Uncovering the Main Types of Jewish Cuisine

Two major cultural groups make up the Jewish people — the Ashkenazic, or Central European, and the Sephardic, or Mediterranean. Differing regional backgrounds are their most distinguishing characteristics. Neither category is homogeneous. Each style is composed of numerous smaller communities, each of which has developed its own variations in their traditional dishes.

Unlike the regional cooking styles of such countries as France and Italy, the branches of Jewish cooking are very much a result of migration. Throughout their history, Jews have had to move from one place to another. Often, Jews of different backgrounds ended up in the same country and eventually adopted seasonings and recipes from each other.

Ashkenazic and American style
The Ashkenazic Jews come from Central and Eastern Europe, notably Poland, the European parts of Russia, Germany, and the surrounding countries. They and their cooking style are the most familiar to Americans for a simple reason: Ashkenazic Jews make up the majority of the Jewish population of the United States and Canada.

The word Ashkenazic comes from Ashkenaz, an old Hebrew word for Germany.


Seasonings
In their kitchens, Ashkenazic cooks prefer straightforward seasonings that emphasize the inherent tastes of foods rather than a large number of herbs and spices. This tendency may explain why so many of their specialties, from warming soups to roast chickens to potato pancakes to noodle casseroles, have become comfort foods.

Sweet and sour stews of meat and vegetables are another hallmark of Ashkenazic cooking. Perhaps the most famous example is tzimmes, a stew of sweet vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes, dried fruit such as prunes or apricots, and often beef. To create the sweet and sour effect, cooks use sugar, honey, or raisins tempered with vinegar or lemon juice. They employ this flavoring technique for soups and meatless dishes as well.

Dill, bay leaves, parsley, and chives are the herbs of choice. Black pepper and paprika — both mild and hot — are the preferred spices. The food is tasty and not usually spicy but not bland.

Deli delights
When Ashkenazic Jews arrived in North America, some started small eateries so that their friends and neighbors could enjoy the foods they craved from the "old country," or Europe. These eateries grew into the delicatessen-restaurants that are so loved today in the United States and Canada.

The food was mainly simple home cooking, such as the following:

Cheesecake: On Jewish tables, cheesecakes are one of the all-time favorite desserts. Jews from Poland, Russia, and Hungary did much to popularize their luscious cheesecakes across America.
Knishes: These pastry pillow turnovers are traditionally filled with meat, potato, or other vegetable fillings. People enjoy these turnovers most when they are warm and serve them as substantial snacks or as first courses at dinners.
Kugel: Ashkenazic Jews are immensely fond of egg noodles and use them in inventive ways. Perhaps the most well-known is the kugel, a delicious baked casserole combining the pasta with flavorful seasonings and eggs. You can make kugel savory with onions or other vegetables or sweet and fruity for dessert.
Lox: Lox is salmon cured in brine so that it acquires a deliciously distinctive, slightly salty flavor. Many feel that a thin slice of lox on a bagel spread with cream cheese is practically a sandwich made in heaven! In Jewish homes, lox is the favorite brunch food and is enjoyed at many other occasions as well, from parties to light meals at home.
Lox is not smoked. Today, however, many substitute smoked salmon for lox.
Sephardic style
Sephardic Jews originated in the lands around the Mediterranean area and in the Middle East. Their cuisine is exuberant with the sunny flavors of this area.

Sephardic cooking is not only delicious, but is healthful, too. It could be considered a kosher branch of the style of eating known among nutritionists as the Mediterranean diet.

The word Sephardic comes from Sepharad, the Hebrew word for Spain. Many of the Sephardic Jews descended from the Spanish Jews who were exiled from Spain in 1492. They migrated mostly to other Mediterranean countries.


Seasonings
With plenty of herbs and sometimes generous use of spices, Sephardic cooking is aromatic. Lemon, garlic, tomatoes, and olive oil are its favorite flavors. Olives are popular, too, as appetizers and to lend their pungent flavor to stews.

Cooks use herbs with a generous hand, especially Italian parsley and cilantro. Many love dill, thyme, and rosemary also.


Sephardic Jews from Morocco and other North African countries enjoy cumin, ginger, and saffron, while some from the Middle East pair cumin with turmeric. Many like chilies, too, and their cooking can be quite hot. Jewish cooks from the eastern end of the Mediterranean are so fond of cinnamon that they use it as a savory accent for meat dishes, as well as to perfume their sweets.

Mediterranean favorites
Vegetables figure prominently on the Sephardic menu. Cooks prepare them in numerous ways, notably as an impressive array of salads to begin feasts. They use peppers, eggplant, zucchini, artichokes, and beans this way. Delectable vegetables braised in savory tomato sauce and vegetables stuffed with fragrant meat and rice stuffings are other highlights of their holiday tables.

Braised meats with rice or couscous are favorite main courses. For special occasions, the rice may be embellished with dried fruit and nuts.


Pita, or pocket bread, is the best-known bread of Sephardic origin. If you have tried only the mass-marketed types, try to taste fresh pita from an Israeli or Middle Eastern bakery. As with pizza, which is made from a similar dough, there is a world of difference between a fresh-baked pita straight from the oven and a packaged one designed to last a long time.

Sephardic cooks often bake their pastries, both savory and sweet, from filo dough. Bourekas are a popular appetizer pastry and often have feta cheese, spinach, or potato fillings. Baklava, a favorite sweet, features the dough layered with a nut and sugar filling and moistened with syrup.

Israeli style
Israel was the original homeland of the Jewish people before their wanderings divided them into the Ashkenazic and Sephardic groups. In modern days, members of both communities have come together in the Jewish State.

From a culinary standpoint, the result is an active melting pot. With people from so many different countries living in close proximity in a small space, neighbors and friends actively exchange recipes and try each other's favorite flavors.

Falafel is the most famous specialty of Israel. Originally an eastern Mediterranean appetizer, it became Israel's favorite light meal. In Israel, falafel is as common as hamburgers are in the United States. People eat falafel in pita sandwiches at casual falafel restaurants as a quick pick-me-up and also enjoy making it at home.

In just about every Israeli home, a salad of finely diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions dressed with olive oil and lemon juice is a staple. It's called simply Israeli salad. Most people eat it at least once a day, as a first course or to accompany an entree from roast chicken to a simple omelet