The 100 Most Jewish Foods: A Highly Debatable List

by Alana Newhouse, Tablet

“Your gift giv­ing prob­lems are now over—just stock up on The 100 Most Jew­ish Foods. . . . The appro­pri­ate gift for any occa­sion.”—Jewish Book Council  “[A] love letter—to food, family, faith and identity, and the deliciously tangled way they come together.” —NPR’s The SaltWith contributions from Ruth Reichl, Éric Ripert, Joan Nathan, Michael Solomonov, Dan Barber, Yotam Ottolenghi, Tom Colicchio, Maira Kalman, Melissa Clark, and many more!Tablet’s list of the 100 most Jewish foods is not about the most popular Jewish foods, or the tastiest, or even the most enduring. It’s a list of the most significant foods culturally and historically to the Jewish people, explored deeply with essays, recipes, stories, and context. Some of the dishes are no longer cooked at home, and some are not even dishes in the traditional sense (store-bought cereal and Stella D’oro cookies, for example). The entire list is up for debate, which is what makes this book so much fun. Many of the foods are delicious (such as babka and shakshuka). Others make us wonder how they’ve survived as long as they have (such as unhatched chicken eggs and jellied calves’ feet). As expected, many Jewish (and now universal) favorites like matzo balls, pickles, cheesecake, blintzes, and chopped liver make the list. The recipes are global and represent all contingencies of the Jewish experience. Contributors include Ruth Reichl, Éric Ripert, Joan Nathan, Michael Solomonov, Dan Barber, Gail Simmons, Yotam Ottolenghi, Tom Colicchio, Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, Maira Kalman, Action Bronson, Daphne Merkin, Shalom Auslander, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, and Phil Rosenthal, among many others. Presented in a gifty package, The 100 Most Jewish Foods is the perfect book to dip into, quote from, cook from, and launch a spirited debate.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Nonfiction, Jewish, Cooking, Judaism, Religion

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 19, 2019

Reviews

[Linden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book describes both familiar and unfamiliar foods, and each one is preceded by a brief article (a few surprisingly vulgar), and an occasional recipe. (I was very surprised that the apple cake recipe had both butter and sour cream, since every recipe I’ve seen uses the more traditional orange juice and oil.) I preferred the articles that offered some history of the item rather than a story about the author’s memory of the particular food item. (I had no idea that Bazooka bubble gum was started by four Jewish brothers, or that Sweet ‘n’ Low was created by a Jewish father and son.)

[Holly R W · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a combination of recipes and personal memories connected to the food. I found it to be lively, sentimental and fun. Various writers talk about what the foods mean to them. I liked comparing my own recipes of the dishes to theirs. (Some of my recipes are quite different.)

Here's a quote from the book -
Joan Nathan: "Matzo balls can either be floaters or sinkers." Of course, I once discovered that matzo balls can also explode in the soup pot, if you put too much oil into them.

There is a tongue in cheek essay on used teabags which I liked. It brought back memories of growing up in my parents' home. A tea bag was saved after one use for a second cup. I didn't question this at the time. That's just how it was.

Personal Note: While I enjoy most of the food, I still can't wrap my head around gefilte fish.

