Michael Twitty’s is an interesting combination of personal identities. As he frequently reminds us in his new book Koshersoul, he is African American, Jewish, gay, and a southerner. These all combine to create the passionate blend that is his character, and as a food historian and active gastronome, they also filter into his food. This is a big part of […]
Category: Books
97 Orchard: From the Jewish Food Bookshelf
This book was not exactly what I thought it would be when I purchased it. And that was a very good thing! Let me start from the beginning as I explain a bit more about this different sort of entry “From the Jewish Food Bookshelf.” Before I bought 97 Orchard by Jane Ziegelman, I knew that it was connected with […]
Eat and be Satisfied: The Jewish Food Bookshelf
For this edition of From the Jewish Food Bookshelf, I wanted to talk about the second of my top three resources for Jewish Food History. I previously wrote about Gil Marks’ excellent Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, which I reference repeatedly when looking into a topic. John Cooper’s Eat and Be Satisfied: A Social History of Jewish Food is a different […]
Kosher USA (from The Jewish Food Bookshelf)
I’ve written a bit previously about American Jewish Food, a particularly rich and varied topic. Examples of such posts include my exploration of Jewish-American deli and the review that included books on bagels and knishes. But those posts have only barely scratched the surface, and there will be many more to come. But for now I want to focus on […]
New Passover Foods For Your Seder
I often hear people asking for new Passover foods, bored with the same stuff all the time. And while I clearly respect tradition, for this holiday especially I feel there is at least an argument to be made for not exclusively cooking what your mother and grandmother did. (Years ago, I even wrote an article — with recipes — just […]
Jewish Food Bookshelf: Yankel’s Tavern
After examining a cookbook and a general source on all things Jewish Food in my previous Jewish Food Bookshelf posts, how about a nice stiff drink? I am fascinated by the long and complex history of Jews and alcohol, and my lecture on the subject is one of favorites (and also a pretty fun one). One of my primary sources […]
Jewish Food Bookshelf: Encyclopedia of Jewish Food
It’s time for another edition of From The Jewish Food Bookshelf. This time around, I’m featuring a highly recommended classic. Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I like to cite my sources, and there are three in particular that I quote most frequently. I consider them the best three Jewish Food books […]
The Jewish Food Bookshelf: Sephardi – Cooking the History
With this post, I am inaugurating a new series on this blog, called “The Jewish Food Bookshelf.” I love Jewish Food History, and there are so many wonderful sources out there to get educated on the topic. In the past, I have tried to footnote and credit the many amazing books I have used as resources for my posts. And […]
The Holocaust and Jewish Food History
Yom HaShoah, Israel’s official Holocaust Remembrance Day, has just begun this evening. And so, I wanted to take a few minutes to write a post that relates to the day, as well as to Jewish Food History. Many of you may be wondering what there could possibly be to write about on this topic, and indeed it is largely a […]
Kosher Pork Chops and Other Crypto-Jewish Foods
One of the saddest chapters in Jewish history is also one of the more interesting on a gastronomic level. Following the forced conversions in 15th century Spain, and the Inquisition and subsequent Expulsion, many so-called New Christians secretly maintained Jewish beliefs. Practicing in secret to avoid arrest and torturous execution, they are now known as Crypto-Jews. (1)The better-known term Marrano […]