Do you know what boyos and bulemas are? You may have even eaten one without realizing it, but more on that later. Some time ago, I wrote a post about the Jewish history of bourekas, mentioning in it that they were one of three Sephardic pastries commonly referred to as “The Three B’s.” Boyos and bulemas are the other two. […]
Tag: Jerusalem
The Multicultural Jewish Food of Machane Yehuda
As the most globalized nation on Earth, the Jewish people have a cuisine that is notoriously hard to define. But as Claudia Roden wrote in her The Book of Jewish Food, just “because a culture is complex this does not mean it does not exist.” Our food is multicultural, because we have been influenced by the foods of the people […]
Respectfully Responding to Reem Kassis (Re: Bagels)
If you spend time reading on the Internet about food history or Middle Eastern cuisine, chances are you recently saw a post by Palestinian-American cookbook author Reem Kassis in which she claimed that the bagel has origins in the Arab kitchen. I first came across it when my friend Sarah forwarded me an article from Serious Eats in which Ms. […]
The Classic Jerusalem Dish That Stands Up Against The Insta-trends
So many eateries these days build their concepts on how well a dish photographs. Instagram has changed the way people eat, and even the way some restaurants cook. Call me crazy, but while looks are important, the way a food tastes is way more significant! That’s why it is good to know that true classics hold up in popularity, even […]
Kugel: Simple Food That’s Not So Simple
Although I strive to shine a light in my research and writing on a wide array of non-Ashkenazi Jewish Foods, as I discuss in my description of this site, that doesn’t mean I plan to entirely ignore Ashkenazi foods. There are many delicious Ashkenazi delicacies as well, typically falling in the heimish style, rather than the formal and fancy. Plus, […]
Yom HaAtz’Mallow’t
I wanted to do a special post for Yom HaAtzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) this week, but really the only food practice that seems nearly universal among Israelis is what we call al ha’esh (Hebrew for “on the fire”) or mangal (Turkish, originally from Arabic for “portable”). It is what you probably know better as grilling. Grilling meat outdoors over an […]
Mimouna Mutations and More
Particularly interesting about Jewish Food are the special food-related customs of specific Jewish communities around the world. The Malida ceremony of the Bene Israel Jews around Mumbai, the Ethiopian Beta Israel’s Sigd festival (as they break their fast) and Seudat Yitro (Feast of Jethro) for the Jews of Tunisia are but a few examples. But even more interesting is when […]
