As many of you may recall, back in the winter, I launched a website dedicated to the book I am writing. ChulentBook.com is designed to be a one-stop shop for all things Shabbat stew. The website includes recipes for Shabbat stews from around the world, and includes many that I have gathered throughout my research. But one of the cornerstones […]
What Are Keftes de Prasa?
Unlike my previous “What is…” post, this one does not look at a sub-community’s cuisine, but at a dish that is widely eaten by many different sub-communities. Keftes de Prasa, in brief, are leek fritters, beloved and eaten extensively throughout the Sephardic diaspora. From the above picture, you can see they look rather similar to potato latkes, but with some […]
So DID a Jew Invent Fish and Chips?
On more than one occasion in my writing, my Food Talks, and my tours in Machane Yehuda Market, I have repeated the statement that Fish and Chips, the great British favorite, was actually invented by a British Jew. I had read about this in multiple places, and it seemed legit to me. Then, a few weeks ago, I saw a […]
Wanna Date?
My latest article for The Nosher is out, and in it I discuss the Jewish people’s long and passionate love affair with dates. The fruit, that is. From ancient Biblical references, both literal and metaphoric, to ritual observances and customs, this shriveled brown sweet thing crops up repeatedly throughout our history. When you blend that with modern Israeli daring and […]
Jewish Food Bookshelf: The Giving Table
When is a general cookbook actually a Jewish one? When it is infused with Jewish context and wisdom. In this edition of From the Jewish Food Bookshelf I’m doing a brief review of a fairly new cookbook, Naomi Ross’ The Giving Table. Ross is a kosher cooking instructor, with many years of experience under her apron, and in this book […]
What is Bukharian Food?
This post is the first of a new recurring feature on the site. I will be writing short posts to explain specific Jewish cuisines or dishes that may be less familiar to many readers. These will be less about analysis, and more primers or descriptions. So if you want to know what Bukharian food is, this is your place to […]
Jewish Food that Isn’t Ashkenazi or Sephardi
When I give my tours in Jerusalem’s open-air Machane Yehuda Market, I say something in my intro that sometimes confuses my guests. In discussing the diversity of foods that we encounter in the market, I explain there are foods from Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardi Jews, and “Jews who are neither.” Usually, I get quizzical looks from those who can’t envision Jews […]
Five Metaphors for Israeli Cuisine
Many people argue that there is no such thing as Israeli cuisine. I find that argument ridiculous, and driven by ulterior motives, rather than a desire to actually uncover truth. Every country has its own cuisine (or cuisines), and Israel is of course no different. When I give my food talk “A Land of Milk and Mufletta: At the Crossroads […]
From the Jewish Food Bookshelf: The Angel and the Cholent
Okay, so you can probably guess what first drew me to this book, right? Of all the Jewish Food books I own and have read, this one is unique. The Angel and the Cholent: Food Representation from the Israeli Folktale Archives, by Idit Pintel-Ginsberg is not a book of food history, nor is it a cookbook or a book analyzing […]
The Passover Foods That Unite Us
On Passover, many people highlight the food customs that divide Jews into different groups. One of the “worst offenders” in this context is kitniyot; Ashkenazi Jews have the custom not to eat foods such as rice, corn, sesame, and beans, while many non-Ashkenazim have no issue consuming such foods on the holiday. Still, as I wrote previously, it isn’t like […]
