In the Jewish home, food often plays a central role. It tells the story of where that family has come from and where they have been, who they have met, and, of course, brings everyone together at a table. So many Jewish homes have different-looking tables throughout the year, and here with The Jewish Holiday Table, you can experience an incredible variety for yourself.
This is not a typical cookbook, with one author detailing their career recipes. Instead, it is a collection of recipes from 30 Jewish cooks of different backgrounds, all brought together by Naama Shefi and the Jewish Food Society. Each cook offers up their recipes for a unique holiday meal in their home, and the book takes us through every holiday on the Jewish calendar and all the possibilities that come with those meals. As it’s pointed out in the book, for many Jews, the meal is an integral part of a holiday, sometimes the only part of the holiday that someone might observe. And indeed, there’s no one correct way to have a Rosh Hashanah dinner or Shabbat meal. Instead, there are numerous traditions available that The Jewish Holiday Table invites us to learn about and experience.
For example, next year, for the Passover seder, you could look into one of the cooks who offers a “Mexico-meets-New York kind of seder” and shares with the readers how her great-grandmother’s immigrating from Ukraine to Mexico influenced the dishes at her holiday table. Recipes such as her Gefilte Fish in Spicy Tomato Sauce provide us with an exciting and spicy new twist on what is considered an Ashkenazi classic and is perfect for those looking to revamp an old favorite at their own table. Try it for yourself here.
Unlike a typical cookbook with a typical table of contents, The Jewish Holiday Table takes you chronologically through the Jewish holiday cycle from Rosh Hashanah to Shavuot and then concludes with Shabbat. While the layout is lovely and thoughtful, the downside of this is that if there’s a recipe you liked and want to find again, you have to first remember the meal it came from before flipping through the book to locate it. This tiny issue aside, it also offers the opportunity to be inspired by a full meal instead of just one single recipe.
You could choose to dive into Naama Shefi’s Shabbat meal, inspired by her kibbutz upbringing and life, with lovely recipes like her Zucchini Pashtida, a version of a zucchini casserole. A recipe like this is an easy crowd-pleaser, and great for those looking to make a dish for their big family. Check it out for yourself here.
One of the truly wonderful aspects of this book is that it also explores and introduces readers to Jewish food traditions from communities they might be less familiar with. For example, you can dive in and experience an Ethiopian Shabbat meal filled with the emotion and strength of this cook’s family as they kept these traditional recipes with them on their journey. Learn to make Dabo, an Ethiopian bread that can be used in place of challah for Shabbat.
There is so much to learn about and discover in The Jewish Holiday Table, and it is truly a beautiful project from the Jewish Food Society that can connect all Jewish home cooks together from around the world. Whether you’re just interested in learning more about different Jewish traditions from alternative backgrounds than your own or looking to spice things up and add new recipes and meals to your holiday and Shabbat table, there is something special to be found in this book.
This article was originally published by a aish.com . Read the Original article here. .