Tag: America
Episode 17 – Bagel: American Jewish Icon
Are bagels actually Jewish? This is one of the questions I hear most often from people discussing Jewish food. The answer, of course, is yes (or it wouldn’t be on this podcast). But tune in to find out how and why. More importantly, the changes that took place to the bagel once it reached American shores, and truly reached its […]
Episode 10 – Pastrami: The Uniqueness of American-Jewish Food
What makes American-Jewish pastrami different from other deli meats? How does it compare with its European precursors? How did the delicatessen embody the American-Jewish experience? And how similar are American-Jewish and European Ashkenazi cuisines? Among other questions, this is what I explore in episode 10, focused on the beloved food of New York City, pastrami. Interview: Ted Merwin Episode Notes
Chopped Liver’s Staying Power
Chopped liver is peculiar. I don’t mean that word using its somewhat negative connotations. I mean to use its denotative meanings of distinctive, special, and particular. In this post, I want to explain what is different about chopped liver within the Jewish Food canon, and also explore potential reasons for that peculiarity. I wrote about this topic once in my […]
Q&A: Why Can’t I Find a Good Bagel in Israel?
The question above, or the similar one that replaces “bagel” with “pastrami,” “knish” or something else of the sort, is one of the most frequent I receive, both as an American-Israeli food researcher, and as a tour guide specializining in culinary tours. When I received some form of this question on a recent tour in Machane Yehuda Market, I answered […]
Traditional Jewish Foods for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is an interesting holiday for the Jews. Certainly we are quite familiar with the concept of a thanksgiving feast; in Hebrew it is called a seudat hoda’ah, and it is commonly done for personal reasons by Jews around the world. But since, in America, it is one of the most widely observed holidays, yet does not come with accompanying […]
From the Jewish Food Bookshelf: Koshersoul
Michael Twitty’s is an interesting combination of personal identities. As he frequently reminds us in his new book Koshersoul, he is African American, Jewish, gay, and a southerner. These all combine to create the passionate blend that is his character, and as a food historian and active gastronome, they also filter into his food. This is a big part of […]
97 Orchard: From the Jewish Food Bookshelf
This book was not exactly what I thought it would be when I purchased it. And that was a very good thing! Let me start from the beginning as I explain a bit more about this different sort of entry “From the Jewish Food Bookshelf.” Before I bought 97 Orchard by Jane Ziegelman, I knew that it was connected with […]
Jewish Food Names We Rarely Think About
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 […]
Ashkenazi Food: Unrecognized Diversity
Anyone who has read my blog regularly knows that I try very hard to explore Jewish Food beyond the Ashkenazi staples that so many people think of when they think of Jewish Food. However, I also do my best to “defend” Ashkenazi food against the attacks I see as unwarranted. People think of it is boring, un-tasty, and monolithic. In […]
The Jewish Connection to a New Years Soul Food Classic
One of the amazing things you uncover when you study food is the similarities between foods of different cultures. Flavors, cooking methods, symbolism and more — when similar things crop up in the cuisines of distinct cultures, they underscore how connected we all are, rather than the things that separate us. A symbolic New Years food from the American South […]
