What is “Bamba”?

בַּמְבָּה (Bamba) is the most-eaten snack food in Israel: a peanut-butter-flavored corn puff sold in bright orange bags, given to babies as one of their first foods. Israeli media often credits it for the country’s low rate of peanut allergies. Almost every Israeli household keeps a stash, and the Bamba bear on the bag has been a national mascot since 1965.

This clip presents Bamba and its salty cousin בִּיסְלִי (Bissli) to Japanese tourists alongside Naomi Shemer’s anthem ירושלים של זהב (“Jerusalem of Gold”). Bamba is so embedded in Israeli daily life that introducing it to outsiders feels like introducing them to a national symbol, not a snack.