Jewish cuisine. Jewish cuisine, traditional dishes: challah, tsimmes, forshmak

Jewish gastronomy, unlike many other cuisines in the world, is subject to a strict set of religious rules. All dishes are prepared in accordance with kashrut - the requirements of Halakha, Jewish Law. Thus, according to the law, it is strictly prohibited to combine meat and dairy products, to consume pork, camel meat, hyrax and hare meat, as well as insects, amphibians and reptiles. Only ruminants and artiodactyls - cows, goats, sheep, giraffes, moose - are considered kosher. It is allowed to eat poultry meat - geese, chickens, turkeys, quails, ducks. Animals are also slaughtered according to special rules. As for fish, it is not considered meat; Kosher fish must have scales and fins.

Before cooking, products are carefully inspected and washed. They must not have any defects.

It is also worth noting that traditional Jewish cuisine is divided into Ashkenazi and Sephardic. Jews living in Europe adhere to the traditions of the first, while Jews living in the Middle East adhere to the second.

Let's look at it a little closer...

An ancient culture with its traditions and rules holds this people scattered throughout the world in a single integrity stronger than any borders. The persecuted nation would have been wiped off the face of the earth long ago if the voices of the ancestors, heard in the everyday way of life, recipes, blessings before meals, sacred holidays and customs, did not tell about the history and morals of their native people, did not care about the unity and health of their children. We, the children of modern civilization with its chaotic way of life and rhythm, can only marvel at the strength and vitality of the traditions of this amazing people, imbued with a feeling of deep respect for a rational and life-loving culture.

Looking at the Jewish calendar, an unprepared person will simply be confused. The months of the year, the names and duration of which differ only slightly in different countries of the world, among the Jews correspond to the movement of the Moon and are called completely differently. But the most interesting thing is the holidays, with their changing dates, features and traditions, so different from those to which we are accustomed: New Year (or Birthday) of trees, Royal Saturday, Feast of Tabernacles (booths), Hanukkah - the festival of light, Judgment Day, the “milk” holiday of the year Shavuot, and only Easter - Passover resonates in the soul with a feeling of joyful participation. In Jewish cuisine, each holiday has its own scenario, its own rules and prohibitions, and its own special menu. The dishes placed on the table can tell you what time of year, day of the week or holiday it is. An abundance of pancakes and buttery donuts will indicate the winter holiday of Hanukkah, and sweet triangular pies with poppy seeds or jam will tell about the onset of the bright and cheerful holiday of Purim, which marks the beginning of spring.

The spiritual content of a meal is determined not by how varied and plentiful it is, but at what time, from what products, for what occasion it is prepared. After all, according to the Torah, the holy book of the Jewish people, food is the first step in the process of ennobling a person. Eating only for the sake of satiety or pleasure is considered the lowest level of behavior, because food primarily carries spiritual power, it must be taken correctly, not forgetting to bless and thank God. Therefore, preparing food is equated to a sacred rite.

For example, a common everyday activity is baking kosher bread. A small piece is separated from the dough prepared according to my grandmother’s recipe and thrown into the fire. In ancient times, this “bread gift” - challah - was taken to the priests as an offering instead of fire, and later the custom was transformed into the sacrifice of bread to fire. Separating the challah is considered the honorable responsibility of the hostess. To this day, in Israel and beyond, Jewish women, following the traditions of national cuisine, strictly fulfill this ancient commandment.

Israeli cuisine unique and diverse, its history is inseparable from the history of the people themselves. This cuisine is based on recipes with a predominance of grain crops, because the ancient Jewish people were farmers. They ate mainly fruits, grains and legumes. Generous fertile soils provided rich harvests for both people and livestock. Dairy products, eggs, a little meat (animals were needed more on the farm than on the table), fish on holidays, a variety of flour and vegetable dishes, a few spices so as not to disturb the taste of the dish, honey, nuts, fruits - this is an approximate diet in those days. ancient times.

