Osem was founded in 1942 and invented Israeli couscous on Ben-Gurion's personal request. Discover the history of Israel's most important food company — and where to buy authentic Osem products in the USA.

The Phone Call That Created Israeli Couscous

The year is 1953. Israel is five years old. The state is in crisis.

The tsena — the Hebrew word for austerity — has been in effect since 1949. Food is rationed. New immigrants are flooding in from Europe, North Africa, Yemen, Iraq — and many of them depend on rice as a dietary staple. But rice is scarce. The young state cannot produce enough, cannot import enough, cannot feed everyone what they need.

Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion picks up the phone and calls Osem.

"I need a rice substitute," he tells them. "Make it from wheat. Make it cheap. Make it fast."

Osem's engineers got to work. Within months, they had invented ptitim (פתיתים — "little flakes") — small wheat pasta pieces, shaped like rice grains, toasted in an oven until golden. The texture was different from rice. The flavor was nuttier, more substantial. But it worked. It cooked fast, it filled stomachs, and it could be made in quantity from wheat, which Israel had.

Ben-Gurion's rice, Israelis called it. "אורז בן גוריון."

Ten years later, Osem made the ptitim into balls — "Israeli couscous." Then they added heart shapes and star shapes for children. Forty years after that, trendy restaurants in New York and London were serving it as a gourmet ingredient under the name "Israeli pearl couscous," charging $18 a plate.

The phone call Ben-Gurion made in 1953 created the most fashionable pasta in the world.

That is Osem.

Founded in War, Built for a Nation

Osem was founded in 1942 — six years before Israel declared independence, in the middle of World War II, when Mandatory Palestine was still under British administration.

Eugen Propper merged three small food factories — Hadagan, Assisit, and Itrit — into a single company. The name Osem (אֹסֶם) comes from a verse in the Yom Kippur liturgy — the prayer recited by the High Priest in the Jerusalem Temple. It means "stores" or "abundance." A fitting name for a food company that would, over the next 80 years, feed a nation.

1942–1946: The early Osem produces basic food staples — pasta, noodles, basic dry goods — for a population preparing for what everyone could sense was coming: the founding of a Jewish state and the inevitable war that would follow it.

1946: Osem builds its first proper factory in Bnei Brak, focused on noodle production. The noodle factory is the first step toward becoming Israel's largest food company.

1948: Israel declares independence. The War of Independence begins and ends with the new state surviving. The tsena austerity period begins almost immediately. Food rationing shapes every aspect of daily life for the next decade.

1952: Osem develops Shekedei Marak — soup almonds. More on this below.

1953: The Ben-Gurion phone call. Ptitim is invented.

Shekedei Marak: The Golden Crouton That Defines Israeli Chicken Soup

Before Bamba. Before Bisli. Before any of the famous Osem snacks — there were Shekedei Marak.

שְׁקֵדֵי מָרָק — "soup almonds" in Hebrew — are tiny, golden, crispy cubes made from wheat flour, sunflower oil, salt, and a touch of turmeric. They go into chicken soup. They float, they absorb the broth, they provide a gentle crunch that transforms a bowl of soup from sustenance into something genuinely comforting.

The concept isn't Israeli in origin. Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants brought the idea from Eastern Europe, where similar baked noodle croutons had been added to chicken soup for generations. The Yiddish word for them is mandlen — "almonds" — because of their almond-like shape. In Germany and Poland, Jewish grandmothers made them at home: small baked pasta pieces added to Friday night chicken soup.

Osem developed the commercial version in 1952 — the Israeli factory-made upgrade on a grandmother's kitchen tradition. The ingredients are simple: wheat flour, sunflower oil, salt, turmeric (which gives them their distinctive golden color). Kosher-parve.

The result has been Israel's most beloved soup accompaniment for over 70 years.

How Israelis eat Shekedei Marak:

• In chicken soup on Friday night (the essential Shabbat combination)
• As a dry snack, straight from the bag (particularly popular with children)
• Sprinkled on salads as croutons
• Mixed into vegetable soups for texture
• Floating in miso soup (the modern Tel Aviv fusion adaptation)

The 400g bag is the family-size option. The 100g bag is for personal consumption — or for someone who needs their Shekedei Marak urgently and wants to eat them on the way home.

Ptitim: The Pasta Ben-Gurion Invented

Let's be precise about what ptitim is and isn't.

