Food -
Modern Jewish Cuisine
It is not surprising that Jewish cookery possesses characteristics of
its own which differentiate it from ordinary cookery. The dietary and
ceremonial laws to which orthodox Jews conform have naturally evolved a
particular kind of culinary art. The institution of the Passover, the
distinction between permitted and forbidden foods, the regulations as to
butter and meat, and the custom of abstaining from meat at certain
seasons, have all contributed to make Jewish cookery distinctive. But
the preparation of food for the table is a matter which will always be
influenced by local conditions. Every country and district has its
favorite dishes, largely dependent upon its particular food products.
Hence, Jews have carried with them, wherever they have wandered, the
styles of cookery prevailing in the countries from which they have
migrated. Thus in England old-fashioned Jews, who retain the customs of
the ghetto, are comparative strangers to the plain English roast,
boiled, and grilled meats, preferring the more savory dishes of the
Continent. From Spain and Portugal they have derived, along with their
fondness for olives, their custom of frying fish and other foods in oil.
From Germany they have taken the habit of sour-stewing and sweet-stewing
meats. To Holland they owe a taste for pickled cucumbers and herrings,
and from the same country come such Jewish dainties as butter cakes and
"bolas" (jamrolls). From Poland, on the other hand, Jewish immigrants
have brought into their new homes "lokschen" or "frimsel" soup (cooked
with goose fat), stuffed fish, and various kinds of stewed fish. In this
way almost all varieties of Jewish cookery are reproduced in an English
form, to which this article is mainly confined. (see image) Egyptian
Cookery, Showing Processes of Preparing Food.(After Lepsius, "Denkmaler.")
Another influence has to be noted. The stringency of the dietary laws
has combined with the peculiar domesticity of Jewish life to make
cooking the special business of Jewish wives and daughters. It has thus
been raised to the character of a fine art, even among the humblest
classes. In the ghettos of Jewry no housewife would think of relegating
the preparation of meals to a servant. Only by attending to them herself
can she satisfy her consciencethat such ritual requirements as the "kashering"
of meat, the keeping apart of butter and meat, and the separation of "ḥallah"
(the bread-offering) have been duly complied with. The kitchen has,
therefore, always been regarded among orthodox Jews as the chief
province of a Jewish housewife, and to her supremacy in this region the
Scriptural words "The king's daughter is all glorious within" (Ps. xlv.
13) have not inaptly been applied. In times gone by, especially when the
facilities of travel were few, the male members of a Jewish family whose
vocations took them away from home would be exposed to many privations.
Thus the responsibilities of Jewish housewives would be heightened. They
would exercise their ingenuity to the utmost so that on the return of
the breadwinners their hardships might be forgotten in the enjoyment of
appetizing dishes. The influence of the dietary laws and ceremonial
customs on Jewish cookery can be further traced in the details of the
kitchen.
Passover Cookery
The institution of the Passover, with its commandment to abstain during
the festival from eating leavened bread, has had the natural effect of
developing special kinds and methods of cooking appropriate to that
period. The unleavened bread is not merely a staple article of food, but
an ingredient of almost every Passover dish. "Maẓẓah klös" (dumpling)
soup takes the place of lokshen for this week, and an immense variety of
sweet cakes and puddings, manufactured from ground maẓẓah meal, replaces
the confectionery and pastries of ordinary occasions. Fish, instead of
being fried in a batter, is cooked with meal. An excellent flour can be
made of potatoes, and Jewish cooks make use of it for pastries during
Passover. All dishes which can be made from eggs are in special request,
and this accounts for the popularity of almond pudding as a Jewish
delicacy. Jews are also debarred during Passover from drinking malt
liquor, which has to be replaced by such beverages as sassafras and
lemonade.
Fish
From very early times, as far back even as their sojourn in Egypt (Num.
xi. 5), Jews have shown a strong liking for fish, and have developed
special skill in its preparation. There are many reasons for this
preference: (1) The necessity of abstaining from meat not killed
according to Jewish law makes them particularly dependent upon fish. (2)
It is not regarded as meat, and can therefore be eaten in conjunction
with butter. (3) There are seasons, such as the "Nine Days," when strict
Jews abstain from meat altogether. (4) The eating of fish has always
been associated with the celebration of the Sabbath. From no orthodox
table is fish absent at one or more of the Sabbath meals, however
difficult it may be to procure. In inland countries like Poland, Jews
are limited to fresh-water fish.