But the history of the Jewish people is full of tragic twists and turns. With the forced resettlement from their native places to other countries, adaptation to new products and culinary traditions, Jewish cuisine also changed. It changed, but did not disappear, and like a sponge it absorbed local culinary characteristics and flavor. The natural and inevitable mutual influence of cultures of different peoples brought its wonderful fruits. This is how meat goulash soup, loved by Jews from Hungary, appeared, strudel with dried fruits - a gift from Jews from Austria, falafel - the famous pea “fast food”, which is lovingly prepared in the countries of the Middle East, and many, many more recipes that came from other countries and ingrained in Jewish “cookbooks.”

The cooking traditions of the Jewish people have developed their own favorite techniques and features, sometimes dictated by the conditions of the area of ​​residence, sometimes by religious rules and customs. Jewish cuisine is characterized by simple but lengthy heat treatment: boiling, stewing with water and under a lid; baking in the oven is less commonly used. As a result of many hours of heat treatment, traditional tzimmes, cholents, thick rich broths are obtained, always with huge matzo dumplings - kneidlach, stewed sweet and sour meat - these are all dishes in which the constituent ingredients are simmered and boiled for a long time, soaked in the aroma of spices and turning into a homogeneous , a delicate mass with a new taste.

Egg dishes are very popular in Jewish cuisine: boiled, raw, fried. Whipped egg fillings are used to prepare kugels from matzo, fish, and vegetables. Yolks are added to unleavened dough, and snacks and salads are prepared from hard-boiled and chopped eggs.

Fish dishes is a whole separate area of ​​​​the culinary art of the Jewish people. Stuffed whole or in pieces, boiled in broth or baked, fish cutlets, jelly, forshmak are the most beloved and widespread dishes of national cuisine, known all over the world. On the festive table, fish takes on additional symbolic meaning - laid out whole, head on, on a dish, it symbolizes wisdom and integrity of life.

Mandatory components of almost all dishes, but only in limited quantities, are spices: anise, nutmeg, dill, black pepper. They are added for taste, appetite, good digestion, and for longer preservation of food. An old Jewish proverb says: “Food without spices has no benefit or joy.” Also, to improve the taste of soups, broths, fish and meat dishes, spicy vegetables are used: celery and parsley root, onions, garlic, etc.

The most important feature, without which all Jewish cuisine simply would not exist, is the observance of the basic religious rules for the selection and preparation of products - the rules of Kashrut. No matter where the representatives of this people found themselves, the basis for housekeeping and cooking for them always remained the religious laws of nutrition. Jews eat only “suitable” kosher food, that is, that which is prepared in accordance with the laws of Kashrut.

Rules of Kashrut

Contrary to popular belief, rabbis and other Jewish religious leaders do not participate in the preparation of kosher food, or rather, they may participate, but this is not a determining factor. A dish will be considered kosher if the following simple but mandatory rules are followed during its preparation:

• It is allowed to eat only the meat of herbivores: cattle, sheep, goats, as well as the meat of wild animals such as deer and roe deer. It is believed that the closer an animal is to the plant world, the less aggression it transmits to humans and the less animal instincts appear in it. Thus, the meat of carnivores, as well as pigs, is prohibited. The same provision applies to birds, only in addition to birds of prey, songbirds and exotic ones are also prohibited.
• Only those fish species that have scales and fins are considered kosher. Catfish, sturgeon, sterlet, eel, beluga, etc. are prohibited from being eaten, since their scales cannot be separated from the skin. Other inhabitants of water bodies are also considered non-kosher: shellfish, crab, squid, shrimp, etc.
• All parts of prohibited animals, birds and fish are also considered non-kosher (for example, black caviar is prohibited because it comes from non-kosher fish).
• Animals and birds intended for food must be killed in accordance with “shechita” - Jewish rules of slaughter, i.e. very quickly, painlessly, by specially trained people. These restrictions do not apply to permitted fish.

