Food and family have always been important to the Jewish People. Although some may say that what we eat speaks to who we are, there is no really clear definition of Jewish cuisine.
It varies enormously from country to country and within different communities, and it’s a function of Jewish dietary laws, Jewish Sabbath laws, holiday rituals and the local food and cooking customs of the many lands in which Jews have lived over the centuries.
It could be said that Jewish Cookery is the world’s first example of fusion cooking.
The importance of religion in our food cannot be underestimated. For example, on Shabbat, because we are not permitted to cook or light a fire, Jews have developed the talent of using one pot to combine the best ingredients the household can buy, cooked on a very low heat before sundown and eaten for lunch on Shabbat. Stews such as cholent, hameem and adafina have become classic recipes.
In Russia, the dish is served with kasha, buckwheat toasted with onions and mushrooms. In Czechoslovakia it is served with kugel, and the Poles tend to make it with potato dumplings. The Sephardi communities call their version adafina, which means “buried,” referring to the cooking pot that was buried in the fireplace ashes and to the eggs cooked in their shells that were buried in the stew.
Shabbat would not be the same without challah, the ultimate in Jewish bread. Traditionally, kosher challah is made pareve, and the two loaves used on Friday night signify the double portion of manna that was provided for the Israelites in the desert before Shabbat, following the Exodus from Egypt.
Like Shabbat, Jewish holidays provide an opportunity for speciality dishes connected to our history and traditions. On Shavuot, it is customary to have dairy foods, and for many, it is viewed as the “cheesecake festival.” One of the reasons given for use of dairy products is that the Israelites in the wilderness were not familiar with the laws of kashrut and it was simpler to keep to non-meat ingredients.
Ethnic background also played an important part in the way Jewish cuisine developed. Jews have travelled to nearly every corner of the globe, and life in the Diaspora has contributed to many of the differences that exist within our religion and its cuisine.
Ashkenazi Jews originate from Russia and eastern European countries like Poland, and their cuisine is heavily influenced by the cold climate. Vegetables were pickled in salt rather than fermented with spices. Examples include pickled brisket, red cabbage, cucumbers and beetroot. Freshwater fish like carp and herring were smoked and salted. Sugar, honey, raisins and lemon juice were commonly used to preserve food. Sweet and sour recipes were popular. Potatoes in the form of kugels, latkes and dumplings helped the poor community make a little go a long way!
By contrast, Sephardi cuisine was developed by Jews living in hot climates. It blends their heritage and dietary laws with a distinct influence from the Iberian and Arabic culture and traditions. Its cuisine is fragrant with spices including cinnamon, turmeric and cumin, and herbs like coriander, dill and mint. Olive oil is a staple. The onions, potatoes and chicken fat that were basic ingredients for Ashkenazim are virtually unknown!
Differences are also evident when it comes to Passover. Sephardi Jews have the custom of eating rice, legumes, corn and beans – all foods that are forbidden for Ashkenazi Jews at that time.
Symbolism is yet another element that influences our Jewish cuisine, and Passover is the best-known example. Matzah, the unleavened bread eaten on Pesach, is symbolic of the time when the Jews left Egypt in such haste that they did not have time to let their bread rise.
But we have now added a more modern touch – coconut pyramids, matzah balls and macaroons have become classics during this eight-day festival because they use permitted ingredients.
On Sukkot, the harvest festival, we eat in a sukkah and our recipes include lots of fruits and vegetables, often stuffed to symbolize the wish for a bountiful harvest.
Another symbolic Jewish classic are hamantashen we eat on Purim, when the three-cornered pastries represent Haman’s ears.
So the vast array of recipes that we now enjoy are the result of our having vacuumed up the flavours, ingredients and recipes from the countries that our ancestors have travelled through or lived in and then adapted in order to adhere to the laws of kashrut.
Just as the Jewish people are a melange of nationalities and backgrounds, our food, too, has a complicated DNA made up of various strands, all of which create the exciting and varied range of menus that we choose from today.
