The world on a Jewish table

Food has always played an important role in Jewish life because it connects daily eating with identity, memory and community. Jewish food is not a single cuisine, but a family of cuisines shaped by religion, history, migration and local culture. Across centuries, Jewish communities have carried recipes from one country to another, adapting them to new ingredients while keeping familiar rituals and meanings alive.

In the article “What is Jewish Cuisine?," the writers at Aish.com give an overview of the diverse, multicultural world of Jewish food, including recipes. They discuss the significant Jewish Diaspora communities and their foods.

Ashkenazi Jews are the descendants of Jewish people who settled in and around the Rhineland Valley, in what is today Germany and France, about 1,100 years ago. Large populations later centered in places like Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine and Russia. Classic Ashkenazi dishes include stuffed cabbage, kreplach, gefilte fish and cholent, a hearty, Ashkenazi one-pot dish comprising beef (often brisket), potatoes, beans and barley, usually seasoned with salt and pepper.

My grandparents came from Russia, which could have been Ukraine at that time. One of my fondest memories is my grandmother making tayglach during Rosh Hashanah. Tayglach are small, knotted dough balls or nuggets that are boiled in a thick honey syrup, often containing nuts or ginger. I remember how my family devoured that special dish and looked forward to it every year.

Mizrahi or “Eastern” Jews are Jews from North Africa and the Middle East and are usually what most people mean when speaking about Sephardic Jews. Sephardic cooking represents the Jewish experience in places as disparate as Morocco, Iraq, India and Iran. Mizrahi and Sephardic cuisine (North Africa, Middle East, India) is defined by vibrant spices, fresh herbs, slow-cooked stews and olive oil, heavily influencing modern Israeli cuisine. Key staples include shakshuka, a popular dish of eggs poached in a vibrant, savory sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, bell peppers, onion and garlic; haraimi, spicy fish; kubbeh soup, dumplings made from semolina, bulgur or rice filled with minced meat; bourekas, flaky pastries stuffed with various fillings; and fragrant rice dishes, often featuring dried fruits and nuts.

Ethiopian Jews for centuries lived in the Lake Tana region of northern Ethiopia. The community’s origins are uncertain although travelers, scholars and others mention them in accounts dating back as early as the ninth century. Injera is a sour Ethiopian flatbread. Ethiopian Jewish (Beta Israel) cuisine is defined by flavorful, slow-cooked stews (wots) served on injera bread, featuring spice mixes like berbere and mitmita. Key staples include sanbat wat, Sabbath chicken stew; and dabo bread, a traditional, lightly sweet Ethiopian wheat bread, often perfumed with spices like korarima (a sweeter Ethiopian cardamom), turmeric and nigella seeds, central to Ethiopian Jewish (Beta Israel) Shabbat and holiday celebrations.

Yemenite Jews trace their roots to Biblical times although much of the population immigrated to Israel on Operation Magic Carpet between 1949 and 1950. This article in Aish.com has recipes for Yemeni foods like malawach, a flaky, buttery flatbread that resembles a flattened croissant; jachnun, a cylinder-shaped pastry; kubaneh, a rich, pull-apart Sabbath bread; hilbeh; a thick, savory condiment made from ground fenugreek seeds. and zhug, a Yemenite hot sauce made from chili peppers, cilantro, garlic and spices like cumin.

Israeli Jews came to Israel as migrant Jews and entered the new State of Israel between 1948 and 1950 more than in any other equivalent period since. Israeli cuisine is a vibrant mix of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences, featuring fresh ingredients and bold flavors. It’s high in fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, seafood; and lots of extra virgin olive oil. The most iconic dishes include hummus, creamy crispy falafel; shakshuka, the popular egg dish described above in the Mizrahi and Sephardic cuisine; and the fried eggplant sandwich known as sabich.

Through exploring Jewish food, I learned how incredibly diverse and varied the cuisine is, encompassing everything from Ashkenazi comfort foods to vibrant Sephardic and Mizrahi flavors. Jewish food tells a story much larger than the plate, reflecting culture, traditions and change.

PATRICIA RASKIN, owner of Raskin Resources Productions, is an award-winning radio producer, business owner and leader. She has served on the board of directors of Temple Emanu-El, in Providence. Her “Positive Living with Patricia Raskin” podcast can be heard on voiceamerica.com.