The deepest secrets of Sephardic cooking are buried here – Forward
Posted By admin on December 18, 2021
Some cookbook authors get their recipes from chefs. Hlne Jawhara Pier got hers from the Inquisition.
The coiled holiday breads, long-simmered stews, and honey-sweetened, orange-scented desserts collected within Piers remarkable new book of Sephardic cookery derive not from family recipes passed down through well-worn cookbooks or hand-scribbled notes on food-stained scraps of paper, but from years of scholarly research into historical sources, chief among them trial records of the Inquisition.
Hlne Jawhara Pier
Sephardi: Cooking the History, though, is by no means a dense historical tome. Subtitled Recipes of the Jews of Spain and the Diaspora, from the 13th Century to Today, it is a lively, accessible cookbook containing 50-odd recipes illustrated with bright, appetizing photographs taken by Pier.
In the books introduction and within recipe headnotes, Pier offers fascinating and concise historical context that enhances the experience of reading and cooking recipes for dishes including Swiss Chard Stew With Chickpeas and something called Meatballs cursed by the Jews (More on that one later.)
Pier was born in Paris of half-Spanish and half-French heritage and now resides in Bordeaux. As a doctoral candidate at the French University of Tours, she studied Medieval history and the history of food, spending six years researching the recipes of Iberian Jews of the Middle Ages.
I have always been very interested in food and in religion and how food was important in religious practices, Pier said. But I have always been also interested in Jewish food and Jewish culture and culinary heritage. At University I started thinking about studying the first Jewish cookbook, and it started to be very complex. I was looking for this source, but it didnt exist.
To understand the obstacles Pier encountered, and why she was ultimately able to find so much information within Inquisition-trial documents, one requires a brief outline of the history of the Jews of Spain and Portugal.
After being expelled from Jerusalem and Palestine by the Romans in the 2nd Century, Jews traveled to the Iberian peninsula where at first they struggled under Romans and Visigoths, then thrived for 800 years of Muslim rule.
How the tiny Christian enclaves in the peninsular north resisted the Muslims and gradually pushed south and grew into the large kingdoms of Castile and Aragon, and their smaller neighbors Navarre and Portugal, according to David Gitlitz, the recently deceased author of books including A Drizzle of Honey, who wrote the cookbooks foreward. How the Jews who had now come to be living under Christian rule were increasingly persecuted. How when in the late 1400s Castile and Aragon united under Ferdinand and Isabel, the self-styled Catholic Monarchs, Jews were offered the choice of conversion or exile. And how the religious behavior of those who chose to convert and remain as Christians was rigorously policed by the Inquisition.
The Inquisition began in 1478 as a way of identifying converts called conversos who secretly continued to practice Judaism. One of the primary ways to unmask these conversos (also called Crypto Jews by the Inquisitors), was through their dietary habits.
As they had to hide themselves, it is even more complex for a historian to find something that proves their different practices. There are no cookbooks that bear the name Jewish cookbook, because food was a tool to identify the Jews, so creating a Jewish cookbook in this period was impossible. So thats why I had to have a look at different kinds of sources.
Pier pored over three cookbooks from the Iberian peninsula written in the 13th and 14th centuries two in Arabic and one in Catalan. Searching recipes from the Middle Ages through the 19th century, she discovered only eight specifically identified as being Jewish. She looked to literature and scholarly works, and also to Maimonides, whose Regimen of Health, offered remarkable material including the recipe for a chicken soup with poached eggs, called Puchero, that reminded Pier of the one her Andalusian grandmother made.
In the soup recipes headnote she quotes Maimonides as saying, The patient will always keep his strength by taking a light food like chicken soup, meat broth, soft egg yolk, which for him who can take it, and even some less mild elements such as chicken meat.
Then there are the Inquisition trials, in which conversos were revealed based on their culinary practices, often having been denounced by their own servants.
There is a recipe called Meat Pie of the Fernandes Conversos From Bahia, described in the introduction as being based on a 1590 Inquisition trial record, which explains how the Fernandes family from Bahia, Brazil, were reported for their Shabbat cooking: preparing a baked dish of meat with onion, olive oil, seeds, spices and other ingredients, sealed with dough all around.
