Talk of the Table | Soups that Bridge Time and Place
Jewish food has always been a mix of tradition and adaptation, shaped by the laws of kashrut, Shabbat practices and the ingredients available in the regions where Jewish communities settled.
Talk of the Table | Hot Diggity Dog!
“He is the creature whose yells make night hideous, and whose wares make dreams that poison sleep,” began a Nashville newspaper’s 1886 characterization of the wienerwurst vendor.
Talk of the Table | The Locusts Are Coming!
Peering into the jar, I can see the little brown heads, eyes, bodies and wings of about 30 dried locusts.
Moment Wins Best Magazine Column at Dateline Awards in DC
"What do you know about falafel?"
The question wasn’t so much lobbed at as artfully dodged by the proprietors of Amsterdam Falafelshop, a beloved Washington, DC,...
From 2009 | The Pomegranate: A Rich and Holy History
Pomegranate designs were embroidered on the robes of the ancient high priests and adorned King Solomon’s temple
Talk of the Table | Simple Salads for Summer Nights
Summer Salad Recipes, Fatoush salad, Charred Eggplant salad, Moroccan carrot, matbucha
Talk of the Table | The Foods of Passovers Past
Once-favorite Passover dishes like russell, schav and even kugel are being replaced by healthier dishes that are easier to prepare.
Manna Is Real and Not So Heavenly
The description of manna in the Bible matches what Danin found in the Sinai Desert. He soon discovered that the white drops on the shrub’s stems were the digestive byproduct of insects that feed on the plant’s sap, known as honeydew. The secretion, formed at night, is loaded with sugar. The sweet liquid hardens to the form of white granules and is still collected from spring to early fall in many places in the Middle East today.
Talk of the Table | Why Feminists Should Eat Dairy on Hanukkah
Hanukkah is associated with the bravery of the Maccabees, the group of heroic Jews who rebelled against the Greek-Syrian empire, defeated it against all odds...
Talk of the Table | The Power of Couscous
Throughout the Maghreb, couscous was traditionally prepared by groups of women, family and friends, who helped each other pass the long hours it took to make. First, they spread semolina wheat, bought by the men and freshly ground, onto a large round platter, sprinkling it with salted water and sometimes flour.
The Search for the Elusive Jewish Cocktail
By the time Prohibition began, Jews did make up a significant portion of the alcohol industry—most often in the whiskey business, working as distillers or distributors. But a smaller cohort of Jews also made their mark as cocktail bartenders.
Talk of the Table | Seven Dishes for Seven Decades
The long tradition of Jewish food, wrote culinary historian Gil Marks, has always been one of “transforming and transferring,” and Israeli food is no exception....