I love answering questions about Jewish Food history, and some time ago, in my newsletter, I asked people to email me with anything they wanted to know. My long-time friend Julie responded with some queries about American Jewish delis. As fate would have it, the most common topic I was asked about while on my recent lecture tour in America, […]
Tag: Ashkenazic Food
The Tangled History of Noodle Kugel
About a month ago I posted a link to my recent article for The Nosher, all about Potato Kugel. Well, as promised, my next article to come out follows up on that, by unraveling the tangled history of noodle (or lokshen) kugel! Noodle kugel is the older of the two, and has at least as complex a story as the […]
Borscht’s Belt Wraps Ashkenazi Food and Broader Jewish Cuisine
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 […]
No, Virginia, Haman Did NOT Have Pointy Ears
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 […]
The Simple Daily Food That’s Better Than Roast Duck
It’s definitely getting to be soup season here in Jerusalem, and likely where you live as well (if you don’t live in the tropics or the Southern Hemisphere). I pretty much only eat soup in the winter time (not counting cold soups, of course), so I figured this would be a good time to dive into a big pot of […]
What Do Chili con Carne, Fish ‘n’ Chips and Foie Gras Have in Common?
Chili con Carne — that spicy, meaty, slow cooked stew that is so well-known from the American Southwest. Fish ‘n’ Chips — the classic English street food combo of deep-fried, breaded fish fillets and crispy chips (French fries to Americans). Foie Gras — fatty goose or duck liver, often utilized in any number of French haute cuisine dishes. What do […]