Swiss chard stew with chickpeas
Perhaps the most significant recipe in the book is for a dish called adefina, the iconic slow-cooked chickpea and beef stew, also known as dafina, ani, hamin, and trasnochado. The long-simmering, aromatically spiced stew was known by different names in part to deceive Inquisition officials, as the dish would have revealed the makers and eaters as Jewish, according to the recipe headnote. All terms refer to the characteristics of the dish: adefina, adafina, dafina mean buried, hidden. Trasnochado refers to the fact that it is cooked overnight.
It is an iconic and emblematic dish of the Jews of Spain, Pier said. Its very, very important because in Inquisition trials or in other sources its not very common to have a specific name for the dish. We know ingredients and processes, but there is not always a very specific name for the dish that the Jews were eating.
Adefina is a notable exception, and it is mentioned in Memoirs of the Reign of the Catholic Monarchs, penned in the 15th century by Andrs Bernldez, Archbishop of Seville, who wrote that Adefina was a pot-au-feu (puchero) or pot (olla) that the Jews place at nightfall on the stove covering it with embers, for eating on Saturdays.
As with other recipes in Sephardi, this one doesnt contain New World ingredients such as potatoes or sweet potatoes, which are common additions in modern times but would not have been present in the Middle Ages. (Nor are there any tomatoes within these pages.)
There is plenty of eggplant, including an Eggplant, Garlic, and Cheese Dip; A Jewish Dish of Eggplants Stuffed With Meat; and Eggplants With Saffron and Swiss Chard for a Converso Wedding. In the introduction to this dish, Pier explains: One of the characteristics of eggplant is that it can be eaten cold. The culinary practices of the Jewish conversos during the Inquisition period testify to this. Indeed, several families were accused by the court of the Inquisition of Toledo for having consumed cold eggplant pots called cauelas for their Shabbat lunch, which they had prepared the day before.
Pier found that eggplant was often used in literature to mock Jewish practices. The smell of the eggplant, excessive consumption of eggplant, its been used as a way to make fun, she said. The ones who also consumed eggplant were the Muslims. Nevertheless, in the historical sources there is no mention of eggplant to make fun of the Muslims. It is just concerning the Jews.
Pier recommended pairing the Eggplants With Saffron and Swiss Chard for a Converso Wedding with meatballs the ones that were apparently cursed by the Jews. She came across this recipe in one of the Eastern Muslim cookbooks of the Middle Ages, the only one to contain Jewish recipes. The title mentioning a curse is intriguing, since there is no indication of what it means in the cookbook. Why were these meatballs cursed by the Jews? We are left to draw our own conclusions. A later version of the cookbook drops the word cursed.
The last chapter of the book is called My Recipes Based on Historical Sources, and includes a cheesecake made with cottage cheese, which Piner serves on Shavuot, a Moroccan flatbread thats popular today, and a popular spinach pie called mina, made with store-bought puff pastry dough.
I decided to add this section to highlight that when you are talking about Jewish cuisine, we really have to take into account the importance of adaptation and evolution, she said. It is always like that. To move and to adapt yourself and to continue living and keeping your religion and your practices.
Eating is to remember, she said. When you eat something, it tastes very different when you know where it comes from.
Join Hlne Jawhara Pier as she cooks from Sephardi: Cooking the History. Recipes of the Jews of Spain and the Diaspora, from the 13th Century to Today and joins in conversation with Forward National and Food Editor Rob Eshman. Jan 26, 2022 02:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada) Click here to register.
