Skip to content
Taste of Jewish Culture

Taste of Jewish Culture

Food History, Plus

  • Home
  • About this Site
    • Who Am I?
    • About the Book
  • Podcast
  • Events
  • Food Talks
  • Press
  • Contact

Tag: Ashkenazic Food

Episode 13 – Kugel: Spirituality in the Jewish Kitchen and Beyond
August 15, 2024August 15, 2024

Episode 13 – Kugel: Spirituality in the Jewish Kitchen and Beyond

Classic Foods by FunJoel0 comments

Kugel is more a class of foods, than a food. Growing out of the medieval Ashkenazi kitchen, it went through a multi-stage development process, and now comes in many forms. It remains, however, one of the most popular Shabbat dishes. But primarily due to its popularity, it also grew into a dish that is particularly revered by Chasidic Jews. Understanding […]

Read more
Episode 10 – Pastrami: The Uniqueness of American-Jewish Food
July 3, 2024

Episode 10 – Pastrami: The Uniqueness of American-Jewish Food

Classic Foods by FunJoel0 comments

What makes American-Jewish pastrami different from other deli meats? How does it compare with its European precursors? How did the delicatessen embody the American-Jewish experience? And how similar are American-Jewish and European Ashkenazi cuisines? Among other questions, this is what I explore in episode 10, focused on the beloved food of New York City, pastrami. Interview: Ted Merwin Episode Notes

Read more
Chopped Liver’s Staying Power
June 20, 2024

Chopped Liver’s Staying Power

Classic Foods by FunJoel1 comment

Chopped liver is peculiar. I don’t mean that word using its somewhat negative connotations. I mean to use its denotative meanings of distinctive, special, and particular. In this post, I want to explain what is different about chopped liver within the Jewish Food canon, and also explore potential reasons for that peculiarity. I wrote about this topic once in my […]

Read more
The German-Jewish Cookbook: From the Bookshelf
May 16, 2024

The German-Jewish Cookbook: From the Bookshelf

Books by FunJoel0 comments

I have written previously about the effects of the Holocaust on Jewish cuisine, most prominently in the breaking of the chain of transmission from generation to generation. This resulted in a tremendous amount of cultural knowledge being lost. We do have a few books that can help us learn about pre-war European Jewish food. For example, there is a unique […]

Read more
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 […]

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

Jewish Food that Isn’t Ashkenazi or Sephardi

Classic Foods by FunJoel3 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 […]

Read more
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 FunJoel3 comments

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 […]

Read more
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 […]

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

Eat and be Satisfied: The Jewish Food Bookshelf

Books by FunJoel3 comments

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 […]

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

Ashkenazi Food: Unrecognized Diversity

Classic Foods by FunJoel3 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 […]

Read more

Posts navigation

Older posts

About

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.

Upcoming Talks

Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events.
Logo for 18 Jewish Foods podcast by Jewish food researcher Joel Haber. 1 is a long jachnun. 8 is a bowl of hamin and a handmade matzoh.

Check out my new podcast by clicking above, or find it on any major platform.

Mailing List

My newsletter goes out no more than once a month. Stay updated on my writing, speaking engagements and other Jewish food info. (By clicking "Sign Up" you agree to receive periodic emails.)

Subscribe

To get every post from this site when they are posted, CLICK HERE.

Any Questions?

What do you want to know about Jewish Food? ASK ME and I'll try to answer in a future blog post!

Follow Me

Send me a message:

JewishFoodBook@gmail.com

Visit this blog's sister site:

Categories

Tags

chulent (10)cookbooks (8)Italy (12)shabbat stew (14)bread (7)Hungary (7)Rosh Hashana (7)hamin (9)Sephardic Food (16)America (15)Germany (7)Alcohol (8)kugel (7)Greece (8)Jerusalem (8)Shabbat foods (8)Passover (13)Israel (24)Ashkenazic Food (19)Pesach (11)bagel (7)Morocco (7)Poland (9)

Recent

  • Feb 16, 2025 Episode 20 – Wrap-Up: Celebrating Jewish History and Culture via Food
  • Feb 16, 2025 Episode 19 – Egg Cream: Nostalgia Value in a Refreshing Cold Drink
  • Oct 30, 2024 Episode 18 – Choucroute Garnie à la Juive: An Alsatian Jewish Mouthful
  • Oct 16, 2024 The Unknown Jewish Culinary Connection to the Barely Edible Etrog
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Esfahan by OptimaThemes.