Food,
Fabulous
TAKE A BITE OUT OF THIS! HERE ARE 31
(ONE FOR EACH DAY OF A GUST) FACTS YOU
PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW AB T JUDAISM AND FOOD.
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ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
AppleTree Editor
I f you've been hankering for flatworms or
leeches, prepare yourself for bad news.
Neither is kosher.
If, on the other hand, you've been
dreaming of a hearty helping of bald-locust
stew, this is your lucky day! Bald-locust, assum-
ing it's properly prepared, can indeed be eaten
as kosher.
You know about the bagels, the chicken
soup, the gefilte fish and the honey cake. But
do you know why some Jews prefer to fill their
hamantashen with plum jam, or why seltzer
fans owe a debt of gratitude to Jewish immi-
grants? Read on.
#1) In biblical times, grapes,were used for juice
and wine, of course, as well as left in the sun to
create raisins. But did you know they also were
the primary ingredient in a kind of honey?
Grape honey, in Hebrew davash anavim, was
made in special vats, where the liquid from the
You can learn a lot by learning a little. In
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fruit was boiled (rather than sitting to ferment,
which will produce wine).
The result was a thick, tasty liquid that had
the consistency of honey. You can still find
grape honey for sale in a few places in Israel
today.
#2) The Talmud states, "When may those who
possess less than 50 shekels have the dish of
vegetables and fish? Every Friday night of the
Sabbath."
On Shabbat in Eastern Europe, Jewish
women prepared gefilte ("filled") fish, which
usually includes ground-up carp, onion, sugar,
pepper, bread and egg boiled in water and
onions. Jews from Bukhara, Uzbekistan, have
quite a different. Friday-night tradition: they
enjoy fried fish with garlic sauce.
#3) Archaeologists have learned a great deal
about the eating habits of Jews living thousands
of years ago.
During King David's time, for example, they
discovered that red meat, specifically lamb and
beef, were among the favorite dishes. But in the
time of the Second Temple the preferred foods
were chicken and fish.
#4) One of the most popular desserts among
Italian Jews of the Middle Ages was marzapana,
or marzipan, a mixture made of ground
almonds, honey, sugar and rose water.
#5) Russian-Jewish families of the late 19th
century topped their Shavuot challah with a
lovely yellow glaze made with saffron.
#6) Some people will eat anything in sight the
moment Yom Kippur is over. Others prefer to
dine on traditional foods.
If you break the fast with a family whose
roots are in central Europe, you may be served
cinnamon buns. If you're staying with a Greek
couple, they may offer mizzo, a pale-white
drink made of almonds. If you're headed to the
home of Egyptian Jews when the day is done,
expect coffee with cardamom, or if you're invit-
ed to break the fast with Iraqi Jews, you may be
served a heaping plateful of bamya, okra in
tomato sauce.
#7) For years, Americans were convinced that
tomatoes were poison.
A Jewish physician, an immigrant from
Portugal who settled in Virginia, proved they
were not. In 1733, Dr. Siccary not only
observed that tomatoes (then called "love
apples") are edible, he said they were downright
healthy. Actually, though, he went a bit over-
board: according to Dr. Siccary, "a person who
should eat a sufficient abundance of these
apples would never die."
#8) One popular filling for hamantashen, those
three-cornered cookies served at Purim, is plum
jam. But it's not just a matter of taste.
Certain Ashkenazim prefer the plum because
it recalls an incident about 300 years ago when
a Jewish plum merchant in Bohemia was res-
cued from persecution.
#9) Some Jewish families with chasidic roots
make an elaborately decorated challah for
Shabbat. It comprises 12 rolls, symbolizing the
12 Tribes of Israel.
#10) If you visit the Israel Museum in
Jerusalem, you can see the earliest extant olive
press, from the hellenistic period.
For thousands of years, Jews have produced
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