Food

Beyond the Bagel

Image by Thinkstock

By Leah Koenig June 8, 2015

Granola and yogurt. Waffles with maple syrup. Fried eggs on toast. Is there anything more satisfying than a good, unhurried breakfast?

It’s certainly up there.

And when you add a side of Jewish culture, history and recipes, it’s even better.

As a bona fide breakfast fanatic, I am thrilled to announce Beyond the Bagel, a weekly column on the Forward’s food channel that will serve up the best tastes from the Jewish breakfast table. After all, bagels, lox and a Sunday New York Times may be an iconic combination, but they only tell a fraction of the story.

Image by Zivar Amrami

From the sumptuous Israeli hotel breakfast filled with soft white cheeses and chopped fresh salads, to the Yemenite breakfast pastry jachnun or Romania’s mamaliga (cornmeal porridge), to the eggy matzo brei slung at virtually every New York City delicatessen, the story of Jewish breakfast is as global as it is delicious.

Maybe you are the kind of person who wakes up dreaming of your next stack of pancakes. Perhaps, like me, you plan vacations around where you can find a killer biscuit-and-egg sandwich. Or you might just want something to read while you sip your morning coffee. Regardless of where you fall on the breakfast spectrum, join me as I explore how Jews around the world start their mornings — and follow me into my kitchen, where I’ll whip up recipes that will become the delight of yours.

Leah Koenig is a contributing editor at the Forward and author of “,” Chronicle Books (2015).

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