Apples get all the attention on Rosh Hashanah, drizzled and dipped in honey to ensure a sweet new year ahead, but they’re not the only fruits of note for the occasion. Pomegranates also hold special significance, representing abundance and fertility; blessings that go a bit deeper than simple sweetness, if you ask me. This year,… Continue reading →
You know what’s the worst part about buying matzo meal for Passover? Having it sit in the pantry for the rest of your life. Okay, perhaps that’s a bit over-dramatic. Maybe you’re more organized than I am and would clear the shelves without needing to include all the contents in your final will. The thing… Continue reading →
Certain staples of Jewish cuisine are beloved as nonpartisan delicacies, as they should be. Steaming bowls of matzo ball soup soothe the soul, crisp latkes satisfy cravings for all things fried, and bagels are the grab-and-go breakfast for countless generations. Food doesn’t care what you do or don’t believe. Shlishkes, however, haven’t made the same… Continue reading →
I didn’t grow up eating noodle kugel. In fact, my dad’s distaste for the starchy staple was so severe, it was effectively banished from our household. No amount of gentle cajoling could convince me to try this odd noodle pudding later in life and to be perfectly honest, I’m still not a fan. Lokshem (“noodle”… Continue reading →
Who the heck is Reuben, and how did he ever think to invent such a meaty masterpiece? Of course, like any good origin story, this one is full of controversy, hotly contested to this day. The two leading theories attribute the deli staple to restaurants in Omaha and New York, right around the same time… Continue reading →
The original “liquid gold” was not a processed cheese food. The true gilded elixir is every bubbie’s secret ingredient, the indescribable element that always made her matzo balls better than the rest. A staple of Ashkenazi Jewish cooking, schmaltz is made from rendered chicken fat cooked with onions. Even in the height of the farm-to-table… Continue reading →