[Eva B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mostly grabbed this one for research purposes (I don’t really cook and wanted to avoid a slip-up of having a character who keeps kosher be described eating something treyf that I hadn’t considered due to not really knowing the ingredients) and because I, like most autistic people, love lists. Equal parts cookbook and introduction to Jewish culinary history, I was very compelled and very hungry throughout. Definitely worth a read!
Misc. takeaways:
- Gotta try horseradish with beets
- Also gotta try carciofi alla Giudia
- The pot roast vs brisket section was painfully accurate. I dread whenever my mom, who is generally a really good cook, tries to make pot roast since it’s always dry and stringy and looks repulsive when chilled. Semi-related, this makes me crave the brisket I had a few months back.
- Gotta try blintzes, which I’ve wanted to try since that one Arthur episode where Muffy’s family’s tree gets cut down
- Whitefish is my cat’s favorite fish :)
- I really want to try eyerlekh, but would probably chicken (pun intended) out due to the salmonella risk
- Tempted to try the tuna bagel recipe that uses mustard in the tuna salad, but also if you want the secret to a very good tuna salad, use sweet pickle relish instead of chopped pickles or dill relish and use lime juice instead of lemon juice.
- Gefilte fish sounds a lot like lutefisk, yet another food I want to try but know no one else in my family would, except for maybe my dad.
- I was not expecting to rediscover a treat from my middle school years in here! My mom used to get halvah from a local Italian deli, and I enjoyed it but never knew the name. I should try it again.
- Also should try a good borscht since I love beets. (Side note: I had a phenomenal sandwich last week of roast beef, beet chutney, balsamic vinaigrette, red onion, provolone, and feta on Italian bread. Dare I say a life-changing sandwich?)
- The only charoset I’ve had has been jarred and similar to a jelly in texture. The more applesauce-like one seems much more appealing.
- I really want to try roast lamb, but my mom and my sister both categorically refuse to try it (along with duck, much to my chagrin).
- Macaroons beat macarons every time.
- Teiglach also sounds delicious but would make me paranoid about my teeth being loosened given how chewy it’s described as.
- I’m always surprised when someone talks about how they love bacon, or try to keep kosher but bacon makes it hard since I’ve always found it…pretty overrated? Seeing someone say it was easy to not eat shrimp but hard to give up bacon was a bit mind boggling since I could probably eat cocktail shrimp by the dozen if left unsupervised.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to describe this book? It's about food but it isn't a cookbook. It's got recipes, but again, it's not a cookbook. What it is, is delightful. Each representative food gets a short essay and some entries also include a recipe. The foods are from all over the Jewish world: foods associated with holidays and rituals (matzo, taiglach, challah); foods with an Eastern European heritage (brisket, kugel, stuffed cabbage) as well as foods from many other areas (Persian rice, shakshuka, halvah). It even includes some commercial products like Entenmann's and Hebrew National Hot Dogs.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most beautiful book I’ve read in a long time. I loved the aesthetic and the artwork, and I absolutely love how much effort was put into this book.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must admit that the title of this caught my eye. It was a delightful read about foods that are made at home (chicken soup, tzimmes, and cholent) and others made in a factory (such as Hydrox Cookies, and sugar cereal and egg creams. ) They include foods from Israel and other Mediterranean countries and the Jewish Diaspora to Europe and the United States. It also includes recipes for some of the dishes as well as history tidbits. The contributors were also of different ages, nationalities and gender. It really made me smile, and nostalgic for my childhood.

[Michele Owrutzky Endick · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read!! Brought back memories of foods my family ate, some of which we still enjoy.. ie Gefilte fish, horseradish, and others. Wish the black and white cookies here in Washington, DC area were as tasty as ones in NYC. I will def try that recipe.
I enjoyed reading the side bars with history, stories etc. Recipes looked great but many too difficult for me… a few were acceptable for my limited talent in the kitchen. I always loved Entermans chocolate covered donuts and other classic foods included in the book.

My big question… why weren’t knishes included???!!!
I Highly recommend this very enjoyable book.

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun, funny, nostalgic sort-of cookbook was just too much to resist when I saw it pass through our library. The photos on the cover alone made me hungry. While I'm not Jewish, I've had close friends of varying degrees of observance (mostly Ashkenazim), and uniformly their food was terrific. Remembering pastries like babka and black and whites and Shabbat challah and dishes like freshly made gefilte fish, Shabbat cholent, and matza ball soup, or even ready to eat foods like pickled herring, whitefish salad, or bagels with cream cheese and lox makes my mouth water. While I now live far away from those friends, and their delicious food, I retain the fondest of memories of our times together.
So this book was like a sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, sometimes snarky walk through my memories. With lots of detours to fascinating dishes I've never tried, from all over the Jewish diaspora. Short essays on the food item in question are often paired with a recipe for the item as well, along with food photography, and sometimes little cartoons and side bars on related topics. Not all foods featured are strictly food or have a recipe (ex--leftovers, reused tea bags, kosher salt, etc.) The authors seem to come from deeply varied backgrounds--some writing seeming deeply observant, and others not at all, which offered a welcome variety in perspective. Since some of the essays can feel like in-jokes I'm not privy to, I can only imagine that this book would be even more meaningful for most Jewish readers.
Because there are 100 items, and each of them have a separate few pages, this makes an easy book to pick up and put down whenever you have a minute, especially since the entries aren't ranked (except for the #1, matza. of course.) My biggest challenge was that, having started skipping around, I started to lose track of which essays I'd read and which I hadn't, resulting in rereading some of them. If that's the worst that happens when I'm reading, though, I'm alright.
I haven't tried any of the recipes. They tend to be heavy in a lot of ingredients I now realize don't agree with me, meat and gluten and eggs and even some dairy. A lot of them may not be particularly healthy in general. But a lot of them sound tasty, in spite of or perhaps because they aren't healthful. This book is a fun read worth picking up, if you have any interest in or especially love and/or nostalgia for Jewish cuisine, whether you want to cook it for yourself, or just enjoy photos and commentary. I challenge you to read this and not end up feeling hungry too.

