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Taste of Jewish Culture

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Category: Holiday Food

A Traditional Purim Food (That ISN’T Hamantaschen)
March 8, 2022

A Traditional Purim Food (That ISN’T Hamantaschen)

Classic Foods by FunJoel0 comments

The spirit of the Purim holiday (which is coming up next week), is one of near-reckless abandon, which shines through in the traditional Purim foods. This crazy-fun party holiday is one on which drinking is encouraged, even to excess (more on that in a future post), a festive meal is mandated, and gifts of food are traditionally exchanged between Jewish […]

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The Jewish Connection to a New Years Soul Food Classic
January 2, 2022

The Jewish Connection to a New Years Soul Food Classic

Holiday Food by FunJoel0 comments

One of the amazing things you uncover when you study food is the similarities between foods of different cultures. Flavors, cooking methods, symbolism and more — when similar things crop up in the cuisines of distinct cultures, they underscore how connected we all are, rather than the things that separate us. A symbolic New Years food from the American South […]

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Alternate Chanukkah Food Traditions and Their Surprising Sources
November 29, 2021

Alternate Chanukkah Food Traditions and Their Surprising Sources

Holiday Food by FunJoel0 comments

What are the Jewish Foods classically connected with Chanukkah (or Hanukkah, Chanuka, Hanuka, etc., choose your spelling…)? Most people would point to latkes or sufganiyot (potato pancakes or jelly doughnuts), or any of many other fried items from around the Jewish world, as the “traditional foods” for this holiday. And while I will not complain about fried yumminess (most things […]

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Yom Kippur Chulent (For Real)
September 15, 2021

Yom Kippur Chulent (For Real)

Holiday Food by FunJoel0 comments

One of the more intriguing things I’ve come across during my research on Jewish Food was a recipe for a Yom Kippur Chulent. (More accurately, it was a Yom Kippur Hamin, though I recognize that the term chulent is more recognizable for a number of my readers, so I grudgingly use it for ease of understanding!) I don’t mean a […]

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More on Rosh Hashana’s Symbolic Foods
September 3, 2021

More on Rosh Hashana’s Symbolic Foods

Holiday Food by FunJoel0 comments

Rosh Hashana is the start of the season in which we Jews ask for forgiveness — from those we may have harmed or offended, from God, and from ourselves. So in that spirit, I will first apologize for not posting in quite a while. I’ve been busy with moving apartments here in Jerusalem (an auspicious start for the new year […]

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Borscht’s Belt Wraps Ashkenazi Food and Broader Jewish Cuisine
March 23, 2021

Borscht’s Belt Wraps Ashkenazi Food and Broader Jewish Cuisine

Classic Foods by FunJoel1 comment

When it comes to holiday food, my mother is a real traditionalist. No need to ask what will be served at the Seder, for example, because it would be the same every year. Which was also the same as what her mother prepared. One of those standard Pesach/Passover dishes was always knobl borscht. I am much less of a traditionalist […]

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No, Virginia, Haman Did NOT Have Pointy Ears
February 24, 2021

No, Virginia, Haman Did NOT Have Pointy Ears

Classic Foods by FunJoel0 comments

Hamantaschen: those triangular stuffed cookies that so many of us eat on Purim. What do they actually have to do with this holiday? The answer is actually more complicated than you might think, but not as asinine as some might make it out to be (i.e. there actually is some mild significance). The most common explanations you will hear are […]

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Tu B’Shvat: The Jewish Food Holiday That Isn’t a Holiday But is Definitely About Jewish Food
January 27, 2021January 28, 2021

Tu B’Shvat: The Jewish Food Holiday That Isn’t a Holiday But is Definitely About Jewish Food

Holiday Food by FunJoel0 comments

“Tu B’Shvat has arrived! The Holiday for the Trees!” So goes the famous Hebrew children’s song in celebration of the holiday known as Tu B’Shvat (translated as the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shvat). On this day, Jews around the world celebrate the fruits of trees, and typically eat dried fruits and nuts in honor of the day. But […]

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How an Unknown Herb Became Beans and Carrots, and Spawned Rosh Hashana “Dad Jokes” Galore
September 16, 2020

How an Unknown Herb Became Beans and Carrots, and Spawned Rosh Hashana “Dad Jokes” Galore

Holiday Food by FunJoel3 comments

For a thousand years or more, Jews have used special symbolic foods on Rosh Hashana to augur good outcomes for the new year ahead. Over time those foods have grown more numerous, taking on multiple diverse meanings. This led to a situation where there are many more omen-laden foods associated with Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year) than any other […]

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What the Dairy-on-Shavuot Custom Says About Jewish Culture
May 26, 2020May 26, 2020

What the Dairy-on-Shavuot Custom Says About Jewish Culture

Holiday Food by FunJoel4 comments

Admittedly, this is going to be a bit of an experimental post. Rather than heavily researching the Jewish history of a specific food, or presenting a broad-strokes analysis of Jewish Food trends, I’d like to explore an idea in progress. Something that has been gestating in my mind for a while, but has not yet fully developed. Hopefully, writing it […]

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Exploring Jewish Food History and its links to Jewish Culture.

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