A taste of Israel: from classic Litvak to modern Israeli PDF
Preview A taste of Israel: from classic Litvak to modern Israeli
A Taste of Israel Published in 2015 by Struik Lifestyle (an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd) Company Reg. No. 1953/000441/07 The Estuaries 4, Oxbow Crescent, Century Avenue, Century City, Cape Town 7441 PO Box 1144, Cape Town 8000, South Africa www.randomstruik.co.za Copyright © in published edition: Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd 2015 Copyright © in text: Nida Degutienė 2015 Copyright © in photographs: Nida Degutienė 2015 ISBN: 978-1-43230-562-8 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, digital, mechanical, photo-copying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and the copyright owner(s). Publisher: Linda de Villiers Editor: Cecilia Barfield Proofreader and indexer: Gill Gordon Translator: Medeinė Tribinevičius Design manager: Beverley Dodd Designer: Rasa Undraityte-Preidienė Typesetter: Randall Watson Photographer and food stylist: Nida Degutienė, except photographs on p. 6–7, 115, 281 and the back cover, Herschel Gutman (herschelgutmanphotography.com) Reproduction: Hirt & Carter Cape (Pty) Ltd Printing and binding: Craft Print International (Pty) Ltd, Singapore Originally published in Lithuania in 2014 as Izraelio skoniai: šventės ir kasdiena Nida Degutienė A Taste of Israel From classic Litvak to modern Israeli For Thea Lanienė and Icchokas Meras In loving memory of two legendary personalities and dear friends who inspired the idea for this book, but did not live to flip through its pages. An Open Door into the Israeli Home ‘Jewish people know best what good food is,’ my mother would whisper into my ear as alluring aromas wafted from our kitchen. I grew up in Druskininkai, a small Lithuanian town and year-round tourist destination for people from all over the former Soviet Union, but particularly Jews who frequented the town’s health resorts. It was common for local residents to rent out a part of their home to the vacationing families, and home kitchens were shared with guests. Our home was no exception. Every day, smelling the blissful aromas coming from the kitchen, I’d try to guess what the visiting cook intended serving for dinner after spending half the day in preparation. I had no idea what ‘Jewish food’ was, so when I had a chance I would steal into the kitchen and lift the lid of the bubbling pot, believing I’d see something miraculous inside. Even though, more often than not, all I found was an ordinary chicken soup or some type of thick beef stew, the aromas left no doubt in my mind that the secret to Jewish food was hidden somewhere in those simmering pots. When we arrived in Israel in the summer of 2009, prepared to settle in Tel Aviv for a five- year stint, I knew only as much about the historical homeland of the Jews as I’d learned from the TV news. However, before we even made the trip many questions had already formed in my imagination: What is Shabbat? What does kosher mean? Why is it unclean for Jews to eat pork? And so, when the first blast of hot air hit me as the airplane door opened in Tel Aviv I rejoiced – finally I’d have the opportunity to uncover the secret of what makes Jewish food so delicious! In Israel, food holds a special place in Jewish life. From early morning until dawn the next day, Israelis are always nibbling on something and enjoying one another’s company, and on any given holiday, festive tables groan under the weight of a multitude of dishes and goodies. A table piled high with food and drink has long served as the altar where Jews pray, feast, and socialise. Driven out of their lands and scattered all over the world, for millennia the Jews have managed to preserve their values, religion, traditions and, of course, their culinary culture. Over centuries of living in exile from the Promised Land the Israelites not only shared their culinary innovations with their host country, but also enriched their own traditions with dishes from their adopted lands. When they returned to their historical homeland – Israel – the Jews brought with them the best culinary traditions from all around the world. This book is an open door into the kitchens of the ordinary Israeli home. It is also an invitation to explore the country’s diverse street food and offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at some of its gourmet restaurants. You’ll find recipes for dishes that do far more than satisfy hunger. They are memories and stories shared with me over the course of five years by Litvaks from Israel and South Africa, by my Israeli friends, their mothers and their grandmothers. They reflect the traditions, history and customs passed down the generations. They are an attempt at returning a piece of Jewish heritage to the small but vibrant Jewish community in Lithuania. This book is a way of seeing Israel, a place still unknown to many, through different eyes. And finally, it is my answer to what makes Jewish food so exceptional. With love from Israel – Nida 7 Contents Traditions and holidays What is Kosher Food? ..................................................................... 43 Sukkot: Feast of Tabernacles ....................................................... 60 Shabbat: The Holiest Day of the Week ...................................... 76 Pesach: The Most Important Holiday in the Jewish Year ....... 100 Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year ............................................. 142 Purim: The Israeli Carnival ........................................................... 156 Shavuot: Festival of the Revelation of the Torah .................... 178 Hanukkah: A Joyous Celebration of Light ................................. 206 The Whole Truth About Matzo ................................................... 226 Kosher Wine .................................................................................. 270 Meze and Appetisers Aubergines ....................................................................................... 12 Baba ghanoush ................................................................................ 14 Aubergine mousse .......................................................................... 14 Classic aubergine appetiser ........................................................... 14 Moroccan carrot meze ................................................................... 16 Muhammara (walnut and sweet pepper paste) ........................ 18 Spicy Moroccan aubergine and sweet pepper appetiser ........ 20 Hummus ........................................................................................ 22 Chopped herring ........................................................................... 24 Gefilte fish (stuffed fish) ............................................................. 27 Polish gefilte fish .......................................................................... 28 Lithuanian gefilte fish .................................................................. 29 Chopped egg salad ...................................................................... 30 Chopped chicken livers ................................................................. 32 Vegetarian pâté ............................................................................ 34 Ceviche with mango .................................................................... 36 Green bean appetiser .................................................................. 38 Watermelon and feta appetiser ................................................. 40 Breakfast Israeli granola .................................................................................. 48 Shakshouka ...................................................................................... 50 Frittata with baby marrows, leeks and walnuts ........................ 52 Rice pudding..................................................................................... 54 Blintzes .............................................................................................. 57 Salads Israeli salad ...................................................................................... 66 Fatoush............................................................................................. 68 Tabbouleh ......................................................................................... 70 Parsley and roasted almond salad ............................................... 72 Quinoa salad with feta and herbs ................................................ 74 Soups Jewish chicken soup........................................................................ 85 Knaidlach (matzo balls) ............................................................ 87 Kreplach 88 ................................................................................. 88 Chicken soup with homemade fried noodles ....................... 89 Hearty carrot and ginger soup with coconut milk .................... 90 Lentil soup ........................................................................................ 92 8
The list of books you might like
