Italy's rich Jewish culinary heritage spans more than 2,000 years (restaurants, pizza, coffee)

[Walter Greenspan]

In honor of the 40th birthday of Chez Panisse, Joan Nathan is planning a menu of Italian Jewish classics.

In addition to discussing the history of Italian Jewish cooking, the article includes recipes for:

Carciofi alla Giudia (Artichokes Jewish Style)
Spinach With Pine Nuts and Raisins
Apple-Apricot Crostada

[B4U]

Thanks for the article, Walter. Yum!
There are many recipes in southern Sicily that have their roots from Jewish, Turkish, Morrocan, Greek, etc. influences, because Sicily was stopping point to all the Mediterranean trade routes.
All interesting. Some yummy.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by B4U

There are many recipes in southern Sicily that have their roots from Jewish, Turkish, Morrocan, Greek, etc. influences, because Sicily was stopping point to all the Mediterranean trade routes.

According to Center for the Study of Jewry in Calabria and Sicily, "It has been estimated that prior to the Inquisition, at least forty per cent of the combined population of Calabria and Sicily was Jewish."

[gizmo980]

I think the author of this article actually goes/went to my synagogue, LOL. If it's the same Nathan family here in the Bay Area, who used to own Nathan's restaurants in Burlingame & Palo Alto... delicious food, btw. Thanks for posting it, as I love Italian food - and obviously I'm Jewish!

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

If it's the same Nathan family here in the Bay Area ...

According to Joan Nathan, "Joan Nathan was born in Providence, Rhode Island. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a master's degree in French literature and earned a master's in public administration from Harvard University. For three years she lived in Israel where she worked for Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem. In 1974, working for Mayor Abraham Beame in New York, she co-founded the Ninth Avenue Food Festival. The mother of three grown children, Ms. Nathan lives in Washington, D.C. and Martha's Vineyard with her husband, attorney Allan Gerson."

[B4U]

I didn't know the %, but what the heck. Doesn't matter to me much. None of us are really that isolated, nor is our food source(s) or language for that matter. Even back when. We all intermingle things from elsewhere.
I believe regional favorites are because they happen to grow better in those regions. So people, by necessity favor them, get used to them, and take them on as "their" cuisine.
My roots are in italian/american cuisine-my father's side. My mother's english/german roots, eh, not so much.
My best friends growing up were jewish and living almost equally between homes, all us kids knew was we liked certain foods and not others. We didn't make the distinctions, except maybe Passover and Easter.
I do have to say though, my mother's english mother made the BEST Jewish coffee cake, which I haven't been able to duplicate, even though I have her recipe. Where she got it, why she called it Jewish, who knows? It was the best. She also made the best saurbraten (sp?). Yet, again, she was english. Go figure.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by B4U

My roots are in italian/american cuisine-my father's side.

I have Italian friends back in the motherland (Brooklyn) that knew which gravy/sauce (whether it's called gravy or it's called sauce depends on which part of Italy your ancestors came from) went with each different pasta shape.

[B4U]

Ha. Me too, growing up in Joisy-(no, we didn't have the blue-collar, more urban accent though(dough).
Gravy/sauce is still interchangable. And pasta is macaroni, no matter what the shape/cut, until it's long. Then it's defined, specifically what it is. "spagetts, percatelli, bucatini, linguini, etc. Lasagna, and jumbo stuffed shells were defined also.
Bread for dipping is "mops", bread for sandwiches is bread, unless it's pizza bread for "italian hot dogs". Then it's pizza bread. And how is a hot dog "italian" anyway?
See what I mean? How does a hot dog become "italian"?

Anyway, back on topic, I enjoyed your thread, and article you linked. I'm glad you, as do I, take great pride and posession of your heritage and culinary "specialties".
I think more political/religious disagreements that result in war and loss of life could be settled with a good bowl of macaroni. Oops, I mean the sharing/eating and teaching appreciation of ones own regional foods while discussing differences of opinion.
Yeh, right!


Animal House Food Fight - YouTube