jewish food

Boxes of "Surprisingly Delicious Matzo" made by The Matzo Project line the shelves of Glen's Garden Market in Washington, D.C.

Matzo Makeover: Can The Bread Of Affliction Become A Snack Addiction?

5:45pm March 13, 2017

by Larissa Zimberoff

A pair of longtime pals are trying to cheer up the flavorless Passover staple by creating an artisanal matzo that (hopefully) jumps right into the market aisle with all of the other cool crackers.

Jews commemorate Hanukkah by eating fried foods. For most American Jews, that means latkes — potato pancakes fried in oil. But other cultures toss different foods into pots of boiling oil. Take, for example, these fried and jam-filled doughnuts, called

Beyond Latkes: 8 Nights Of Fried Delights From Around The World

7:40am December 24, 2016

by Bonny Wolf

Jews commemorate Hanukkah by eating fried foods. For most American Jews, that means latkes — potato pancakes fried in oil. But other cultures toss different foods into pots of boiling oil.

Matzo ball soup is a classic recipe straight from Eastern Europe. But not all Jews from the region came to the New World via Ellis Island, as reflected in this jalapeño-inflected family recipe from chef Pati Jinich.

For Rosh Hashana, A Matzo Ball Soup By Way Of Mexico

6:42pm September 30, 2016

Matzo ball soup is a classic straight from Eastern Europe. But not all Jews from the region came to the New World via Ellis Island, as this jalapeño-inflected recipe reflects.

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Herbed gefilte fish is baked in a terrine for a brighter, fresher take on tradition.

'The Gefilte Manifesto': A Loved, And Loathed, Jewish Staple Gets Updated

4:03pm September 14, 2016

by Joel Rose

Gefilte fish was a staple of old world Jewish cuisine. But many Americans can barely look at the stuff. Now two chefs in Brooklyn want to reboot gefilte fish and other classic Jewish foods.

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A Passover Seder table. During Passover, Jews avoid leavened bread. But whether legumes, corn and rice are OK has long been a point of contention among Jews of European and Middle Eastern ancestry. Now, rabbis have weighed in.

Beans And Rice For Passover? A Divisive Question Gets The Rabbis' OK

9:19am April 23, 2016

by Maria Godoy

For 800 years, Jews of European and Middle Eastern and Spanish ancestry have been split on the question of whether legumes, corn and rice are kosher for Passover. Rabbis have finally weighed in.

Manischewitz is closely associated with Jewish tradition, but it was once a huge crossover success. Sammy Davis Jr. was its spokesman in TV advertising. At one point, the typical drinker was described as an urban African-American man.

'Man, Oh Manischewitz': When The Jewish Wine Was Big With Gentiles, Too

11:05am April 22, 2016

by Jessica Leigh Hester

The wine associated with Jewish tradition was once a huge crossover success. At one point, the typical drinker was described as an urban African-American man.

After his mother-in-law's death, NPR's Marc Silver found her go-to cookbook, filled with her copious annotations to recipes. He used it to piece together her take on mandelbread, a Jewish version of biscotti, and other holiday favorites.

Keeping Loved Ones' Holiday Recipes Alive, Long After They've Left The Table

7:25pm September 22, 2015

by Marc Silver

NPR's Marc Silver lost his mother-in-law in 2005. But she remains a presence at family meals this Jewish holiday season, through his dogged trial-and-error attempts to re-create her favorite treats.

"Honey cake is considered the fruitcake of the kosher kitchen," jokes cookbook author Marcy Goldman. "The same resistance people may have to fruitcake, a lot of people have about honey cake." With her recipe — now the go-to recipe for thousands of famil

The Jewish Fruitcake: Honey Cake Is A Sweet And Stodgy Tradition

11:57pm September 13, 2015

by Deena Prichep

In symbolic hope for a sweet new year, many Jews will mark the start of Rosh Hashanah with honey cake. The cake is sentimental, but not always beloved. Here, a delectable update to the ancient recipe.

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A worker stacks matzo wafers at Streit's matzo factory on the Lower East Side of New York in 2012.

How The Matzo Crumbles: Iconic Streit's Factory To Leave Manhattan

3:47pm April 07, 2015

by Joel Rose

It's the end of an era: After nearly a century, the Streit's matzo factory is leaving Manhattan's Lower East Side. This Passover will be its last there. Streit's plans to move to a new factory.

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Wrapped in gold and silver foil, chocolate gelt are often handed out as a little treat for children (and adults) during Hanukkah. Turns out, the tradition is rooted in real money.

Hanukkah History: Those Chocolate Coins Were Once Real Tips

2:09pm December 16, 2014

by Deena Prichep

Many Jewish families celebrate the holiday by handing out gelt, chocolate coins covered in gold and silver. These days they're treats for kids. But the practice began as a way to thank labor.

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