Discovering Roman-Jewish Cuisine
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
What would New York City be without its bagels and pizza? Jewish and Italian cuisines have given this city its most famous culinary staples. This Sunday, the Forward’s food columnist, Leah Koenig, will discuss the intersection of these two food cultures.
As it turns out, Rome is one of the oldest continuous Jewish settlements in the world. Even though, throughout history, its Jewish residents was often forced to live separately from the larger community, Jewish food found its way into the Italian culture at large. Today, you can walk into virtually any restaurant in Rome and order carciofi alla guidia, or Jewish-style artichokes.
Koenig, who writes the Forward’s monthly Ingredients column, will talk about the history of Roman-Jewish cooking and share with audience members Italian-Jewish Hanukkah recipes. Her presentation, “Culture in the Cucina: How Rome’s Jews are Cooking up the Past and Future,” presented by the Jewish Historical Society of New York, will take place at Manhattan’s Park East Synagogue, 164 E. 68th Street at 2 p.m., Sunday, December 13. Admission is $5.
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