The Jewish Cookbook

by Leah Koenig, Julia Turshen (Introduction), Jenni Ferrari-Adler (Contribution by)

Overview

A rich trove of contemporary global Jewish cuisine, featuring hundreds of stories and recipes for home cooks everywhere

The Jewish Cookbook is an inspiring celebration of the diversity and breadth of this venerable culinary tradition. A true fusion cuisine, Jewish food evolves constantly to reflect the changing geographies and ingredients of its cooks. Featuring more than 400 home-cooking recipes for everyday and holiday foods from the Middle East to the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa - as well as contemporary interpretations by renowned chefs including Yotam Ottolenghi, Michael Solomonov, and Alex Raij - this definitive compendium of Jewish cuisine introduces readers to recipes and culinary traditions from Jewish communities the world over, and is perfect for anyone looking to add international tastes to their table.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780714879338
Publisher:	Phaidon Press
Publication date:	09/11/2019
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 10.90(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Leah Koenig's writing and recipes have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine's Grub Street, Saveur, Epicurious, Food52, TASTE, Departures, and Tablet magazine, among other publications. She is the author of 6 cookbooks including Modern Jewish Cooking and The Little Book of Jewish Feasts. In addition to writing, Leah leads cooking demonstrations and classes all over the world. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and two kids.

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/16/2019

In this outstanding and comprehensive cookbook, Koenig (Modern Jewish Cooking) explores Jewish cuisine from around the world. Wherever the recipes originate, they tend to be humble options: Sephardic slow-cooked eggs dyed brown with onion skins and coffee grounds, and an Ashkenazi stewed carrot tsimmes (a sweet stew) with dried fruit, for instance. A chapter on fritters presents classic potato latkes for Hanukkah and torpedo-shaped beef kibbeh from the Middle East. Along the way there are recipes for pan-fried gefilte fish in a curry sauce from South Africa, a sweet potato and pecan kugel from the American South, and a chicken and chestnut omelet from Azerbaijan. Koenig is a graceful writer, whether explaining the techniques for different challah shapes and their meanings (the braid is meant “to resemble the hair of a malevolent demon”) or differentiating Israeli-style rugelach from its American cousins. Included are recipes from restaurants that have wedded Jewish favorites with local traditions: Michael Solomonov of the restaurants Zahav and Abe Fisher in Philadelphia makes a steak sauce with soy sauce and sweet kosher wine, and from Warsaw, Poland, Aleksander Baron contributes a bread pudding dotted with poppy seeds. Desserts include dainty black-and-white cookies of the sort commonly found in New York delis, and chickpea flour shortbread. This is an excellent, thoughtful entry in Phaidon’s expanding lineup of accessible cookbooks. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

'SO PERFECT.' - Gwyneth Paltrow

'An Aladdin's café of Jewish dishes... The book charts the diaspora of the cuisine as it has travelled around the world and over many generations.' - The Jewish Telegraph

'A tome spanning the Jewish culinary canon... vibrant, exciting and hunger-inducing.' - Washington Post

'This book amply, and fascinatingly, represents the breadth of the cuisine.' - Food52

'This gorgeous book not only contains delicious, approachable recipes from all over the world, but it's also chock full of stories celebrating the diversity of the Jewish culinary tradition.' - The Pioneer Woman

'This treasure of a book includes more than 400 home-cooking recipes for everyday cuisine as well as holiday foods, with diverse dishes derived from the Americas, Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa.' - Good Housekeeping

'One of the most comprehensive collections of Jewish dishes on the shelves.' - Forbes

'[W]hat you might call a category-killer. The recipes hail from the geographically massive Jewish diaspora and are as appropriate for the everyday as they are for the holidays. Pick it up for yourself or as a host gift if you’re joining someone else for the high holy days.' - Jenny Rosenstrach, Dinner: A Love Story

From the Publisher

★ 01/01/2020

Koenig (Modern Jewish Cooking) includes familiar fare such as lox, rugelach, and gefilte fish in this standout collSECTION while also introducing other, less well-known, dishes. The strength of the book, however, is its consideration of the Jewish diaspora; for example, there are six variations of the Passover dish charoset, including Kurdish, Italian, Greek, and Indian styles. Recipes draw upon larger Jewish communities, such as in New York, as well as smaller ones, like the Ugandan community. Koenig provides introductory context for each recipe along with straightforward dirSECTIONs and vivid illustrations. VERDICT Essential for its wealth of recipes representing how Jewish communities around the world have collectively crafted a marvelous cuisine. Jewish and non-Jewish readers alike are certain to find many enticing, delicious ideas for trying in the kitchen.—Peter Hepburn, Coll. of the Canyons Lib., Santa Clarita, CA

Library Journal