A Tasty Iletorn To EN

W

ithin 12 months after
the 1952 Suez War,
30,000 of the 50,000
Egyptian Jews had left
Egypt. Today, reports Eli Avidar,
Israel's consul to Philadelphia,
"in Cairo, there are only about
200 Jews left; in Alexandria,
about eight — all older people."
In 1967, the Avidar family,
originally from Greece but who
had lived in Alexandria since the
beginning of the 20th century,
moved to Israel along with many
other Egyptian Jews. But at the
High Holidays and at Passover,
Egyptian Jews now living in Is-
rael travel back with festive dish-
es, to conduct services and
organize the celebrations for the
Jews who remain.
After the expulsiOn of Jews
from Spain in the 15th century,
many fled to Greece, Italy and
parts of North Africa. It wasn't
until the 19th century that Jews
came to Egypt, late in the pattern

ETHEL G. HOFMAN
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

MENU
Poisson Sofrito
(Poached Spiced Fish)
Parsley Stuffed Braised Veal
Rich Man's Rice
Stuffed Whole Tomatoes
Green Beans in
Garlic-Tomato Sauce
Almond Konafa
Rose "Cream"

in its culinary culture, especial-
ly that of bordering countries.
The High Holiday dishes be-
low are similar to those that Is-
raeli Jews share with the rapidly
shrinking Egyptian Jewish com-
munity. They are traditionally
Sephardic and typical of Egypt-
ian Jewish holiday dishes. For
example, instead of the Ashke-
nazi custom of dipping apples
into honey for a sweet year, the

fruit is dipped into a light sugar
water.
Whole fish are used for Pois-
son Sofrito (poached fish), be-
cause the heads offish symbolize
leadership. Rich Man's Rice is so
named because expensive chick-
en and dried fruits were always
included. Tomatoes in some form,
as well as rice, which is a staple,
appear in almost every savory
dish and are enhanced with
cilantro, parsley, dill and celery.
Kataifi, finely shredded filo
dough, is a popular Middle East-
ern ingredient, sweetened with
rose water and honey, for
desserts. (It looks rather like
shredded wheat when cooked.)
Cigar shapes stuffed with pista-
chios, nests filled with chopped
almonds or cream and konafa,
similar to baklava, are all vari-
ations sold in Middle Eastern
bakeries. The Athens company
manufactures kosher kataifi and
if your market stocks it, you'll find
it next to the filo dough in the
freezer section — or filo dough
may be substituted (see recipe).

THE DE TRO IT J EWISH NEWS

PHOTOS BY JAN HWANG, FOOD STYLING B FIONA LAWRENCE AND JANE HWANG

Ethel G. Fifteen is a cookbook
author, kosher food consultant
and immediate past president
of the International Association
of Culinary Professionals.

of migration, so that they werq:
always treated as foreigners, nevi:
er becoming completely
mersed in Egyptian culture. A..$
a result, Egyptian Jews spok6
French rather than Arabic.
In Alexandria, an extra-terri-
torial area governed by foreign
consulates, Jews also spoke Eng-
lish and Arabic. European asso-
ciations were evident and family
names such as Ashkenazi and
Silberstein were not uncommon.
Strong family ties and moral val-
ues were of the highest impor-
tance. Holidays were happy,
warm times with new clothes and
large family gatherings.
Consul Avidar remembers at
Shabbat dinner and at every hol-
iday, children and grandchildren
were always present at grand-
mother's house — a custom still
faithfully carried out by Egypt-
ian Jews wherever they settled.
Throughout history, wherever
Jews found themselves, local in-
gredients and cooking techniques
were assimilated into tradition-
al dishes but always keeping to
the laws of kashrut. Israel, a
melting pot of newcomers from
Cairo to Rome, is uniquely rich

Left: Stuffed Whole
Tomatoes; Above: Rich
Man's Rice; Opposite
page (top left): Poisson
Sofrito (Poached Spiced
Fish); and (top right):
Almond Konafa.

Wines from the Golan go es-
pecially well with this Middle
Eastern dinner. Jay Buchsbaum,
vice president of marketing at
Royal Wines, in New York, rec-
ommends the dry, fruity Emer-
ald Hill Cabernet Sauvignon or,
if you prefer a white wine, go for
the lively Yarden Sauvignon
Blanc or Chardonnay. And to
complement any dessert, you
can't go wrong with a soft and
sweet Gamla Muscat.
I like to serve a completely
Sephardic dinner such as this on
one night of the holidays you may
like to include just a sampling.
Whatever you choose, these col-
orful, exotic dishes will bring
pleasure and a new understand-
ing of the rich depth of our Jew-
ish heritage to everyone gathered
at your High Holiday table.

POISSON SOFRITO
(POACHED FISH)
(PAREVE)
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons oil