There are several distinctively Jewish modes of preparing fish, and
English Jews have paid special attention to their practise. Anglo-Jewish
methods of cooking fish were first introduced by Portuguese Jews, and
copied by German Jews. Their favorite fish is salmon, which is either
fried, white-stewed, or brown-stewed. Fish, white-stewed, with lemon and
bread balls, is a specifically Jewish preparation, typical of their
fondness for piquant stews in preference to the plain preparation common
in non-Jewish families. Smoked salmon is another Jewish delicacy, and
this, together with pickled herrings, pickled (yellow) cucumbers, and
olives, is often to be seen on Jewish tables as appetizing adjuncts to
fried fish.
Meat and butter
The principal concern in the preparation of food for a Jewish table is
compliance with the ritual requirements for Kasher meat. Orthodox Jews
will not partake of meat unless, in addition to having been killed in
accordance with rabbinical law, it has been entirely drained of blood.
Therefore, before being cooked, it needs to be steeped in water for half
an hour. On being taken out it is laid on a perforated board, sprinkled
lightly with salt, and left for one hour. At the end of this time the
salt is washed off (see Meliḥah). Meat may not be cooked with butter or
milk. Oil, and certain portions of the fat of clean animals (the or
kasher fat, as distinguished from the , or ṭerefah fat), are the only
fats that may be used. So far as cookery is concerned, the distinction
between butter and meat necessitates the use of a double set of
utensils. Some Jews have two kitchens, one for meat and one for butter;
and two separate dressers are common. Jewish cooks are debarred from
using butter in pastries, which are to be eaten in conjunction with
meats, and from using milk or cream under the same circumstances. For
butter, melted fat must be substituted, while cream may be imitated in a
variety of ways. One reason why almond pudding is a favorite in
Anglo-Jewish households is that it does not require either meat or
butter, and can therefore be eaten at any meal.
Sabbath preparations
Notice must be taken of the special preparations made for the Sabbath.
The Sabbath dish par excellence is the "kugel." Orthodox Jews not being
permitted to cook on the Sabbath, their ingenuity has been much taxed to
provide hot food for the day of rest. In the height of summer, cold
meats are acceptable enough. The difficulty is to provide hot dishes in
winter, and it has been overcome by the preparation of a dish known as "kugel."
It consists, generally, of meat stewed with peas and beans, and placed
in the oven before Sabbath. The fire having been made up, and the oven
firmly closed, the dish requires no further attention, and will retain
its heat until it is wanted for the Sabbath midday meal. The term
"shalet" (see "sholent" in the article Cookery in Eastern Europe) is
used in some parts of Europe to designate what has just been described
as kugel, while "kugel" is used as the name of a variety of shalet
containing much fat; in other parts (e.g., Bavaria) "shalet" is used of
a sort of baked pudding; e.g., maẓẓah, apple, nudel, or almond shalet.
The form "shulet" also occurs, as in Bohemia, to indicate the "gesetztes
essen" called "kugel" in the beginning of this paragraph. "Shalet" is
explained by some authorities as a corruption of the German "schul ende,"
that being the name of a pudding which is prepared on Friday, to be
ready when Sabbathmorning or afternoon service is over. Others derive it
from ("that which remains [in the oven] overnight"), the final "t" being
the German ending. The real derivation is probably from the Old French "chauld"
(warm). The prohibition against cooking on Sabbath explains why fried
fish, being primarily a Sabbath dish, is eaten by Jews cold, whereas
other people eat it hot. Stewed fish is, of course, also eaten cold.
A prominent feature of Sabbath cookery is the preparation of twists of
bread, which are known as "challahs" or, as in southern Germany,
Austria, and Hungary, as "barches." They are often covered with seeds to
represent manna, which fell in a double portion on the sixth day. One
other item remaining to be mentioned is raisin wine. Jews are required
to offer over a cup of wine the Sabbath prayer for the sanctification of
food. But in many countries wine is too expensive a luxury for the
majority of Jewish families. A cheap preparation, made of boiled
raisins, is therefore substituted, which, though it is far from
resembling wine, satisfies all the requirements of the ritual.
Bibliography: A Jewish Manual of Cookery, edited by a lady, Boone, 1826;
Aunt Sarah's Cookery Book for a Jewish Kitchen, Liverpool, 1872; 2d ed.,
1889; Mrs. J. Atrutel, Book of Jewish Cookery, London, 1874; May Henry
and Edith Cohen, The Economical Cook, London, 1889; Aunt Babette's Cook
Book, Cincinnati, 1890. The last contains a number of Jewish recipes,
but is not restricted to Jewish cookery.
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