Let's Eat: Jewish Food and Faith

by Lori Stein, Ronald H Isaacs

The food that Jewish people eat is part of our connection to our faith, culture, and history. Not only is Jewish food comforting and delicious, it’s also a link to every facet of Judaism. By learning about and cooking traditional Jewish dishes, we can understand fundamentals such as kashrut, community, and diversity. And Jewish history is so connected to food that one comedian said that the story of Judaism can be condensed into nine They tried to kill us. We survived. Let’s eat.

Let’s Eat follows the calendar of Jewish holidays to include food from the many different Jewish communities around the world; in doing so, it brings the values that are the foundation of Judaism into focus. It also covers the way these foods have ended up on the Jewish menu and how Jews, as they wandered through the world, have influenced and been influenced by other nations and cuisines. Including over 40 recipes, this delicious review of the role of food in Jewish life offers a lively history alongside the traditions of one of the world’s oldest faiths.

Genres: Jewish, Food, Judaism

271 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 17, 2017

Reviews

[Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sounded like an interesting read about what it says on the tin: Jewish food and faith. The history, context, what is kosher food, and how this can differ, etc. I understand some of the basics but thought this would be a good book to learn more.

It's definitely not a cookbook (although there are recipes) but there is plenty of history, context, explainers, etc. What foods are for what occasion, what is kosher and what is not, how some foods are made (with the recipes but no pictures), etc. The book was mildly interesting but the approach was wrong.

It's entirely too academic and would have gone over better as a cookbook and/or coffee book table format with pictures. Instead it comes across as an academic text, which was interesting for information only but that's what it was: a data dump.

I'm sure there's an audience for this, but I'm definitely not it. Maybe for someone who's strictly interested in the history. As other reviews say: it's not a cookbook.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Food as a means to teach about Judaism: that summarizes Lori Stein and Ronald H. Isaacs’ “Let’s Eat: Jewish Food and Faith” (Rowman and Littlefield). The work serves as a primer about Jewish history, holidays and lifecycle events, with an emphasis on Jewish food customs across the globe.
See the rest of my review at http://www.thereportergroup.org/Artic...

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

more background than recipes