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 […]
Why Hot Dogs are the Greatest American Jewish Food
American Jewish food is most typically defined as pastrami sandwiches, chocolate babka, or bagels and lox. But I am here to argue that the greatest American Jewish food may actually be the humble hot dog. No dish better embodies the totality of the American Jewish experience. What’s that you say? You didn’t know that hot dogs were a Jewish food? […]
The Unknown Jewish History of Bourekas
Bourekas are one of those foods that are uber-popular here in Israel, and becoming better-known around the world. But many people don’t know their country of origin — Turkey — and even fewer know that they were actually invented by Turkish Jews. Bourekas (or burekas or borekas or however you choose to spell them) are actually a true Jewish Food, […]
What the Dairy-on-Shavuot Custom Says About Jewish Culture
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 […]
Jewish Food? What’s THAT?!
Anyone who has been following this blog even slightly since its launch, over the last month or so, knows I use the term “Jewish Food” a lot. And if you’ve heard any of my Food Talks over the past few years, or read the “About this Site” page, you know some of my thoughts on the concept. But a recent […]
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 […]
Announcing: Online Food Talks!
I’ve decided to start bringing my Food Talks online in an open format, rather than just by prior request. As a trial, I am taking my talk about Jews and Alcohol, “My Cup Runneth Over: The Jew and His Drinking Habit,” and breaking it into two parts. I plan to present it in two consecutive Sunday sessions, this coming Sunday, […]
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 […]
From Slavery to Freedom via Food
Of all of the Jewish holidays, Passover or Pesach (its Hebrew name) is the one most tied to food. For starters, it is the only one with a specific Biblical commandment to eat something (matzah), as well as one to avoid an entire other class of foods (chametz — leavened dough). And although we no longer sacrifice the Paschal Lamb, […]