[Dna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you are a Jewish person, or a Judeophile like me, this book is for you. I think The 100 Most Jewish Foods will appeal to those who love cookbooks, food memoirs, or just great photography. Each food item is simply and perfectly photographed, while each write-up includes bits of personal and Judaic history, tidbits about Jewish cultures around the world, and their culinary traditions.

Especially delightful for me was seeing the astounding similarities between Jewish cuisine and the food of the Assyrians, another ancient group of Semites.

Thank you, HPL. Great book!

[Soraya M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much from this book. It’s more a concoction of rich history of Jews and 100 foods across the globe, rather than one with some 60 recipes.

Thank you!🍽️✨

[JoyBlue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tremendously enjoyable book that provided a sweet nostalgic experience. I loved the way it interwove history, memories, and recipes. Some of the essays were wickedly sarcastic. I learned a lot and can't wait to try some of the recipes. This book now has a prominent spot on my most cherished Jewish cookbook shelf!

[Daniel Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful read. I only gave it three stars because the formula from food to food was wildly different. Some had a humorous anecdote, some had recipes, some had a little historical analysis as to why it was a Jewish food. I do wish the author had always answered the final question, especially when it concerned foods that also had a place in other cultures.

[Beth Polebaum · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t find one recipe in here that I wanted to try. The descriptions are too cutesy and irritating, especially for someone who actually keeps kosher. This was, for me, like watching a stand-up comedian who should sit down.

[tony dillard jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Hanukkah present from my Jewish bride, this book is part cookbook and part chronicle of the Jewish experience in relation to food. This book came about from an article of the same name that appeared on the Jewish culture website, Tablet. Edited by Tablet editor Alana Newhouse, several dozen notable Jewish chefs, restaurateurs and foodies wax poetic on Jewish foods all the way from matzoh to schmaltz to even yes, bacon. Just because it's a Jewish food, that doesn't mean you should eat it...

Names I recognized from this book were Molly Yeh, Michael Twitty (a personal favorite of mine) and Zac Posen. There was one writer whose name I cannot remember and to be honest, I'm glad I forgot it. It was the pseudonym of an African American rabbi. Thankfully, he only wrote 2 pieces in this book. But it was enough to make you lose your appetite. The only times that the F-word appears in this book, it's this gentleman's diatribes full of piss and vinegar that were just unasked for.

The foods listed in this book are not ranked. There is 1 exception that most of the contributors agreed was essential to Jewish cooking, cuisine and culture. I won't reveal what it was. But I can say that I agree with the consensus. But I did disagree with 1 food that I felt was wrongly absent. Where are the knishes?

If you had me name the top 5 most Jewish foods, the knish, a meat, cheese or potato filled hand pie, would probably be the 3rd thing I come up with. There are some dishes that seem similar in this read. But in a book that arranges by alphabet instead of rank, the Ks were devoid of the knish!

If the Knish is in here under another name, then I really wish that this book had a glossary in the back. There were a lot of Yiddish words that I didn't know and unless I went to Google them, I also didn't understand. A small 1-2 page listing of some of the most common Yiddish and other Jewish terms from other languages was needed.

Jewish cooking gets ignored quite a bit in the culinary world. Most students I teach know that pork isn't Kosher. But they have zero idea what being Kosher means. This book is going to be a great help in that. I'm also hoping to utilize some of the recipes in this book with my students. There's a lot of dishes that are amazingly complex for a cuisine often thought of comprised of mostly peasant food and dishes that grandma made. That assessment could not be further from the truth. I made an amazing red lentil stew from this book. Other than my accidentally forgetting to add the lemon juice at the end, it turned out so freaking well. And there was at least 30 more recipes on my list now to try in the future.

Also, there were at least 1 or 2 books from some of the contributors of this book that I am interested in one day getting my hands on. So, there's a ton of potential more learning and exploration on the horizon for me and my pupils ahead.

[Laurie Gold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect timing today for Sam Sifton to mention this book in his New York Times “Recipes for Now” newsletter. Why? Passover is coming and I spent hours yesterday in search of a suitable kugel. Why, you ask? That Manischewitz Egg Noodles for Passover have disappeared, my daughter won’t eat onions, and isn’t a fan of cottage cheese either. I know, right?

