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Tag: Ashkenazic Food

From the Bookshelf: The Book of Jewish Food
October 6, 2023

From the Bookshelf: The Book of Jewish Food

Books by FunJoel0 comments

The time has come to write about the last of my all-time top three Jewish Food books. I previously spoke about Gil Marks’ Encyclopedia of Jewish Food and John Cooper’s Eat and Be Satisfied. This third one is probably the best known: The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden. As I mentioned previously, each of these three books is […]

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Jewish Food that Isn’t Ashkenazi or Sephardi
May 19, 2023

Jewish Food that Isn’t Ashkenazi or Sephardi

Classic Foods by FunJoel2 comments

When I give my tours in Jerusalem’s open-air Machane Yehuda Market, I say something in my intro that sometimes confuses my guests. In discussing the diversity of foods that we encounter in the market, I explain there are foods from Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardi Jews, and “Jews who are neither.” Usually, I get quizzical looks from those who can’t envision Jews […]

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Q&A: Why Can’t I Find a Good Bagel in Israel?
February 8, 2023

Q&A: Why Can’t I Find a Good Bagel in Israel?

Reader Q&A by FunJoel1 comment

The question above, or the similar one that replaces “bagel” with “pastrami,” “knish” or something else of the sort, is one of the most frequent I receive, both as an American-Israeli food researcher, and as a tour guide specializining in culinary tours. When I received some form of this question on a recent tour in Machane Yehuda Market, I answered […]

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Traditional Jewish Foods for Thanksgiving
November 20, 2022

Traditional Jewish Foods for Thanksgiving

Holiday Food by FunJoel0 comments

Thanksgiving is an interesting holiday for the Jews. Certainly we are quite familiar with the concept of a thanksgiving feast; in Hebrew it is called a seudat hoda’ah, and it is commonly done for personal reasons by Jews around the world. But since, in America, it is one of the most widely observed holidays, yet does not come with accompanying […]

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Eat and be Satisfied: The Jewish Food Bookshelf
June 17, 2022

Eat and be Satisfied: The Jewish Food Bookshelf

Books by FunJoel1 comment

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 […]

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Ashkenazi Food: Unrecognized Diversity
April 27, 2022April 27, 2022

Ashkenazi Food: Unrecognized Diversity

Classic Foods by FunJoel2 comments

Anyone who has read my blog regularly knows that I try very hard to explore Jewish Food beyond the Ashkenazi staples that so many people think of when they think of Jewish Food. However, I also do my best to “defend” Ashkenazi food against the attacks I see as unwarranted. People think of it is boring, un-tasty, and monolithic. In […]

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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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Q&A: Knishes, Bourekas and Other Stuffed Goodies
February 17, 2022

Q&A: Knishes, Bourekas and Other Stuffed Goodies

Reader Q&A by FunJoel1 comment

Knishes are a type of beloved Ashkenazi stuffed pastry. Bourekas, as I’ve written about previously, are a type of beloved Sephardi stuffed pastry. Is there a connection between them, and if so, what is it? That is essentially what I was asked by two readers of my recent post about boyos and bulemas, though they asked it in somewhat different […]

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Cooking Jewish Culture: Schmaltz
February 9, 2022

Cooking Jewish Culture: Schmaltz

Classic Foods by FunJoel7 comments

Schmaltz, aka “Liquid Gold,” is the not-so secret ingredient in the classic Ashkenazi kitchen. So while last week I wrote about some truly beloved Sephardic baked goods (and a big shout out to all of the new followers to my blog, who came via that popular post), I felt this week I should go to my own heritage. After all, […]

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Q&A: All About American Jewish Deli
December 22, 2021

Q&A: All About American Jewish Deli

Classic Foods by FunJoel2 comments

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, […]

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I'm Joel Haber, and I love to talk about Jewish Food History. Learn more about me here. On this blog I explore Jewish Food and its links to Jewish Culture.

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Recent

  • Dec 05, 2023 What Makes a Food Jewish? (My FED Talk)
  • Nov 08, 2023 Israelis Respond to War’s Pain With Food Love
  • Oct 12, 2023 Fall 2023 Lecture Tour
  • Oct 06, 2023 From the Bookshelf: The Book of Jewish Food
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