• The Torah categorically prohibits eating any blood, believing that blood contains the soul of an animal or bird. Therefore, if you bought fresh or frozen meat, and the package says “lo mukshar”, which means “not kosher”, then you must remove all the blood from it. To do this, you need to immerse well-washed pieces of meat in water for several hours (no more than a day), then let the water drain, salt the meat and throw it on an inclined plane for another hour, then the remaining blood will drain and the meat will be koshered. If the eggs of permitted birds contain even a drop of blood, they cannot be eaten, so it is better to break the egg into a glass glass before use to avoid spoiling the entire dish. The liver of kosher animals and birds is bled only by roasting.
• All types of insects are prohibited from being eaten. Therefore, Jewish housewives pay great attention to the pre-processing of products, carefully sorting out cereals, sifting flour, and inspecting vegetables, fruits and herbs for bugs and caterpillars. It is recommended to soak the greens in a weak solution of salt or vinegar, and then rinse thoroughly.
• All food, in accordance with the rules of Kashrut, is divided into meat, dairy and neutral, “parve”. It is strictly forbidden to both consume and cook dairy and meat foods at the same time. This applies not only to meat and milk itself, but also to animal products, for example, animal fat or butter, cheese, cottage cheese, etc. Dairy food intake should be separated from meat food intake by at least 6 hours, if meat food is taken after milk, then a difference of 1 hour between doses is enough. The exception is hard cheese, after which the interval should also be at least 6 hours. Fish, eggs, and all plant products belong to “parva” and can be combined with both meat and dairy products. This division concerns not only the products themselves, but also the dishes in which they are prepared. Cutting boards, frying pans, knives, pots and plates for meat should never be mixed or used for dairy. Such dishes also need to be washed separately. If by chance products containing meat come into contact with dairy dishes, such dishes need to be koshered: boiled or calcined.
• During the celebration of Passover (Easter), Kashrut prohibits eating “chametz” - dishes using any leaven (yeast bread, beer, vinegar, etc.). Instead of bread, they prepare “matzo” - thin flatbreads that are kneaded and baked in a very short time so that the dough does not have time to sour.
• Wine, unless produced by a Jew, is considered a non-kosher product.
• All other products, if they do not contain food additives, are allowed.

Jewish cuisine is deservedly considered one of the oldest in the world, because its traditions date back a thousand years ago. Historically, representatives of Jewish culture passed down recipes to their heirs, who improved the cooking traditions and preserved them to this day. The Jewish people spread across the globe, so their culture gathered many customs from different nationalities. However, at the heart of this cuisine is the main principle - the “karschut” food system. This ancient Jewish philosophy is strictly observed by its followers, regardless of where they live.

Features of Jewish cuisine

The most important feature of Jewish cuisine is the food philosophy of “karshut”. Her position determines what the dishes of her followers should be. The influence of karshut on the culinary traditions of the people is very significant. For example, Jews categorically refuse to combine meat and dairy products, since Karshut prohibits such a combination of products. All Jews adhere strictly to their philosophy, so when studying Jewish cuisine, it is necessary to become familiar with the restrictions of karshut.

In Jewish culture, it is not customary to cook on the Sabbath. Given this feature, in traditional cuisine there are special dishes that are prepared on Friday and left to brew until the next day. The traditions and norms of Jewish culture hold the people together as a single whole, despite their dispersion in different countries. Many admire the strength of their traditions and respect for their origins. However, Jewish culture has many features that fundamentally distinguish it from others. For example, Jews make up the calendar differently, and they determine the number of days in months by the movement of the Moon. Therefore, Jewish culture celebrates completely different holidays, the preparation for which includes unique recipes.

Jewish home cooking will boast delicious homemade bread. Many Jews bake bread daily using old traditional recipes. After the bread is baked, a piece is torn from it and thrown into the flame, calling it a sacrifice to the fire. This tradition is considered obligatory for the Jewish people, and every time they bake bread, they throw a slice into the fire. Grains dominate the traditions of this cuisine. Since ancient times, people have been engaged in agriculture, so they had to eat cereals, beans and grown products. After the Jews migrated around the globe, their culture became richer as the people adapted to new conditions and local products. The influence of other cultures brought Hungarian goulash, Austrian strudel and other recipes into Jewish cuisine, which were immortalized in the cookbooks of the people.