Some research reveals the “Gluten Free” Manischewitz noodles we saw this weekend, made with potato, are probably the same noodles we grew up with, only repackaged, but we only saw thin noodles and most kugels have wide noodles. Today I discovered, in one of this book’s recipes, a timbale-like caramelized kugel that could be Passover-adapted, and it uses thin noodles. It’s both sweet and black-peppery, but the manner in which it is made might result in a dish gone horribly awry. 😱 I don’t want to risk ruining the meal because the meal is all we do. My daughter’s husband was never Jewish and my daughter and I aren’t Jewish anymore. So with three atheists, we observe Passover differently. Yes, except for my husband, we are cultural Jews.

I digress. This is less a book review than a report on my kugel progress. The notion of a sweet kugel really does not appeal, but unless you go sweet—which also includes lots of full-fat dairy, butter and eggs—onions are likely the star. So, no to most Farfel Kugels and Potato Kugels. How can a foodie like my daughter not eat onions? Well, I don’t eat mushrooms, so I should not cast the first stone, but I will and therefore I am.

With onions out of the way and the Yerushalmi Kugel too likely to be an oily disaster, that leaves cottage cheese. Does she realize that every kolache she’s ever had is made with cottage rather than cream cheese? Will the small curds in various recipes melt away so she won’t notice them? Is that what grosses her out? Why am I willing to clog my family’s arteries with the two to four cups of cottage cheese, sour cream and butter these recipes have? Oy!

This book is filled with many interesting recollections of foods—many I’d never heard of, others (Bazooka, Hydrox) I’d not previously associated with Judaism. (Nor had I known the matzo balls I prefer have an actual name and are part of a debate known as “sinkers vs floaters ... I’m a sinker from way back.) I wish its Kugel recipe was fool-proof to a fool of a cook like me, because in the hands of a better cook, I think it would be delicious. By the time I finish reading, hopefully I will have settled on a recipe. Would it be out of line to ask you to pray for me?

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly debatable list of the most Jewish foods: what's not to like? Short vignettes written by food authors, chefs, and the staff of Tablet (not sure what the latter is), the offerings are funny, ironic, sentimental, and historical in turn. The foods often reflect highly personal traditions, and also the many countries in which Jews have found themselves throughout the years, with an emphasis on New York City. Recipes for many of the foods are included, some of which the average reader will have no desire to make.

Mainstream classics like chicken soup, bagels with lox, sufganiyot (jelly donuts), shakshuka, kugel, and brisket make an appearance. Further afield are such dishes as Persian rice, Yemenite soup, and Chinese food. And who knew that Bazooka gum, Hydrox cookies, and Sweet and Low have Jewish roots? And lest we forget, used tea bags?

This lighthearted look at Jewish cuisine is equally entertaining for Jews and non-Jews. Fun for both opening at random and reading cover to cover.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our cultural identities are informed by the way we live our lives: the clothing we wear, the music we listen to, the movies and TV shows we watch and, last but not least, the foods we eat. Food has always played a major role in Jewish life – although what constitutes Jewish food is the subject of frequent debate. An increasing amount of literature focuses on Jewish cuisine and two recent works show the breadth and depth of these studies. While “Haroset: A Taste of Jewish History” by Susan Weingarten (The Toby Press) is a serious exploration of the Passover tradition, “The 100 Most Jewish Foods: A Highly Debatable List” edited by Alana Newhouse with Stephanie Butnick (Artisan/Workman Publishing Company) is a humorous collection of essays about 100 different Jewish foods. An added treat is that both works feature numerous recipes.
See the rest of my review at http://www.thereportergroup.org/Artic...

[Shoshanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first learned about this book because it was written and talked about by people at Tablet, the magazine responsible for one of my favorite Jewish podcasts, Unorthodox (which I refer to as "the mothership." When I saw Unorthodox Live in Detroit in fall 2019, they were promoting "The New-ish Jewish Encyclopedia," which I got them to sign, but I also got them to sign this 2019 "100 Most Jewish Foods" as well. Well, I got Stephanie to sign it!

I really don't cook much but I love food, especially Jewish food, so eventually I came around to reading all the entries and all the stories (though skipping the recipes for now). I'm inspired enough that I may actually try some of the simpler (and pareve or milkhig) recipes. I laughed out loud so many times. So deeply Jewish. My mom loves it too, and you can't get a better endorsement than that.

