From favorite foods to smartphones and gift choices, new data from food and retail delivery platform Wolt highlights how Israelis spent and snacked over the past year.
Shawarma leads street food race
Israelis have spoken, and shawarma remains the undisputed champion of street food. The savory meat wrap accounted for 63.9% of all relevant orders, leaving falafel far behind at 27.7%. Sabich, the fried eggplant and egg sandwich, trailed in third place with 8.5%.
Sweet preferences were just as clear. Chocolate ice cream came in first at 62% of orders, ahead of strawberry (26%) and vanilla (12%). Cones edged out cups as the preferred serving method, 58% to 42%.
In baked goods, cheese burekas led with 66% compared to 34% for potato. Chocolate croissants were more than twice as popular as their butter counterparts, garnering 71.5% of orders.
Condiments, coffee, and tuna choices at home
Wolt’s data also tracked purchases for household staples. Mayonnaise led the condiment category, accounting for 57% of orders, while ketchup followed with 43%. When it came to chocolate, 59% of users opted for milk chocolate, with white and dark chocolates trailing at 26% and 15%, respectively.
Tuna packed in oil was preferred by 71.7% of customers, compared to 28.3% who chose tuna in water. Among coffee drinkers, black coffee outpaced instant coffee, with 55% of orders.
Even in the produce aisle, small preferences were noticeable: cilantro received a slight edge at 55%, while parsley stood at 45%.
When selecting side dishes, fries narrowly beat salad at 39% to 37%. Rice (19%) and mashed potatoes (5%) were far less common.
In alcoholic beverages, white wine led with 59% of orders, while red wine (24%) and rosé (17%) lagged behind.
Cooking habits at home
For home cooks, chicken was the most popular choice, accounting for 68% of meat-related orders, while beef made up 32%.
Pasta lovers were evenly split between penne and spaghetti, with each receiving 50% of orders, one of the few categories with no clear favorite.
As for cheeses, Bulgarian cheese was favored by 70% of customers, compared to 30% who chose Safed cheese.
Galaxy tops iPhone in tech orders
In the digital realm, Android led the way. Galaxy smartphones accounted for 60.5% of orders, compared to 39.5% for iPhones, indicating a national preference for Samsung devices over Apple.
Ice cream tops gift list
When it came to sending gifts via Wolt, ice cream was the most common choice, followed by cake. Flowers came in third, with Wolt gift cards and beauty kits rounding out the top five.
Busiest hours and most popular days
The most active hours for Wolt orders were 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays were the busiest day of the week.
Ordering also peaked on specific dates, including the day before Passover eve (April 10), Independence Day eve (April 30), when many celebrations were canceled due to wildfires, and major televised events, such as the UEFA Champions League final (May 31), the Eurovision final (May 17), and the finale of Big Brother (September 13). A spike also occurred on June 20, marking the beginning of summer vacation for high schools.
Plush doll crowned product of the year
Wolt’s “product of the year” was the Labubu plush doll, whose sales surged more than 400% within two weeks of summer vacation starting. Demand peaked with a 500% increase during the break's height and tapered off as the school year resumed in late August.