While cheesecake has long been popular among Jews with a sweet tooth, the creamy, rich indulgence is now as American as apple pie, a symbol of how thoroughly Jews have integrated into American life. As cookbook author Joan Nathan says, “Jews like cheesecake because they...
Recipes by Rachel Harkham As we found out while coming up with the Top 10 Jewish Foods for May's Jewish-American Heritage Month, embracing our heritage sometimes means embracing the fact that many of our time-honored traditions have been transformed to fit the tastes of mainstream American culture. Some...
Long ago, a few Jewish foods made themselves an indispensable part of the way Americans eat. So thorough was their assimilation that their popularity swiftly overshadowed their cultural origins. (These days, who thinks “Jewish” when they reach for their bagel and schmear?) ...
For many Jews, slivovitz—the Eastern European plum brandy—is wrapped in nostalgia, evoking memories of irascible relatives downing fiery shots over Yiddish banter, or the mysterious bottle at the back of your grandmother’s pantry, revealed only during Passover seders. Over the years, slivovitz has become a...
By Josh Tapper [dropcap]A[/dropcap] Bukharian Friday night dinner is an elaborate affair: Plates of carp doused with garlic sauce and cilantro, garlicky fried fish and mushroom salad flecked with dill, array the Shabbat table, enveloped in the fragrant aroma of non-toqi, a broad, flat, matzoh-like cracker. Nearly...
Foie gras—the controversial and expensive delicacy described by the renowned food encyclopedia Larousse Gastronomique as “one of the jewels in the crown of French gastronomy”—is made from the liver of a specially fattened duck or goose...
Cairo-born Claudia Roden’s first cookbook, A Book of Middle Eastern Food, published in 1968, was described by James Beard as a “landmark in the field of cookery.” Four books and many awards later, Roden in 1996 published A Book of Jewish Food, which critics praised as “masterful,”...
by Alison Morse Most days, Attilio Pavoncello, an Italian Jew and amateur chef, can be found on Via Portico D’Ottavia, the main street of Rome’s former Jewish ghetto, helping out at his wife Speranza’s souvenir shop or his son Umberto’s kosher restaurant. He has lived on...
Courtesy of A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman Makes 14 to 16 servings Filo crust 2 filo pastry leaves 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted Filling 4 eggs plus 1 egg yolk 1 and 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup honey 1/2 teaspoon sesame seed oil 1/4...
by Nevin Martell The first time I tasted halvah was on Manhattan’s Lower East Side after a long night on the town. I wandered into a corner deli offering hundreds of potential dessert options, but I was drawn to a marbled halvah bar for sale at...