Challah bread is a Jewish Sabbath tradition that started in Medieval Germany.
Jewish food blends dishes from every country and region where the Jewish people have scattered in the Diaspora. Wherever they go, ancient tradition melds with local ingredients to create a richly, dynamic menu. Jewish cooks expertly adapt to available foods, learning new ways of maintaining a kosher kitchen no matter the setting.
Sephardic Cuisine
Kebabs are found in the Sephardic kitchen.
The Sephardic Jewish tradition stems from the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Red Sea regions as well as North Africa and India. Plant foods, such as fruits, vegetable, grains and spices, thrive in these regions and thus are characteristically featured in many Sephardic dishes, such as kebabs, pilafs and stuffed vegetables, known as dolmades. Legumes, dried fruits, saltwater fish, flaky pastry, olive oil and spices like saffron and rose water are standard fare in a Sephardic Jewish kitchen.
Ashkenazic Cuisine
Bagels are common in Ashkenazic cuisine.
Jewish communities in Poland, Russia and Germany developed Ashkenazic food traditions that reflected the peasant nature of their life. Due to the cold climate, root vegetables, cold-resistant tree fruits, freshwater fish and grains were the most readily available ingredients for Jewish cooks to work with, according to Global Gourmet. Fruit and vegetable soups and stews were common to the Ashkenazic table as well as gefilte fish, bagels, knishes and borscht. The Polish menu tends to be sweeter while the Russian menu prefers peppered and sour flavors, reports My Jewish Learning.
American Jewish Cuisine
Corn beef brisket is a staple of Jewish-American delis.
Jewish immigrants from Europe, Asia and Africa brought their national cuisines with them when they moved to America and merged them with the regional American menus, creating an eclectic blend of culinary traditions. In the melting pot of America, Jewish met Cajun to create matzo ball gumbo. Sushi has become common on many kosher menus, according to My Jewish Learning. The Ashkenazic gefilte fish and the Sephardic cous cous, as well as easily recognizable favorites such as hummus, falafel, blintzes, borscht and brisket have come together in signature American super-size quantities, states My Jewish Learning, to form a multicultural collection of menu items that form the basis of American Jewish cuisine.
Israeli Cuisine
Olives are one of many local ingredients in Israel.
As Jews from around the world find their way back to their homeland, their food preferences stay with them making Israeli cuisine an ever-changing palate expanding experience, advises My Jewish Learning. Local Israeli ingredients, such as olives, olive oil, wheat, chickpeas and yogurt understandably hold sway, as availability is a key factor in any kitchen. My Jewish Learning asserts, however, that a jelly donut known as sufganiot and haroset, a Passover tradition are original to Israeli people.
Tags: Jewish Learning, American Jewish, common Ashkenazic, gefilte fish, Jewish cooks