It is not couscous. Traditional North African couscous is made from semolina steamed over broth — a completely different technique producing a completely different texture. When Osem called the ball-shaped ptitim "Israeli couscous" in the 1970s, it was a marketing decision. The American food media adopted the name and it stuck.

It is not rice. Despite being invented as a rice substitute, ptitim has a chewy, al dente texture that rice never achieves. It absorbs flavors beautifully but doesn't dissolve the way rice does.

What it actually is: A wheat-semolina pasta, formed into small balls or shapes, then oven-toasted. The toasting is what makes it distinctive — it gives ptitim a nuttiness that regular pasta doesn't have. When cooked, it absorbs whatever liquid surrounds it: broth becomes flavored pasta, olive oil becomes rich pasta, tomato sauce becomes... pasta. It's incredibly versatile.

The shapes: Original rice-shaped ptitim → ball-shaped Israeli couscous → heart and star shapes for children (added about 10 years after the balls, when Osem noticed that children were particularly enthusiastic about the product)

The American upgrade: When Israeli couscous arrived in New York restaurants in the 1990s and 2000s, chefs discovered that its texture worked perfectly for grain-salad-style dishes, for risotto-style preparations, for cold pasta salads with Mediterranean vegetables. Israeli couscous became a restaurant staple. The home-cook version followed. What Ben-Gurion needed as a survival food became New York's trendy ingredient.

1964: The Year Osem Changed Israeli Childhood Forever

In 1964, Osem opened a snack factory in Holon, just south of Tel Aviv. The timing was deliberate: Israel's economy was growing, Israelis had more disposable income, and the market for packaged snacks was expanding rapidly.

The new factory's first major product: Bamba.

We've written a full post about Bamba — the peanut butter puffed corn snack that LEAP study researchers used to prove that early peanut exposure prevents peanut allergies, the snack with 25% of the Israeli snack market, the snack with 1 billion bags sold. Bamba was born in this Holon factory in 1964, originally as a failed attempt at a cheese puff.

Six years later, in 1970, the same factory produced Bisli — the wheat snack in flavors like Grill, BBQ, Pizza, Falafel, and Onion. Bisli was itself reportedly born from a factory mistake when pasta dough was dried differently than intended.

Two iconic Israeli snacks, from the same factory, both born from accidents, within six years of each other. If the Holon factory had been more careful, Israel's entire snack culture might look completely different.

The Nestlé Acquisition: $840 Million for Israel's Kitchen

By the 2000s, Osem was the largest food company in Israel — 2,000 products, 10 production facilities, 4,700+ employees, and revenue approaching NIS 4 billion.

Nestlé, the Swiss food giant, had been building a stake in Osem gradually for years. In 2016, they completed the full buyout: $840 million for 100% of Osem.

For context: this is the same Nestlé that owns Nespresso, KitKat, Nescafé, and Purina. When Nestlé paid $840 million for an Israeli food company, it wasn't buying factories. It was buying the brands — Bamba, Bisli, Shekedei Marak, ptitim, and the 80 years of Israeli kitchen trust those names represent.

The acquisition also gave Nestlé Sabra Hummus (through Osem's subsidiary), which is now the best-selling hummus brand in the United States.

What started as Eugen Propper merging three small factories during World War II became an $840 million acquisition by the world's largest food company. Along the way, it fed a nation through austerity, invented a food on a prime minister's request, and created two snacks that changed how the world understands Israeli food.

A Brief Osem Timeline

The Full Osem Product Universe

Osem makes approximately 2,000 products across four categories:

Snacks: Bamba (peanut), Bisli (wheat snacks), Apropo (corn crisps), various chips and crackers

Pasta & Grains: Ptitim (Israeli couscous), curly noodles, spaghetti, egg noodles, spiral pasta

Soups & Seasonings: Shekedei Marak (soup almonds), instant vegetable soup mixes, consommé powders, croutons

Ready Meals: Mana Hama instant pasta cups, sauces, spreads

Other: Beit Hashita pickles (through subsidiary), Of Tov chicken products (through subsidiary), Nestlé ice cream (through subsidiary), Sabra hummus (through subsidiary, co-owned with PepsiCo)

Buy Authentic Osem Products in the USA — Shipped Direct from Israel

KosherTop ships Osem products directly from Israel, where they're produced fresh — not from American distribution warehouses where products may sit for months.

