Subject Guide: Cooking & Cookbooks

Babka & Beignets: Jewish Foodways of the South

Food is a way to maintain cherished traditions and connect to ancestors, particularly for marginalized groups. It can also be a way to adapt to a new environment. The American South has a rich Jewish history dating back to the 17th century... Southern Jews have built Jewish communities within a specific regional context, sharing spaces and recipes with other Diaspora groups with the advantage of greater mobility. Culinary encounters between Sephardic, West African, French, English, Ashkenazi, and other immigrant cultures have developed for over 300 years.

Kosher Food Production in the United States and the Manischewitz Empire

The Jewish population in the U.S. currently makes up just under 2.5% of the total population, with an even lower percentage keeping kosher. Yet, over 40% of the packaged food produced in the U.S. is labeled as kosher, and American food production companies dominate the global kosher market. Many of the brands that we see on the shelves, such as Coca Cola, Kraft, and Nabisco, all produce kosher products. If such a small portion of the population eats strictly kosher, how has it become such a large industry?

From the Inquisition to The Mishiguene Restaurant: The Latin American Jewish Food Story

Take a culinary tour of Jewish Latin America with esteemed food and culture writer and cookbook author Jayne Cohen. We begin our journey during the Inquisition and travel all the way to today’s Mishiguene, the Jewish restaurant in Buenos Aires rated number 18 on Latin America’s 50 Best list. Along the way we explore diverse Jewish foodways south of the border, from tamales con schmaltz, posole with matzoh balls and guava-filled sufganiyot, to Cuba's kosher butcher and the most traditional kitchens. And then we take a look at how Latin American Jewish immigrants are changing the landscape of Jewish cuisine in the U.S.

Zabar's: A Family Story: Three Generations in Conversation

When Louis and Lilly Zabar rented a counter in a dairy store on 80th Street and Broadway in 1934 to sell smoked fish, they could not have imagined that their store would eventually occupy half a city block and become a beloved mecca for quality food of all kinds. Lori Zabar paints a delectable portrait of Zabar's as it is today—the intoxicating aromas, the crowds, the devoted staff—and shares behind-the-scenes anecdotes of the long-time employees, family members, eccentric customers, and celebrity fans who have created a uniquely American institution that honors its immigrant roots, revels in its New York history, and is relentless in its devotion to the art and science of selling gourmet food.
 

CJHTalks: Phil Rosenthal in Conversation with Marjorie Ingall

Everyone knows Phil Rosenthal loves to eat. The star of the hit series, Somebody Feed Phil, and co-creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, travels the world to taste the best local cuisine. So, what will we feed Phil at the Center for Jewish History? With hundreds of vintage Jewish cookbooks here in the archives, we have a few recipes in mind. (Crisco Recipes for the Jewish Housewife, anyone?) Tablet’s Marjorie Ingall joins Phil for a mouthwatering conversation about his fabulous food forays, his German-Jewish family, and the two key ingredients in his phenomenal show-biz success.

Join us for an exploration into the heart of Jewish food, with an emphasis on the Ashkenazi table. This course features hundreds of never-before-seen archival objects, lectures by leading scholars, and video demonstrations of your favorite Jewish recipes by renowned chefs. Discover how the essence of Jewish food has remained constant even as the recipes have evolved and changed with the migration of Jews around the world.

Featuring: Joan Nathan, Michael Twitty, Alice Feiring, Mitchell Davis (James Beard Foundation), Niki Russ Federman & Josh Russ Tupper (Russ & Daughters), Jake Dell (Katz’s Deli), Darra Goldstein, Liz Alpern & Jeffrey Yoskowitz (The Gefilteria), Lior Lev Sercarz (La Boite), Adeena Sussman, Ilan Stavans, Leah Koenig, Michael Wex and more!