Native Name: Latkes (Yiddish) Dietary Tags: Pareve, Kosher (Pareve) Cultural Background: Latkes, crispy fried potato pancakes, are the signature dish of Hanukkah, cooked in oil to commemorate the miracle of the small jar of oil that burned for eight days in the rededicated Temple in Jerusalem. Served with applesauce or sour cream, latkes have become […]
Native Name: Lekach Dietary Tags: Pareve, Kosher (Pareve) Cultural Background: Lekach, a moist spiced honey cake, is one of the most traditional Ashkenazi Rosh Hashanah desserts, its sweetness echoing the holiday's theme of hopes for a sweet new year. Often baked pareve so it can follow either a meat or dairy meal, it has been […]
Introduction: Flaounes are rich pastries filled with a mix of local cheeses, semolina, mint and raisins, traditionally baked in the days leading up to Orthodox Easter to break the Lenten fast. Cultural Background: Flaounes are rich pastries filled with a mix of local cheeses, semolina, mint and raisins, traditionally baked in the days leading up […]
Introduction: A comforting egg-lemon chicken soup found across Cyprus especially during colder winter months and as a gentle dish for the unwell. Cultural Background: A comforting egg-lemon chicken soup found across Cyprus especially during colder winter months and as a gentle dish for the unwell. The technique of tempering whisked egg and lemon into hot […]
Native Name: Kneidlach Soup Dietary Tags: Meat, Kosher (Meat) Cultural Background: Known affectionately as 'Jewish penicillin,' matzo ball soup is a cornerstone of Ashkenazi comfort food, built on a golden chicken broth studded with light, fluffy matzo meal dumplings. It is a fixture at Passover Seders (when matzo meal replaces flour) and is served year-round […]
Native Name: Sabich Dietary Tags: Pareve, Vegetarian, Kosher Cultural Background: Sabich – a pita stuffed with fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg, Israeli salad, amba (pickled mango sauce) and tahini – was created by Iraqi Jewish immigrants to Israel in the 1930s as a traditional Shabbat breakfast, using ingredients that could sit overnight without cooking. It later […]
Native Name: Rugelach (Yiddish/Polish: 'little twists') Dietary Tags: Dairy, Kosher (Dairy) Cultural Background: Rugelach – small, crescent-shaped pastries rolled around a sweet filling – originated among Ashkenazi Jews in Poland and spread throughout Jewish communities worldwide. The name means 'little twists' in Yiddish, and the pastries are a beloved treat for Hanukkah and everyday Shabbat […]
Introduction: Croquetas de Jamón are creamy béchamel-based ham croquettes, breaded and fried until crisp, and are a direct inheritance from Spanish colonial cuisine that became fully Cuban through their presence at every cafeteria counter and family gathering across the island. Cultural Background: Croquetas de Jamón are creamy béchamel-based ham croquettes, breaded and fried until crisp, […]
Native Name: Patina de Piris Cultural Background: This baked pear custard appears in Apicius as a sweet patina, boiled pears mashed and combined with honey, wine, eggs and warming spice, then baked until set – a dish clearly designed to be served at the close of a formal Roman dinner, the secunda mensa or 'second […]
Native Name: Gustatio Frigida Cultural Background: Prandium, the Roman midday meal, was usually light and often eaten cold or standing up, made up of leftovers from the night before. A platter of hard-boiled eggs, olives and salted fish was a common prandium in both modest and comfortable households, needing no cooking fire to reheat. Tips: […]