- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (Aug 15 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0395892600
- ISBN-13: 978-0395892602
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 20.3 x 2.1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 435 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,104,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Sephardic Jews include those who left Spain during the Inquisition in 1492 and the people in Jewish communities where the Babylonian Talmud is followed. These communities, found mainly in the Middle East, tend to be exclusive, insular, and to eat very well.
From Morocco and Italy east to Iran and India, Sephardic cooking is a rich blend of herbs and spices, of sweet and savory flavors. Hummus, stuffed grape leaves, and pilafs made with rice or bulgur are a few Sephardic dishes you may recognize.
Author Pamela Grau Twena's introduction to Sephardic cooking was unexpected. A nonobservant Jew from Hollywood, she met her husband, whose Orthodox family had emigrated from Iraq to Israel, on a blind date. After they married, they lived with his parents in Israel for one challenging year. The Sephardic Table grew, in part, from Twena's efforts to bond with her conservative mother-in-law, who guarded her territory so jealously that it took Twena months just to be allowed in the kitchen.
Obtaining recipes was difficult, even outside the family, because most Sephardic women cook by habit and feel, not following written instructions. Asked how many eggs she puts in a dish, a woman sputtered, "How can I tell you? It depends on the chickens that day, it depends on the freshness of the flour."
When she returned to the U.S., Twena continued her research in Sephardic cooking. Her collection of recipes, punctuated with moving personal stories, encompasses Italian Roasted Tomatoes generously seasoned with garlic, Indian Cardamom Chicken braised with six spices, and dishes from Sephardim living in countries everywhere in between. While Twena felt challenged by this ritualized way of cooking, where you are supposed to stir the pot in a particular way and are only allowed combine certain foods, even timid cooks can manage most of the recipes in The Sephardic Table. --Dana Jacobi
Book Description
Pamela Grau Twena's introduction to Sephardic culture began on a blind date. Her future husband came from a family of Iraqi Jews who had immigrated to Israel. She was a non-observant Jew from Hollywood whose encounters with Jewish food had been limited to her grandmother's matzoh ball soup, a semiannual brisket, and an occasional cheese blintz. Twena's mother-in-law ushered her into a world of flavorful dishes. Captivated, she coaxed out the recipes, which had been passed through generations but never written down. Beginning with her husband's extended family, she went on to interview members of the Sephardic community (the term for Jews with ancient roots in Spain), persuading them to open their kitchens to her and divulge their coveted recipes. The result is a collection of 175 of Twena's favorite recipes from Morocco, Libya, Algeria, and Tunisia in North Africa; from the Ottoman communities of Turkey, Rhodes, and Greece; from Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, and Iran in the Middle East.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended by our daughter,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Sephardic Table: The Vibrant Cooking of the Mediterranean Jews (Paperback)
Our daughter purchased this book at a book sale. She enthusiastically read several recipes to me. I purchased copies of the book for myself as well as for several friends. There are many tasty comfort foods such as, 'Baked Fish and Chickpeas'. Every section of this book has recipes I want to try. A winning cookbook among the 100 or more I have collected.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delicious recipes without complications,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Sephardic Table: The Vibrant Cooking of the Mediterranean Jews (Paperback)
This is the first cookbook I reach for when planning a meal for Shabbat. The flavors are interesting and varied, and even similar sounding recipes often turn out quite different from one another. Good salads and great chicken.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.4 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews) 32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovingly assembled, authentic Sephardi delicacies,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Sephardic Table: The Vibrant Cooking of the Mediterranean Jews (Paperback)
I am a great fan of Sephardi food and own several Sephardi cookbooks. Twena has assembled a wide ranging collection of recipes from the many countries whose Jewish communities fall under the classification "Sephardi". A comment on the origin of the recipe or its appeal personalises each dish. Many Sephardi recipes can be complex and time consuming, but Twena's are generally quick to prepare. Despite several deep fried delicacies and olive oil starring in many others, there are enough low fat recipes to satisfy the calorie conscious. This book is a great purchase for someone searching for a different and imaginative style of cooking, or to duplicate their mother's or grandmother's specialties.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
decent but not excellent,
By Elena - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Sephardic Table: The Vibrant Cooking of the Mediterranean Jews (Paperback)
I thought the recipes were too simple and ignored major ingridients that are used in sephardic cooking. The only advantage is very few ingridents, so it is easy to shop. Disadvantage: the taste suffers and isn't aromatic enough.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Recipes!,
By Stella "A reader" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Sephardic Table: The Vibrant Cooking of the Mediterranean Jews (Paperback)
My personal favorites are the Mezze (Appetizers) and the Indian Cardamom Chicken, which is a delight. Many Sephardic recipes are complicated and/or time-consuming to prepare, but Mrs. Twena's are easy to follow and fairly quick too. The spice combinations are intriguing and there are many delicious vegetarian dishes. She also has helpful menus and a basic explanation of the Jewish holidays in the back.
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