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Tag: Pesach

Episode 4 – Charoset: And Other Symbolic Holiday Foods
April 10, 2024April 10, 2024

Episode 4 – Charoset: And Other Symbolic Holiday Foods

Classic Foods by FunJoel0 comments

Charoset is eaten at the Passover Seder, but unlike many other foods, its origins are a bit less clear. It is certainly ancient, but it isn’t mandated in the Torah, as is matzah. Furthermore, we know that it is a symbolic food, but what EXACTLY is it a symbol of? By exploring charoset, as well as many other symbolic foods […]

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What Is Kitniyot?
April 9, 2024

What Is Kitniyot?

Holiday Food by FunJoel0 comments

Before I even get into the discussion explaining what kitniyot is, I need to express a caveat. The very topic I am about to explore is one that often leads to heated discussions and debate full of emotion and passion. I will not be making suggestions about what any person should or should not do or believe, nor about the […]

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Episode 2 – Matzah: The Food That Sustained Us
April 1, 2024April 9, 2024

Episode 2 – Matzah: The Food That Sustained Us

Holiday Food by FunJoel1 comment

Matzah (or matzo) is arguably the most Jewish Food there is, eaten annually for Passover, especially at the seder, the formal Passover meal. This episode explores the origins of matzah, what differentiates it from other flatbreads, how it has changed over the millennia, how important it was throughout Jewish history, and what are some of the popular Jewish Foods that […]

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The Passover Foods That Unite Us
March 17, 2023

The Passover Foods That Unite Us

Classic Foods by FunJoel0 comments

On Passover, many people highlight the food customs that divide Jews into different groups. One of the “worst offenders” in this context is kitniyot; Ashkenazi Jews have the custom not to eat foods such as rice, corn, sesame, and beans, while many non-Ashkenazim have no issue consuming such foods on the holiday. Still, as I wrote previously, it isn’t like […]

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Cooking Jewish Culture: Passover Onion Rolls
April 20, 2022

Cooking Jewish Culture: Passover Onion Rolls

Cooking Jewish Culture by FunJoel4 comments

Every year my mom used to make her Passover rolls, and over time I’ve seen many people use a generally similar recipe. Not sure when this was started or by whom (though I’m guessing it is Ashkenazi, as others would eat kitniyot, more than relying on matzoh meal), but it became very popular. I’ve tweaked it a bit, improving it […]

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Media Updates
April 5, 2022

Media Updates

Articles by FunJoel0 comments

Just a brief post to update you all about some recent media appearances that you can still check out (and one old, but still relevant one). I am the guest on the most recent episode of the Jewanced podcast. (The date in the picture above was from when we recorded it, and it was viewable on Facebook.) One of the […]

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New Passover Foods For Your Seder
March 31, 2022

New Passover Foods For Your Seder

Books by FunJoel0 comments

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 […]

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The Freaky Ancient Grain Still Prepared Today and Connected with the Season
May 4, 2021May 9, 2021

The Freaky Ancient Grain Still Prepared Today and Connected with the Season

Classic Foods by FunJoel3 comments

If you’ve attended Hebrew School, or one of many Jewish Summer Camps, you probably know the Hebrew word for Spring: Aviv. It’s an ancient word, that appears multiple times in the Jewish Bible. The only problem is… it doesn’t mean Spring. Or at least it didn’t in Biblical times. Back then, it described a food product, one that is still […]

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Borscht’s Belt Wraps Ashkenazi Food and Broader Jewish Cuisine
March 23, 2021

Borscht’s Belt Wraps Ashkenazi Food and Broader Jewish Cuisine

Classic Foods by FunJoel1 comment

When it comes to holiday food, my mother is a real traditionalist. No need to ask what will be served at the Seder, for example, because it would be the same every year. Which was also the same as what her mother prepared. One of those standard Pesach/Passover dishes was always knobl borscht. I am much less of a traditionalist […]

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Bagel, Knish & Haroset, Oh My! (On Books About Iconic Jewish Foods)
July 15, 2020

Bagel, Knish & Haroset, Oh My! (On Books About Iconic Jewish Foods)

Books by FunJoel5 comments

Of all the books I’ve come across during my research into Jewish Food, there are many wonderful ones (and some that are less great, too, of course). They fall into a wide array of categories, from cookbooks to histories, dry-but-informative academic texts to just entertaining (whether more or less informative). One of the more interesting breakdowns I’ve encountered is how […]

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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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