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 […]
Q&A: Why Can’t I Find a Good Bagel in Israel?
The question above, or the similar one that replaces “bagel” with “pastrami,” “knish” or something else of the sort, is one of the most frequent I receive, both as an American-Israeli food researcher, and as a tour guide specializining in culinary tours. When I received some form of this question on a recent tour in Machane Yehuda Market, I answered […]
Updates (about me and others)
Just a few quick updates about my work, and also about a few friends and colleagues. First and foremost, I want to announce my upcoming return lecture tour in the United States! After a very successful trip in the fall of 2021 (the picture above is from my homecoming lecture in the synagogue I grew up attending), I have booked […]
Food Wins at the National Jewish Book Awards 2022
This year’s National Jewish Book Awards have just been announced, and Jewish Food books scored big! Of course, there is the award category for “Food Writing & Cookbooks,” which obviously covers the topic. But even in a few other categories, Jewish Food books were recognized. Michael W. Twitty’s book Koshersoul received top honors, being recognized with the award of Jewish […]
2022: The Year in Jewish Food
I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus while traveling and speaking in England. So a drop late on my annual year in review post, but hopefully not so much that it is irrelevant to you! (Here is a link to last year’s post, if you want to compare and see how much things have changed or progressed.) What Was […]
Announcing My New Website: ChulentBook.com
As you probably know already, I’m writing a book that examines the history of Shabbat stews from around the world: chulent, hamin, dafina, osavo, etc. In connection with that book, I am proud to announce the launch of the new sister website to this one, ChulentBook.com. It of course does and will continue to include information about the book itself, […]
Jewish Food That Bugs You
So those burgers in the picture are not your standard type. But more on that a drop later. I want to focus on a topic that might bug some of you, but really shouldn’t. Kosher edible insects! For those who don’t already know it, hearing about kosher bugs might be somewhat surprising. We don’t eat pork or lobsters, but locusts […]
Traditional Jewish Foods for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is an interesting holiday for the Jews. Certainly we are quite familiar with the concept of a thanksgiving feast; in Hebrew it is called a seudat hoda’ah, and it is commonly done for personal reasons by Jews around the world. But since, in America, it is one of the most widely observed holidays, yet does not come with accompanying […]
Upcoming Food Talks
Just a quick announcement of a number of upcoming opportunities to hear my Jewish Food Talks. First of all, this coming Tuesday, November 8, I will be having a conversation with my friend, reknowned cookbook author Adeena Sussman, all about Shabbat Stews! This event is being hosted by the publication I write for most frequently, The Nosher, and I think […]
Jewish Cuisine in Hungary – From the Jewish Food Bookshelf
As the most globalized nation on Earth, the Jewish people are extremely diverse. And our cuisine is thus equally varied, with each subcommunity’s foods representing the specific conditions of that group. Therefore, a huge part of the Jewish Food Bookshelf is comprised of books that look at the unique gastronomy of Jews in a specific region, such as Persia, Algeria, […]
