Traditions of Jewish Cooking

Jewish cooking traditions, stretching back nearly two thousand years, are based on a set of dietary laws established in Biblican times. These laws are the foundation on which all Jewish cooking is built, irrespective of the country in which the cook is living. Jewish cooking is, therefore, not like any single national cooking style.

The fascination of Jewish cookery is the way in which an enormous cookery repertoire has been created, with contributions from hosts of countries, while still retaining allegiance to the Jewish Dietary Laws. The great variety in Jewish cooking stems in part from the travels of Jewish communities from country to country in the Middle East, Asia Minor and Europe. Local ingredients were made use of and variations on familiar themes became distinctive dishes in their own right. The names of dishes varied according to the country of origin, i.e. Russian, Polish, Spanish or Middle Eastern.

You can learn a great deal more about Jewish cooking at:

• Cooking Around the World - Traditions of Jewish Cooking where you will find some interesting recipes.
• Judaism 101: Jewish Dietary Laws where you will learn a great deal.

I have thoroughly enjoyed becoming acquainted with these dishes.