Did you know there are uniquely Jewish foods in India? Did you even know there were Indian Jews? (I hope so, though I’m sure that at least a few of you were unaware.) Indian Jewish Food is complex, so I want to write this new primer to give you a summary of what makes up the cuisine of the Jews […]
What Makes a Food Jewish? (My FED Talk)
Yes, you read that title right. Not TED Talk, but FED Talk. “FED Talks are like Jewish TED Talks, and since they’re Jewish, there is of course food! As they state on their website, FED: Like TED, but you get fed.” When I heard about this NYC-based program, I thought, “That’s right up my alley.” So I spoke with Deborah […]
Israelis Respond to War’s Pain With Food Love
In light of the horrific and ongoing pain and losses that Israel (and the Jewish people at large) endured over the past month, we are all trying our hardest to do what Jews have always done in the face of adversity: persevere. And perhaps not surprisingly, food has played a large role in how we have coped and supported each […]
Fall 2023 Lecture Tour
As I’m sure you all know, these are extremely difficult times in Israel, where I live, and for all Jews worldwide. But long before this all started, I had been planning for a number of months my next lecture tour, scheduled to start in a week and a half. I am understandably of mixed feelings about leaving my country at […]
From the Bookshelf: The Book of Jewish Food
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 […]
Media Updates – October 2023
Happy Sukkot! A brief post to give you a few updates on recent media appearances I’ve made. First of all, I’m proud to have not only appeared, but also to have been heavily involved in planning/producing this recent video for Unpackd, all about the regional foods one can discover in Machane Yehuda Market. As a microcosm of Jerusalem, and of […]
Win These Cookbooks!
As many of you may recall, back in the winter, I launched a website dedicated to the book I am writing. ChulentBook.com is designed to be a one-stop shop for all things Shabbat stew. The website includes recipes for Shabbat stews from around the world, and includes many that I have gathered throughout my research. But one of the cornerstones […]
What Are Keftes de Prasa?
Unlike my previous “What is…” post, this one does not look at a sub-community’s cuisine, but at a dish that is widely eaten by many different sub-communities. Keftes de Prasa, in brief, are leek fritters, beloved and eaten extensively throughout the Sephardic diaspora. From the above picture, you can see they look rather similar to potato latkes, but with some […]
So DID a Jew Invent Fish and Chips?
On more than one occasion in my writing, my Food Talks, and my tours in Machane Yehuda Market, I have repeated the statement that Fish and Chips, the great British favorite, was actually invented by a British Jew. I had read about this in multiple places, and it seemed legit to me. Then, a few weeks ago, I saw a […]
Wanna Date?
My latest article for The Nosher is out, and in it I discuss the Jewish people’s long and passionate love affair with dates. The fruit, that is. From ancient Biblical references, both literal and metaphoric, to ritual observances and customs, this shriveled brown sweet thing crops up repeatedly throughout our history. When you blend that with modern Israeli daring and […]