🍲 Osem Shekedei Marak — Soup Almonds (400g)

The family-size bag. Crispy golden wheat croutons for chicken soup — the Shabbat essential that every Israeli grandmother has in her pantry. Also excellent as a dry snack straight from the bag. Kosher-Parve, Badatz certified. Shop Shekedei Marak 400g →

🍲 Osem Shekedei Marak — Soup Almonds (100g)

The personal-size bag — perfect for a single household, travel, or for the person who needs their Shekedei Marak and needs it now. Same formula as the 400g, Kosher-Parve, Badatz certified. Shop Shekedei Marak 100g →

🥣 Osem Instant Vegetable Soup Mix — Bundle of 4 Sachets

Four sachets of Osem's classic instant vegetable soup — the Israeli pantry staple for quick lunches, office breaks, and winter warmth. Badatz certified. Just add hot water. Shop Osem Vegetable Soup Mix →

🍝 Osem Mana Hama Instant Pasta Cup — Bolognese (Pack of 3)

Instant spaghetti in a Bolognese-style tomato sauce — no pots, no pans, just add boiling water and wait 8 minutes. No preservatives, no artificial coloring. Badatz certified. Three cups per pack. Shop Mana Hama Instant Pasta →

🍜 Osem Spiral Noodles — Curly (200g, 4 packs)

Osem's curly spiral noodles for Asian dishes, stir-fries, soups, and salads. Free of preservatives and artificial coloring. Four 50g packs. Osem has been making noodles since 1946 — this is 80 years of noodle expertise in a bag. Shop Osem Spiral Noodles →

Browse All Osem Products at KosherTop →

Recipe: Proper Israeli Chicken Soup with Shekedei Marak

This is the Friday night chicken soup that every Israeli child grows up with. It's not complicated. It's not meant to be. It's meant to smell like home.

Ingredients (serves 6–8):

• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (or 4 chicken quarters)
• 3 large carrots, peeled and halved
• 3 stalks celery, halved
• 2 onions, halved (skin on for color)
• 1 whole head of garlic, halved horizontally
• Small bunch of fresh parsley and dill
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric (optional — adds golden color)
• Water to cover
• Osem Shekedei Marak for serving

Instructions:

1. Place chicken pieces in a large pot. Cover with cold water (about 3–4 liters). Bring to a boil.
2. Skim off the grey foam that rises to the surface — this takes 5–10 minutes and is important for a clear soup.
3. Add carrots, celery, onions, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, and turmeric.
4. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 2–2.5 hours.
5. Taste and adjust salt. The soup should be deeply golden, slightly sweet from the carrots, fragrant from the dill.
6. Strain if you want a clear soup, or serve rustic with the vegetables.
7. Ladle into bowls. Add Shekedei Marak. Serve immediately.

The Shekedei Marak rule: Add them to the bowl, not the pot. In the pot, they absorb too much broth and go soft. In the bowl, they maintain their crunch for the first few bites, then soften gradually — creating two experiences in one bowl.

Osem and Kashrut: What You Need to Know

Osem products span the full range of kosher categories:

• Parve products: Most pasta, ptitim, and shekedei marak products are kosher-parve — containing no meat or dairy, making them usable in any kosher meal
• Badatz certification: Many Osem products sold at KosherTop carry Badatz certification — the most stringent Israeli kosher standard
• Check each product: Osem's full product range includes dairy, meat, and parve items. The specific certification is listed on each KosherTop product page
• Nestlé ownership: The Nestlé acquisition did not change Osem's kosher certification standards — all products manufactured in Israel continue to carry Israeli kosher certification

Why Osem Tastes Different in Israel vs. the USA

American stores carry some Osem products — Shekedei Marak is available at Whole Foods in some markets, for example. But there's a meaningful difference:

Freshness: Products shipped directly from Israel are newer. Osem products in American distribution chains may have been in transit or warehouse storage for months.

Formulation: Some Osem products sold in the USA are reformulated for American market regulations or ingredient availability. Products shipped directly from Israel are the original Israeli formulation.

Kosher certification: Israeli-origin products carry Israeli kosher certifications. American-market Osem products may carry different certifications from American agencies.

When you order from KosherTop, you're getting the product Israelis buy in Israeli supermarkets. Not the export version. The real thing.

KosherTop is an Israeli kosher food store based in Hod Hasharon, Israel, shipping authentic Israeli products directly to customers across the United States.