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A review by megami
The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York by Claudia Roden
4.0
Just as with another of her books, Arabesque, with The Book of Jewish Food Roden manages to combine food writing with recipes that make this book a delight to both read and cook from. She explores her own Jewish roots and the culture and history of the whole diaspora by writing about the meals, traditions and recipes she uncovers on her search for Jewish food.
The recipes are organised in two broad sections - Ashkenazi and Serphadic - and within different food categories within these two broad distinctions. Some of the recipes are complicated or time consuming, but many are simple and plenty could be made from regular ingredients you have in the kitchen right now (though half the fun is finding out about new ingredients or new ways to use ingredients you thought you already knew about). For this household there is the added bonus that many of the recipes are vegan - especially those of the Bene Israel, the Jews of India - or are easily 'veganised', though this is more true for the Serphadic than Ashkenazi section.
I also found it very interesting to find many recipes my non-Jewish grandmother cooked, obviously influenced by her Prussian roots - much of what is perhaps now considered 'Ashkenazi food' was once just 'poor middle European people food'.
Even if you are not Jewish or even interested in Jewish culture, try and get your hands on this book. The food writing is fantastic and the recipes are worth exploring.
The recipes are organised in two broad sections - Ashkenazi and Serphadic - and within different food categories within these two broad distinctions. Some of the recipes are complicated or time consuming, but many are simple and plenty could be made from regular ingredients you have in the kitchen right now (though half the fun is finding out about new ingredients or new ways to use ingredients you thought you already knew about). For this household there is the added bonus that many of the recipes are vegan - especially those of the Bene Israel, the Jews of India - or are easily 'veganised', though this is more true for the Serphadic than Ashkenazi section.
I also found it very interesting to find many recipes my non-Jewish grandmother cooked, obviously influenced by her Prussian roots - much of what is perhaps now considered 'Ashkenazi food' was once just 'poor middle European people food'.
Even if you are not Jewish or even interested in Jewish culture, try and get your hands on this book. The food writing is fantastic and the recipes are worth exploring.