absolutely love to eat. Ice cream, spaghetti, pizza, grilled cheese,
chicken fingers, you name it, I eat it. That being said, I thought
there was nothing better to do a cultural post on than Jewish foods and
cooking :) . Overall, Jewish cooking shows the influence of Middle
Eastern, Mediterranean, Spanish, German and Eastern Europe styles of
cooking. As a result, many of the foods that most people consider
‘common Jewish foods’ actually derive from other cultures. For
instance, stuffed cabbage, which is a traditional Jewish food, is
actually common in Eastern Europe and in addition, falafel and humus,
which are constantly thought of as Israeli-Jewish foods, can actually
be found in any Greek restaurant.
Over the years, Jewish cooking has been influenced by the laws of ‘keeping
kosher’. These laws prescribe what foods are permitted to eat and how
food must be prepared. Under these laws, pork and shellfish are most
notably forbidden. In addition, meat and dairy cannot be combined in a
meal and the meat must be ritually slaughtered and salted to remove all
traces of blood. Because meat and poultry may not be combined with
dairy products, it is common for many Orthodox Jews to divide their
kitchens into two sections: one section for meat and one section for
dairy.
Every traditional Jewish meal begins with the breaking of bread. For special
holidays and for Shabbat, a special kind of bread, known as Challah, is
used. Its taste is similar to that of egg twist rolls and is great to
use with sandwiches. However, just as we use dinner rolls during a
holiday dinner, Challah is commonly only used during Jewish holidays.
Another popular food dish among the Jewish culture is fish. During ancient
times, kosher meat was not always available. As a result, fish became
an important aspect of the Jewish diet and has continued to be so ever
since. Because fish is not considered a meat, it can be eaten with
dairy products. However, when both of these foods are served during the
same meal, it is common for Orthodox Jews to eat them during separate
courses, with the plates and utensils being washed, or replaced, in
between.
It is almost impossible to discuss all of the traditional foods that are
common among the Jewish people. Such foods include tzimmes, brisket,
kreplach, gefilte fish, and much more. However, Jewish cooking varies
throughout the world simply because many Jewish people have to use the
ingredients that are available to them. As a result, over the years,
local cultures have had a huge influence on Jewish cuisine and
likewise, Jewish cuisine, in-turn, has influenced other cuisines as
well. As a matter of a fact, you made be eating a common Jewish dish
right now, and you may not even know it :) .
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