Encyclopedia of Jewish Food
By Gil Marks
Before I moved to Hong Kong, the Jewish food I was most familiar with was the stuff I’d eaten at Eastern European restaurants in New York. I loved it but, because it was so rib-sticking and heavy, it wasn’t something I could eat often. It wasn’t until I moved here and became friends with some fine home cooks – one in particular, whose Passover dinners are legendary – that I realised not all Jewish food is stodgy; it’s as varied and complex as the people themselves.
Jewish people are everywhere and wherever they settle they adopt the dishes (at least the ones that meet their dietary laws) of their host countries. This means that the Jewish food you find in India will be significantly different to that found in Poland.
In his book, Gil Marks explores the world of Jewish cuisine, telling the reader about its traditions and rituals (these are similar the world over), as well as history and culture. Because the book’s an encyclopaedia, Marks uses an Ato- Z format, which can make things a bit confusing: yogurt is next to Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) and Passover is next to pasta.
The recipes are varied and interesting, and include aloo bonda (Indian potato and chickpea fritters), brik (Tunisian filled pastries), cheesecake, csipetke (a Hungarian “cross between a dumpling and noodle”), forshmak (Ukraine saltcured herring mixed with other ingredients), kolach (Czech coffee cake), kugelhopf (Alsatian yeasted cake), p’tcha (Eastern European jellied calves feet), salade Russe (Russian cooked-vegetable salad) and shakshuka (Israeli tomato stew with egg).