Jewish Cooking in America: A Cookbook

By Joan Nathan

Book Overview

This rich tapestry of more than three centuries of Jewish cooking in America gathers together some 335 kosher recipes, old and new. They come from both Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews who settled all over America, bringing with them a wide variety of regional flavors, changing and adapting their traditional dishes according to what was available in the new country. What makes Jewish cooking unique is the ancient dietary laws that govern the selection, preparation, and consumption of observant Jews. Food plays a major part in rituals past and present, binding family and community. It is this theme that informs every part of Joan Nathan's warm and lively text. Every dish has a story-from the cholents (the long-cooked rich meat stews) and kugels (vegetable and noodle puddings) prepared in advance for the Sabbath, to the potato latkes (served with maple syrup in Vermont and goat cheese in California) and gefilte fish (made with white fish in the Midwest, salmon in the Northwest, haddock in New England, and shad in Maryland). Joan Nathan tells us how lox and bagels and Lindy's cheesecake became household words, and how American products like Crisco, cream cheese, and Jell-O changed forever Jewish home cooking. The recipes and stories come from every part of the U.S.A. They are seasoned with Syrian, Moroccan, Greek, German, Polish, Georgian, and Alsatian flavors, and they represent traditional foods tailored for today's tastes as well as some of the nouvelle creations of Jewish chefs from New York to Tuscon. When Jewish Cooking in America was first published in 1994, it won both the IACP / Julia Child Cookbook Award for Best Cookbook of the Year and the James Beard Award for Best Food of the Americas Cookbook. Now, more than ever, it stands firmly established as an American culinary classic.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375402764
• ISBN13: 9780375402760
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 2.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

An engaging blend of food, culture, and history

This book contains user-friendly recipes, and most of the ingredients called for are easily obtainable. The majority of the recipes appear to be for dishes that are actually eaten by Jews rather than for ones that are definitely not part of Jewish cuisine although they have been passed off as such by some authors. Ms. Nathan is passionate about the food she describes and provides a generous amount of information on the history, lore, and cultural and religious traditions of the Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews who settled in America. She also includes menus, a helpful glossary of Jewish terms, and many interesting illustrations.I would also like to recommend "Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen: A Culinary Journey through Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan," by Sonia Uvezian. This definitive volume offers superb recipes and fascinating text, including information on the region's minorities (particularly Jews and Armenians) that is not found in previous cookbooks.

Jewish Cooking in America

A superlative cook book.Full of history and nostalgia.Fun to read as well as to cook from.It keeps me connected to my past.

If I had to pack one suitcase for a year, I'd pack this book

This cookbook is incredible. It not only has recipes I never thought I'd find, it presents a unique history of Jewish food and people in such a way as to bring a warm feeling to anyone of any background reading this book. It is no wonder this cookbook has received cookbook awards. That is its just deserts. In fact, this cookbook transcends its subject area, as well as the category of book. This is a cookbook that deserves a medal for fostering understanding of a people and their heritage. This cookbook was published at a unique time in the history of Jewish Cooking, capturing recipes that otherwise might have been lost to many.

How the Civil War is still being fought with matzah balls

Many times I've heard someone say, "I enjoy just reading cookbooks," and thought that as silly as buying a CD just to watch it spin. Then I got Joan Nathan's Jewish Cooking in America. Sure its got great recipes--many classics you'll recognize as well multitudinous and scrumptious variations--but it is also a history of Jewish culture told through food. Here you can read about the origins of the Manichewitz brand, the vital social importance of vegetable shortening, how to keep Kosher in rural Vermont, and the first matza bakery. This book really is delightful and fascinating to read. It gave me a much deeper appreciation of Jewish ethnic cooking and greater pride of my American Jewish heritage.But don't overlook the cooking. Here you will find recipes for the foods you haven't had since you sat on a phonebook at your grandparents' Seder table. Then after you've had the gefilte fish and cholent your Bubbie made, you can try the equally authentic, traditional recipe of another region. (Did you know there's a difference between Yankee and Southern matzah balls? The former are plain and fluffy, the latter dense and spicy). And then sample Jewish versions of traditional American fare, like Texas chili. And don't overlook the Sephardic dishes and the recipes of our Syrian brethren.All in all, Jewish Cooking in America is a valuable addition to the kitchen and the library.