View post:
The deepest secrets of Sephardic cooking are buried here - Forward
- Tishpishti Is Sephardi Honey Cake, But Better | The Nosher - September 12th, 2023
- Looking into Seattle's Sephardic Jewish history - The Jerusalem Post - September 12th, 2023
- Is there a difference between Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews ... - Jewish Unpacked - September 12th, 2023
- 'Kantika,' tale of Sephardic immigrants in NYC, is One Bay book - The Jewish News of Northern California - September 12th, 2023
- Sephardic Torah | Curses, Blessings and the Rosh Hashana Seder ... - Jewish Journal - September 3rd, 2023
- Sephardic | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary - August 22nd, 2023
- This Pioneering Sephardic Jewish Mother Invented the Cat-Eye ... - Kveller.com - August 6th, 2023
- Expulsion to cultural integration: 500 years of Sephardic Jews in ... - TRT World - August 6th, 2023
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Airs Bigoted New Covid Conspiracy Theory About ... - July 22nd, 2023
- Chief Sephardic rabbi: Ben Gvirs Temple Mount visits are a sin - The Times of Israel - July 18th, 2023
- Yeshiva University Upgrades and Expands Sephardic Beit Medrash - Jewish Link of New Jersey - July 14th, 2023
- Food for thought: Learning culture, cooking, and verb conjugations ... - July 11th, 2023
- The (Sephardic) House of Love and Prayer - Jewish Link of New Jersey - June 29th, 2023
- Sephardic Jewish Recipes - Learn to Cook Delicious Sephardic ... - May 15th, 2023
- Sephardic Passover Traditions | Rabbi Barbara Aiello - May 3rd, 2023
- Sephardic Genealogical Society - May 3rd, 2023
- Sephardic Jews and Their History | AHA - April 4th, 2023
- Sephardic Jews - Wikipedia - February 2nd, 2023
- In Turkey, a festival revives a jewel of the Sephardic world and aims ... - January 10th, 2023
- In Turkey, a festival revives a jewel of the Sephardic world and aims to break stereotypes - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - January 10th, 2023
- Under coalition deal, chief Sephardic rabbi will head panel that ... - December 29th, 2022
- Beyond Sufganiyot and Latkes: 6 Delicious Recipes to Add Some Sephardic ... - December 29th, 2022
- Jewish religious movements - Wikipedia - December 23rd, 2022
- Palestinian Jews - Wikipedia - December 21st, 2022
- Sephardic Jewish cuisine - Wikipedia - October 25th, 2022
- Elul in Uzbekistan: Looking back at thousands of years to find inspiration for today - eJewish Philanthropy - October 8th, 2022
- Spice-packed chicken rolo is a perfect dinner in the sukkah J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - October 6th, 2022
- Beth Israel explores 'Roots of the Sephardic Jews in Texas' - Jewish Herald-Voice - September 23rd, 2022
- Why Rosh Hashanah Meals Are Different Anywhere You Go - Mashed - September 23rd, 2022
- What foods are in a Rosh Hashanah Seder? Take our quiz to find out - Forward - September 23rd, 2022
- Tel Aviv: The other face of the most expensive city in the world - EL PAS USA - September 23rd, 2022
- Farewell to the Shemittah! Torah.org - Torah.org - September 23rd, 2022
- A Fall Full of Cooking Shows on WTTW - WTTW - September 2nd, 2022
- World Premiere of Composer Michael Shapiro's VOICES to be Presented at Central Synagogue in November - Broadway World - September 2nd, 2022
- Zeal of the Convert - Randy Rosenthal - The American Scholar - September 2nd, 2022
- The Case A Year of Sabbatical - Community Magazine - September 2nd, 2022
- Delegates from More Than 50 Countries to Take Part in Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Kazakhstan - Astana Times - August 30th, 2022
- Recipes for okra, the unheralded star of summer - Los Angeles Times - August 30th, 2022
- The Jewish and Intellectual Origins of this Famously Non-Jewish Jew - Jewish Journal - August 27th, 2022
- Children's books by local Jewish authors educate and delight J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - August 20th, 2022
- Marvel's Jewish Voices: Where Are They? - Comic Watch - August 20th, 2022
- LETTERS: Sorry situation at Kotel; SFUSD wrong on Muslim holidays J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - August 20th, 2022