[Dora Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun read is a must for any American Jewish foodie. It is a combination of recipes, anecdotes, and religious and historical information. The inclusion of each food in this compilation is explained, and most are followed by a recipe. There are foods included because they are unique to AmericanJewish life, as well as foods from Israel and foods special to particular Jewish ethnic groups. Some of these foods remind me of childhood, while others I have never heard of. Many entries are written about by someone with particular expertise about that food. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and learned a few new things in the process.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very beautiful visually but really a mixed bag content-wise. The original idea comes from a blog post, and it’s not clear the editors ended up deciding whether they wanted a blog-like compendium of memories around Jewish food, historical origin sidebars, or recipes, and went with all three, with mixed results. I probably would have been more interested in the origins of these foods than, say, a fashion designer’s opinion on the color of borscht, but, like they say, two Jews, three opinions.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't normally read cookbooks. I love food and books about food but don't typically gain much from pouring over cookbooks. This book has recipes in it and by some measure it is definitely a cookbook. But by other measures it is definitely not a cookbook. And the not a cookbook part is full of fun history and essays and stories about food that made a great read. The chulent essay had me laughing out loud (literally).
I learned just enough and reminisced just enough to make this a fun read. Would recommend to any Jewish foodie.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to buy this book for my 70 yr old Swedish father and my 27 yr old Jewish friend. And a bunch of other people that I know who love culture and cooking- Jewish and non. The content in these essays is rich and emotional, while also being instructive - thanks to the entries that have recipes!
I enjoyed the varied voices of the author contributors and tore through this book as if it were historical fiction (my preferred genre) more-so than a non-fiction cookbook. Because, really?? Who can so descriptively write about Cholent or Chopped Liver, giving these dishes life, turning them into characters in the most heartfelt and heart-wrenching, golden globe, Oscar winning film roles that make you cheer from the comfort of your couch- wishing your Swedish self was a little bit Jewish.

[Elizabeth Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great conversation starter. Also a great gift. I learned a lot and loved the stories. Challah, dabo (Ethiopia) bejma (Tunisia), and khubz'adi (Morroco and Syria). They mention the St. Viateur bagels of Montreal fame! Indeed, they have this subject covered. Adafina, a stew from Spain means "hidden" in Arabic. Poppy seed cookies, Entenmann's donuts, hot dogs, cholent, and why Jews it Chinese food at Christmas.

[Jacquelin Siegel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the table of contents brought back a flood of pleasant memories. From my dad making gribbenes (sp?) and me not-so-patiently waiting for them to be finished so that I could have some of the crispy/salty goodness; to my bubbe making kishkes, how I miss those kishkes; to leaning to braid challah beside my bubbe. The essays are short, many good, many ok. The recipes are very involved but I just might try making half-sour and full-sour pickles as they are not obtainable where I live. A fun quick read down memory lane.

[Barbette · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some wonderful contributors (Jonathan Safran Foer, Joan Nathan, Yotam Ottolenghi, lots more) to "The 100 Most Jewish Foods: A Highly Debatable List." However, the quality of the writing and the recipes is uneven and the book feels disjointed. After trying to read it for two weeks, I gave up half way through.

I love reading about food, Judaism, and Jewish food, so my expectations may have been too high going in.

[kieren · Rating 4 out of 5]

this short book was funny and informative. definitely have my own concrete opinions from the authors (shush, sufganiyot are amazing) but enjoyed this nevertheless. also learned a lot about jewish cultures that are not ashkenazi. while certainly ashkenazi jews have a loud and opinionated voice about our most iconic foods, so do sephardic/mizrahi jews. and while some things i may never try, i enjoyed learning about nonetheless.

also, bagels. end of sentence.

[Slothrop , Tyrone · Rating 4 out of 5]

The word debatable is definitely appropriate. While certain foods are omitted it would have been nice (read critical) to include Fox’s U-Bet syrup in the seltzer egg cream. What no recipe for that?
And sad not to see Jennie Grossinger’s name mentioned at all. The Art of Jewish Cooking was in everybody’s kitchen in the 1950’s and 1960’s

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read, really fun to look at, but I wish the essays were longer and went a little deeper- some are literally just a paragraph or two. But I like Tablet, and I love Marjorie Ingall (who contributed several essays) and Jews and Food (Jewish food, even more so) are some of my favorite topics, so there you go.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closer to 3 3/4 stars. Enjoyed reading most of the book, but some of the articles were much more informative than others. Also because each food item was covered by different writers, the quality of the articles wasn’t consistent.
Read if you are interested in the history of Jewish &/or New York City foods, otherwise you probably won’t enjoy it.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humorous cookbook you can read cover to cover. I’m not even Jewish and yet many of the anecdotes were relatable, especially the “used tea bag.” Most of these foods hold no nostalgia for me, but they do for the authors and that powerful emotion makes this a enjoyable read. I now want to try a taste test between Hydrox and Oreos.