Jewish Traditions Cookbook: Rosh Hashanah

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Who gets to claim falefel as their own? The Arabs make the dish all over the Middle East but the Israelis claim it as their national dish. What about Circassian Chicken? It is certainly a Turkish dish dating back to Ottoman times, Cevizli Tavuk, appearing in cookbooks like those of Nevim Halici , but it is also part of the cuisine of Turkish Jews. The Jews were forced to wander around the Meditteranean, Eastern Europe, America and the Far East and their cuisine is the cuisine of the countries and peoples among whom they lived. So the answer is: whatever dishes Jews made their own, are theirs as much as the Turks, Arabs, Poles or French, Russians or Ukranians among whom they lived. But what allowed so much of Mediteranean food to end up in the Jewish kitchen? Food writer Marlena Spieler's new encyclopedic cookbook, Jewish Traditions Cookbook, (Lorenz Books 2006) provides the answer: The Ashkenazim used the fat chicken shmatz, so most meals were de facto meat meals. As the non-Jews of the area cooked in pork fat - lard - this meant that foods which could be shared with the non-Jewish community were fewer than those of the Sephardim, who shared their love of olive oil with their Moslem neighbours. The distinction between Jew and non-Jew in Ashknazim lands grew deeper, especially where food was concerned. (p. 9 ) Spieler's encylopedia, is an atlas of the world. The best atlases are huge books with a wealth of information, pictures and stories about the countries they depict. Jewish Tradtions Cookbook is just such an atlas. It joins the world of Jews together with the countries and cuisines where they live: Jewish cooking is shaped by the places Jews have lived and the lives they have experienced. Jewish food tells a story, and influences those whom Jews have lived among. The thread that holds it all together is the dual balance of kashrut: the guide that tells Jews which foods are fit for them to eat (Kosher literally means "fit",) and the unifying force of the year of observances, the celebration and festivities of the year beginning with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.... (p. 9) Rosh Hashanah falls this year on Saturday, September 23rd (or more precisely at sunset on September 22nd). Spieler surveys the Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews and their diasporas across the world, from Greece to France, and from Uzbekistan to the Bene Menashe in India. Their different customs, holidays. festivals and observances are described. She reviews the ingredients that go into Jewish cookery, with the variations in each community, and simple recipes for Kasha (p. 54) and Berbere (p. 61) the Ethiopian spice mixture. She explains why some foods are important: Honey has been much loved by Jews since biblical descriptions of Israel as a land flowing with milk and honey. It is used to represent the sweetness of the year to come at Rosh Hashanah and is also used in baking - most famously in lekach, the honey cake eaten to celebrate a child's first day at school. (p. 61) The photography by Ian Garlick, Dave Jordan, and William Lingwood are clear and tempting, though never overly-arty. Almost all the recipes have step-by-step photographs, even if the recipe is rather simple. Often they use the bowls and plates of different regions to make each dish more attractive. The recipes are written in a clear and easy to follow manner, with amounts given in European and American measurements. The section on appetizers starts with Cucumber and Walnut Yogurt (p. 72) a Bulgarian Jewish take on Greek tzatziki (or is that Turkish cacik), followed by a recipe for Egyptian Brown Bean Salad (p. 73) which uses brown beans (broad or fava beans), which are the essential ingredient for Egypt's national dish, foul medames. Some of the recipes go by their native name, such as Muhamara (p. 77) a spicy, thick red pepper dip enjoyed in Syria and Turkey, while others just have an English name, such as Libyian Spicy Pumpkin Dip (p. 79), which surely must sound more inviting in Ladino or Arabic. There is a fun section on brunch and deli dishes, featuring a recipe for a New York Egg Cream (p. 150), contentious Falafel (p. 158) and Marinated Herrings (p. 164). There's a recipe for bagels on page 400, among many other Jewish breads, to go with all these deli dishes, but sadly none for bialys. The fish recipes are rich with Ashkenazi marinated fish like Marinated Fish with Allspice and Capers (p. 184) as well as Sepharic dishes like Oregano-Baked Tuna with Tomatoes and Golden Brown Potatoes (p. 194). There is even a Caribbean Jewish recipe for Caribbean Fish Steaks (p. 211). Jewish Tradtions joins the farflung cuisines of the Jews worldwide while explaining how the differences in the cuisine of each community came about. Even if you did not want to create a strictly Jewish meal, this cookbook is rich in clear recipes that are central to many other cuisines. Book details: Publisher Amazon.com Barnes & Noble Previous articles: [Cookbook Reviews - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, cookbooks --> back to superchefblog