- What Hate Can Do: inside a devastating new exhibition on the Holocaust - The Guardian - July 16th, 2022
- Lily Safra, fabulously rich philanthropist whose life was peppered with drama and mystery obituary - The Telegraph - July 16th, 2022
- Which boy is the best boy for Kamala Khan? - Polygon - July 16th, 2022
- Blue Thread Performance Group Presents Series of Free Concerts Next Week - University of Arkansas Newswire - July 14th, 2022
- UK Conservative hopefuls strikingly diverse, firmly on right - ABC News - July 14th, 2022
- Married in the US; single in the EU - Rochester BeaconRochester Beacon - Rochester Beacon - July 14th, 2022
- Lily Safra, One Of The World's Richest Women, Dies at 87 - TheTealMango - July 10th, 2022
- Retracing the Old Havana Neighborhood of San Isidro - Havana Times - July 10th, 2022
- Greece Losing Battle of Thessaloniki to Anarchists, Hooligans - The National Herald - July 10th, 2022
- Moroccan Orange and Cured Olive Salad - Jewish Journal - July 4th, 2022
- The Shared Beliefs Of Muslims And Jews In Morocco Analysis - Eurasia Review - July 4th, 2022
- Poll: 66% of Haredi Voters Want Netanyahu to Step Down If He Fails to Forge a Government - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - July 4th, 2022
- Where is the Jewish 'Bridgerton'? In search of better Jewish period pieces - The Jewish News of Northern California - July 4th, 2022
- Daily Briefing Jun 22: Does Netanyahu have tricks up his sleeve to form a govt now? - The Times of Israel - June 26th, 2022
- Happy as this Jew in France - JNS.org - JNS.org - June 26th, 2022
- My Last Cup of Coffee with AB Yehoshua - Jewish Journal - June 17th, 2022
- Doron Almog, retired general and disabilities advocate, set to head Jewish Agency - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - June 17th, 2022
- The Ropa Vieja story: the National Dish of Cuba | Revolucin de Cuba - June 13th, 2022
- Jewish surname - Wikipedia - June 13th, 2022
- SF Jewish Pride Fund visits LGBTQ grantees in Israel - The Jewish News of Northern California - June 13th, 2022
- The Weird and Wonderful Foods of Star Wars Made Jewish - aish.com - Aish - June 13th, 2022
- Sephardic Matzah Spinach Pie Recipe | The Nosher - June 4th, 2022
- The Zionism Of Warren G. Harding - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - June 2nd, 2022
- What is the Lag BaOmer pilgrimage? - The Conversation - May 18th, 2022
- Spiteful Synagogue Syndrome stories | Elchanan Poupko | The Blogs - The Times of Israel - May 18th, 2022
- SF senior home recognized by Fast Company for virtual memory care J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - May 18th, 2022
- My Abortion Helped Make My Jewish Family Whole Kveller - Kveller.com - May 18th, 2022
- Executive director of embattled Jewish Federation stepping down after months of turmoil - Santa Fe New Mexican - May 18th, 2022
- OU PRESS announces the publication of Bridging Traditions: Demystifying Differences Between Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews by Rabbi Haim Jachter and... - May 4th, 2022
- Why are Mizrahi and Sephardic communities being misrepresented as anti-Israel? - JNS.org - May 4th, 2022
- Beit Harambam United in Times of Adversity - Jewish Exponent - May 4th, 2022
- Ruben Navarrette commentary: Faced with Ukrainians seeking refuge, Israel fails the immigration test again - West Central Tribune - May 4th, 2022
- Great Neck rabbi and Rambam boost Tiberias - The Jewish Star - May 4th, 2022
- 'Ace of Taste' shows the savory side of chef Duff Goldman - Journal Inquirer - May 4th, 2022
- Synagogue Spotlight: Keter Torah Currently Has Members From About 20 Countries Among Their 100 or so Families - The Jewish News - April 29th, 2022
- Ladino's gives sneak peek of Mediterranean cuisine ahead of grand opening - mySA - April 29th, 2022
- Following Roman Abramovich scrutiny, Portugal tightens ... - March 20th, 2022
- Funeral for Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, zt'l: Roads to be Closed, Hundreds of Thousands Expected to Attend - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - March 20th, 2022
Comments