything with a longer ingredient list.

Asking about one specific ingredient

A very useful pattern is:

יש בזה... ?
Yesh be-ze... ?
Is there... in this?

Examples:

• יש בזה חלב? — Is there milk in this?
• יש בזה ביצים? — Are there eggs in this?
• יש בזה גלוטן? — Is there gluten in this?
• יש בזה בוטנים? — Are there peanuts in this?

You can plug in almost any ingredient you care about.

Saying you do not eat something

If you need to explain a restriction, you can say:

אני לא אוכל/ת...
Ani lo okhel / okhelet...
I do not eat...

Use אוכל if you are male and אוכלת if you are female.

Examples:

• אני לא אוכל חלב. — I do not eat dairy.
• אני לא אוכלת גלוטן. — I do not eat gluten.
• אני לא אוכל בשר. — I do not eat meat.

If you want to ask for something without an ingredient, use:

אפשר בלי... ?
Efshar bli... ?
Can I have it without... ?

Examples:

• אפשר בלי בצל? — Can I have it without onion?
• אפשר בלי טחינה? — Can I have it without tahini?
• אפשר בלי רוטב? — Can I have it without sauce?

This is often more natural than trying to make the sentence too complicated.

Ingredient words you will hear often

Here are some common words that are useful to recognize:

• חלב — milk / dairy
• ביצים — eggs
• בשר — meat
• עוף — chicken
• דג — fish
• גבינה — cheese
• חמאה — butter
• קמח — flour
• גלוטן — gluten
• בוטנים — peanuts
• אגוזים — nuts
• שומשום — sesame
• סוכר — sugar
• מלח — salt
• פלפל — pepper
• שמן — oil

You do not need to memorize all of these right away. Start with the ones that matter most for you.

Real-life phrases in shops and food places

These are also very useful:

• מה יש בפיתה? — What is in the pita?
• יש בזה בצל? — Is there onion in this?
• זה חריף? — Is it spicy?
• זה צמחוני? — Is it vegetarian?
• זה טבעוני? — Is it vegan?
• אפשר בלי... ? — Can I have it without... ?

If you are ordering street food, this kind of quick back-and-forth is very common. For more of that style, see Hebrew for Falafel and Shawarma Stands.

Reading labels in the supermarket

On packaged food, look for מרכיבים. That is the ingredients list.

If you need help finding it, you can ask:

איפה רשימת המרכיבים?
Eifo reshimat ha-merkivim?
Where is the ingredients list?

For more food-shopping Hebrew, see Hebrew for Bakeries in Israel and Hebrew for Supermarket Shopping in Israel.

Short conversation example

You: מה יש בזה?
Seller: יש בזה חומוס, טחינה, סלט וחריף.
You: יש בזה בצל?
Seller: כן, קצת.
You: אפשר בלי בצל?

That is a very normal kind of exchange in Israel: short, direct, and practical.

Best phrases to remember

If you only remember five phrases, make them these:

1. מה יש בזה? — What is in this?
2. מה המרכיבים? — What are the ingredients?
3. יש בזה... ? — Is there... in this?
4. אפשר בלי... ? — Can I have it without... ?
5. אני לא אוכל/ת... — I do not eat...