Kosher and Traditional Jewish Cooking: Authentic Recipes From a Classic Culinary Heritage: 130 Delicious Dishes Shown in 220 Stunning Photographs (48 page)

 

PURIM

Festival celebrating the rescue of the Jewish people from Haman, as described in the Book of Esther.

 

RAS AL HANOUT

A Moroccan spice mixture that literally means head of the shop. Ras al hanout can contain myriad ingredients, and each spice shop guards its own secret recipe.

 

ROSH HASHANAH

The Jewish New Year, literally meaning head of the year.

 

RUGELACH

Crisp, Ashkenazi cinnamon-and-sugar layered biscuits (cookies).

 

RYE BREAD

A typical bread from Eastern Europe, especially the Ukraine, where it is made with sourdough studded with caraway seeds. It is often baked on a cornmeal-coated baking sheet and is, therefore, sometimes known as corn rye.

 

SALT HERRING

Herring preserved in wooden barrels in layers of salt.

 

SAUERKRAUT

Fermented, pickled cabbage, made by salting shredded cabbage. It is a staple of the people of Eastern and parts of Western Europe.

 

SCHAV

A refreshing, sour green soup made from sorrel and eaten cold. It is a traditional Ashkenazi soup and can be bought in bottles in American delis.

 

SCHMALTZ

Yiddish for fat, usually referring to rendered chicken fat.

 

SCHMALTZ HERRING

See salt herring.

 

SCHNITZEL

Tender escalopes (US scallops) of meat or poultry, coated in crumbs and fried. They originate from Vienna.

 

SEDER

The ceremonial dinner eaten on the eve of Pesach, commemorating the flight of the Jews from Egypt.

 
 
 

SEPHARDIM

Jews who settled in Iberia (Spain and Portugal), after the destruction of the Second Temple, when they were banished from Jerusalem.

 

SHABBAT

Religious day of rest, which is a Saturday.

 

SHALACH MANOT

Food given at Purim.

 

SHALET

Baked Ashkenazi dessert of apple and eggs, favoured by the Jews of Alsace. Other ingredients such as matzo, challah, dried fruit and spices may be added.

 

SHAVUOT

Feast of the weeks, commemorating the revelation of the Ten Commandments.

 

SHOCHET

The ritual butcher, licensed to slaughter and prepare meat according the laws of Kashrut.

 

SHTETL

Yiddish for the Jewish villages of Eastern Europe.

 

SHULCHAN ARUKH

A code of Jewish law.

 

SIMCHAT TORAH

The festival of the Torah, celebrated by parading the Torah through the synagogue.

 

SOUR SALT

Citric acid, a souring agent used in Russia and in traditional Jewish cooking. It is available in crystals or grains.

 

SPAETZEL

Tiny dumplings made of noodle dough, dripped into boiling water. Also known as farfel.

 

STRUDEL

Eastern European speciality of crisp, layered pastry filled with fruit, sprinkled with sugar and served as a mid-afternoon treat with tea. Strudel can also be savoury, filled with vegetables, meat and sometimes fish.

 

SUFGANIOT

Israeli jam-filled doughnuts, eaten to celebrate Chanukkah.

 

SUKKOT

The autumn harvest festival, the celebration of which includes eating meals in gaily decorated three-walled huts known as sukkah.

 

SUMAC/SUMAK

A sour-tasting, red spice made from ground berries of the sumac plant. Israelis, and some Sephardim, sprinkle the spice over salads, breads and rice.

 

TAHINA/TAHINI

A Middle Eastern paste of toasted hulled sesame seeds, mixed with lemon juice, garlic and spices, and thinned with water. It is eaten as a sauce, dip, or ingredient in dishes such as hummus.

 

TEIGLACH

Ashkenazi cookies that have been cooked in honey. They are a Lithuanian speciality, which are popular in communities that celebrate their Lithuanian origins, such as South Africa. They are favoured at Rosh Hashanah when sweet foods are eaten in hope of a sweet new year.

 

TORAH

The scroll used in the synagogue, consisting of the first five books of the Bible, which include the Ten Commandments. The Torah was given to the Jews by God on Mount Sinai.

 

TORSHI

Pickled vegetables, eaten throughout the Middle East, especially Persia.

 

TREYF

Meaning not kosher. Also known as tref and trefah.

 

TU B’SHEVAT

Festival known as the birthday of the trees.

 

TZIMMES

A sweet dish of carrots, vegetables, dried fruit and sweetening agent such as honey or sugar. Spices, and sometimes meat, are added.

 

VARENIKES

Ashkenazi fruit-filled pasta dumplings filled with dried apricots, cherries or prunes.

 

VARNISHKES

Noodles shaped like bow ties or butterflies, often served with kasha.

 

WARKA

Very thin, transparent pastry from Morocco.

 

WAT/WOT

Spicy Ethiopian stew, enjoyed by the Bene Israel (Ethiopian Jews). It is often eaten for Shabbat.

 

YOM KIPPUR

The Day of Atonement, a solemn holy day upon which fasting is strictly observed.

 

ZAHTAR/ZA’ATAR

This is both the name of the wild herbs that grow in the hillsides of Israel and the Middle East, and the name of the spice mixture made with them, which includes zahtar, ground cumin, toasted sesame seeds, coriander seeds and sometimes a little sumac and/or crushed toasted hazelnuts. Zahtar is eaten for breakfast, as a dip with fresh pitta bread, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh goat’s cheese.

 

ZCHUG/ZHUG/ZHOUG

This Yemenite seasoning paste is one of Israel’s most popular spice mixtures. It may be red, based on chillies, garlic, spices, coriander (cilantro) and parsley, or green, with more herbs and less or no tomatoes.

 

ZEROA

A lamb’s bone, often a shank, roasted and placed on the ritual plate for Pesach. It represents the sacrificial lambs eaten on the eve of the flight of the Jews from Eygpt.

 
 
Index
 

A

almonds

buttered challah pudding with pears, cherries and almonds

Pesach almond cakes

Tunisian almond cigars

apples

noodle kugel flavoured with apple and cinnamon

Polish apple cake

strudel

apricots

hamantashen

artichokes

artichokes with garlic, lemon and olive oil

deep-fried artichokes

lamb with globe artichokes

Ashkenazim

classic Ashkenazi gefilte fish

aubergines

baba ghanoush

Balkan aubergines with cheese

hatzilim pilpel

smoky aubergine and pepper salad

B

baba ghanoush

bagels

baklava

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

barley

mushroom, bean and barley soup

beans

chamim

lamb pot-roasted with tomato sauce, beans and onions

lubiya

mushroom, bean and barley soup

white beans with green peppers in a spicy dressing

beef

Bachi’s braised minced beef patties with onions

holishkes

pot-roasted brisket

beetroot

beetroot with fresh mint

chrain

fragrant beetroot and vegetable soup with spiced lamb kubbeh

herring salad with beetroot and sour cream

sweet and sour cabbage, beetroot and tomato borscht

berbere

besan

betza/beitzah/baitzah

blintzes

borscht

botarga

bread

bagels

challah

coriander and cheese yeasted flat breads

mushroom caviar on garlic-rubbed rye toasts

New York seeded corn rye sourdough

onion rolls

pitta bread

pumpernickel

Yemeni sponge flat breads

brik

brik à l’oeuf

Britain

buckwheat

kasha and mushroom knishes

kasha varnishkes

bulgur wheat

tabbouleh

buttered challah pudding with pears, cherries and almonds

C

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