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Tag: Italy

Updates (about me and others)
January 30, 2023

Updates (about me and others)

Food Talks by FunJoel0 comments

Just a few quick updates about my work, and also about a few friends and colleagues. First and foremost, I want to announce my upcoming return lecture tour in the United States! After a very successful trip in the fall of 2021 (the picture above is from my homecoming lecture in the synagogue I grew up attending), I have booked […]

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Jewish Food Names We Rarely Think About
July 22, 2022

Jewish Food Names We Rarely Think About

Classic Foods by FunJoel1 comment

When people think about Jewish Food names, they often come up with those that are derived from Hebrew, Yiddish, or Ladino, or those that are clearly tied to Shabbat, holidays and other Jewish celebrations. And yet, there is another category of Jewish Food names that many overlook, but which are the most obvious, since they display their Jewishness as openly […]

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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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Alternate Chanukkah Food Traditions and Their Surprising Sources
November 29, 2021

Alternate Chanukkah Food Traditions and Their Surprising Sources

Holiday Food by FunJoel0 comments

What are the Jewish Foods classically connected with Chanukkah (or Hanukkah, Chanuka, Hanuka, etc., choose your spelling…)? Most people would point to latkes or sufganiyot (potato pancakes or jelly doughnuts), or any of many other fried items from around the Jewish world, as the “traditional foods” for this holiday. And while I will not complain about fried yumminess (most things […]

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Thank God for Food Spoilage
June 9, 2021June 10, 2021

Thank God for Food Spoilage

Classic Foods by FunJoel0 comments

Traditional Jews have a wide array of food blessings, based on the type of food being consumed. We thank God with a different bracha (blessing) for creating grain products, fruits or wine, for example. These add up to an expression of our gratitude to the Creator for providing us not just with sustenance, but with a variety both nutritionally and […]

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Respectfully Responding to Reem Kassis (Re: Bagels)
April 13, 2021

Respectfully Responding to Reem Kassis (Re: Bagels)

Classic Foods by FunJoel1 comment

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. […]

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No, Virginia, Haman Did NOT Have Pointy Ears
February 24, 2021

No, Virginia, Haman Did NOT Have Pointy Ears

Classic Foods by FunJoel0 comments

Hamantaschen: those triangular stuffed cookies that so many of us eat on Purim. What do they actually have to do with this holiday? The answer is actually more complicated than you might think, but not as asinine as some might make it out to be (i.e. there actually is some mild significance). The most common explanations you will hear are […]

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The Unknown Jewish History of Bourekas
June 4, 2020

The Unknown Jewish History of Bourekas

Classic Foods by FunJoel9 comments

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, […]

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Mimouna Mutations and More
April 13, 2020

Mimouna Mutations and More

Holiday Food by FunJoel3 comments

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 […]

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From Slavery to Freedom via Food
April 5, 2020April 5, 2020

From Slavery to Freedom via Food

Holiday Food by FunJoel4 comments

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, […]

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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.

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Recent

  • Jan 30, 2023 Updates (about me and others)
  • Jan 20, 2023 Food Wins at the National Jewish Book Awards 2022
  • Jan 08, 2023 2022: The Year in Jewish Food
  • Dec 22, 2022 Announcing My New Website: ChulentBook.com
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