Growing up in the Midwest in the 1980s and 1990s, I never knew from a bialy. Bagels we had aplenty — though mostly oversized and of the blasphemously flavored variety (think blueberry and, my childhood favorite, chocolate chip). But shortly after moving to New York in my early 20s, I met the beautiful bialy —…
The best food writing isn’t only about food. It’s about considering the world — a community, a region, a country — at a moment in time, through its flavors, textures, ingredients, cooking methods and dining traditions. That’s exactly what Leah Koenig, 33, achieved this year with the publication of her second cookbook, “Modern Jewish Cooking:…
Traveling to Israel, like visiting Rome or Paris, tends to result in euphoric, sometimes life-altering food experiences. For me, it was all about the Turkish coffee. I was 24 and somewhere in the Negev desert, staffing a along with Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian alumni of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. In the already punishing…
Do you know bostock? It’s an almond and orange flower syrup–soaked slice of brioche, topped with almond cream, and baked until browned, puffed, and gorgeous. If you like almond croissants, you’ll go crazy for bostock. The softly floral tone comes from a syrup made using orange flower water, a little almond extract, and fresh orange…
Brunching with legendary Jewish-food authority Arthur Schwartz at New York’s hot new artisanal appetizing restaurant. I first met Arthur Schwartz in late 2006. I was 24, still fairly new to Brooklyn, and just beginning to dip a spoon into the field of food writing. Arthur was a lifelong New Yorker and a pioneer food writer…
(Egyptian Beans and Eggs) is one of the many Jewish morning meals worth celebrating. “What is your favorite Jewish food?” I ask this question often — at Shabbat dinner with friends, when I interview someone for a story and whenever I lead a cooking demonstration. I ask it because the query tends to elicit smiles…
When I was growing up, like many children, I looked forward to Sukkot. Every year there was a sense of anticipation swirling about the crisp air on the cusp of fall. And of all the Jewish holidays, it was the most delightfully sensory — a chance to sniff the citrusy etrog, rattle the lulav branches…
Jews probably began arriving in South Africa around the turn of the 16th century, alongside the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, but the majority of Jewish immigrants arrived in Cape Town from Germany and Holland in the early 19th century. Later, Eastern European Jews, primarily Lithuanians, came in increasing numbers until World War II. In…
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