The main features of Jewish cuisine are:

1. Following the principles of karshut;
2. Using traditional recipes;
3. Accompanying food preparation with other customs (for example, sacrificing bread to the fire);
4. Introduction of the characteristic influence of food traditions of other cultures;
5. The abundance of cereals and products that agriculture produces.

The laws of karshut were compiled according to the principles specified in the Jewish holy book - the Torah. According to these principles, food is not a satisfaction of hunger, but a means of spiritual elevation. Therefore, Jewish culture has some rules governing attitudes towards food.

The main prohibitions that are the basis of karshut:

1. Meat and dairy products should not be cooked together. This means that such products cannot be combined in one dish. Moreover, you will need to use separate dishes for processing meat and dairy products. Dishes made from them cannot be served at one meal, even if they are placed on separate plates;
2. You should not eat meat with the “fear hormone”. Jewish culture makes it possible to cook the meat of artiodactyls that were instantly killed, because this way the animals do not have time to feel fear. Therefore, for cooking, Jewish cuisine will provide recipes with photos of dishes that exclude hare, pork, fish, bird and predator meat, as well as the animal’s blood itself;
3. Cooking on the Sabbath is prohibited. In Jewish culture, there are dishes that can be prepared on Friday and left to steep on Saturday to acquire a special taste.

Products in Jewish cuisine

The spiritual significance of a culture's food is determined not by variety or quantity, but by what foods were used and for what event the dish was prepared. According to the holy book of the Jews, food is the first stage of ennobling the body. Since food is believed to bring spiritual power, Jews should eat food properly without focusing on trivial satiation. Therefore, in Jewish culture, the cooking process turns out to be a kind of sacred action.

Typically, the Jewish people do not eat pork, nor do they cook birds of prey, fish or hare, but their recipes cannot be called monotonous. Here it is allowed to use only types of meat that are obtained from instantly killed artiodactyls. Interesting dishes can be prepared from whole and chopped lamb or beef. Very popular in Jewish culture is the preparation of beef stew with raisins, honey, vinegar and onions, the combination of which is required to make a sweet and sour sauce. If you take a photo for a Jewish dish, it will be a beautiful and appetizing image, because Jews serve food very delicately.

Among the meat products, you can also cook goose and chicken. Jewish culture distinguishes between different types of dishes: following the rules of the Torah, there are kosher dishes and non-kosher dishes. Here, non-kosher food is considered forbidden foods, and kosher food is the opposite. Therefore, kosher dishes can be divided into meat, dairy and neutral, where meat and dairy cannot be mixed. Pike is often prepared from permitted fish products.

Since little meat is used in Jewish cooking culture, grains, beans and vegetables can be found in large quantities. Dairy products and eggs are also used for cooking. Jews can prepare food from flour, adding various goodies, such as nuts or fruits. By and large, the Jewish diet consists of plant and dairy foods. Among the vegetables most often used in Jewish recipes are potatoes, cabbage, onions, carrots and radishes. Jewish dishes have a small amount of spices, as followers of this culture prefer to preserve the natural taste.

Jewish rules of kashrut for cooking

Among Jews, it is customary to prepare kosher dishes - those that are permitted by religious views. For a dish to be considered truly kosher, certain rules must be followed. A dish can be called kosher and Jewish if the following points are observed:

• Only meat from herbivores is used. If an animal eats grass, it is closer to nature and transmits less aggression to humans. Therefore, the meat of pigs, birds of prey and predators should not be consumed;
• Fish meat can only be consumed if the type of fish has fins and scales. If the scales do not separate from the meat, such fish cannot be cooked;
• Meat used for food must be obtained in the correct way: the animal is killed instantly and painlessly;
• Blood should not be consumed because Jews believe it contains the soul. To make meat kosher, you need to soak it in water to release the blood;
• Parts of unauthorized animals also cannot be consumed because they are not kosher;
• It is strictly forbidden to eat insects. Before preparing food, it is necessary to thoroughly process the food, sift the flour, sort out the cereals and carry out other measures to ensure that no insects are hidden in the food;
• It is prohibited to cook and eat dairy products and meat products at the same time. Plant products are considered neutral, so they can be eaten with meat or dairy dishes. You will also need to wash dishes separately, since even kitchen tools should be used separately for meat and milk. If these two products are accidentally mixed, you will have to boil the dishes to make them kosher again;
• You can drink wine only in one case - if it was prepared by a Jew;
• During the celebration of Easter, it is prohibited to eat dishes with sourdough. Therefore, you should not eat yeast bread, vinegar and beer. It is proposed to prepare special flatbreads without yeast;
• All other products that do not contain prohibited food additives and strictly comply with the above rules can be consumed and used for preparing Jewish dishes.

Traditional Jewish dishes

The most famous dish in Jewish cuisine is deservedly considered forshmak, which is served both for the main meal and as a snack. Soup recipes have become famous in many ways as dishes of Jewish cuisine. Everywhere, Jews prepare broths by adding various flours to them. Dishes such as cabbage rolls, dumplings and dumplings are also popular. Traditionally, stuffed vegetables and meat dishes are also prepared. Since religious rules prohibit this culture from cooking on the Sabbath, a special place in their cooking is occupied by dishes that are infused all day, such as cholent.

Jewish cuisine offers a variety of flour recipes. Delicious confectionery products are prepared with admixtures of nuts, honey and raisins. Kashrut allows the use of a limited amount of spices, since it is important to preserve the naturalness of the products. The most popular Jewish spices are cinnamon, pepper, dill, cloves, ginger and bay leaf. Jewish drinks are made from fruits, with compotes and punches being the most popular. For the first meal, Jews most often prepare soups and broths, and for the second - stuffed dishes, flour and meat.

In Jewish cuisine, long-term processing of products is preferred. Therefore, food is stewed, boiled or baked for a long time. The result is rich food with a well-infused taste. Jewish national cuisine welcomes egg dishes: they prepare egg fillings, egg dough, salads and snacks. Fish is most often used to prepare mincemeat, cutlets, boiled or stuffed fish. However, the priority for Jews is always to comply with the laws of kashrut.

Two thousand years ago, after the expulsion of Jews from Palestine, two main communities were formed: Sephardic, consisting of immigrants from Spain, Yemen and Morocco, and Ashkenazi, immigrants from France, Germany, Poland, Russia and other European countries. And if Sephardic Jewish cuisine has absorbed the spicy flavor of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, then Ashkenazi cuisine, on the contrary, is distinguished by restraint and simplicity. Jews in Europe lived, as a rule, poorly, and they had to constantly invent how to adequately and satisfactorily feed a large family. It is not surprising that it is Ashkenazi housewives who are famous for their ability to cook the famous traditional Jewish cuisine three course lunch. This broth, stuffed chicken neck and cutlets.

Traditional Jewish vegetable cutlets

Jews came to countries that were foreign to them, tried to adapt to new products and cooking methods, but they brought and preserved traditions Jewish national cuisine. Each community - in North Africa and Spain, in distant Ashkenaz (Germany), Poland or India - had its own butcher, or shohat, who slaughtered livestock and processed the meat according to the same rules. Always and everywhere in Jewish communities, dairy and meat were separated. To distinguish their bread in a public bakery, Jewish housewives began to braid it in braids - so traditional Jewish recipes challahs appeared.

Jewish cuisine: Shabbat

A special feature of Jewish cuisine is the constant need to prepare for Saturday- a weekly holiday in a Jewish family. On Saturday, three festive tables are held: on Friday evening, on Saturday morning or afternoon, and the last one at the end of the day. The first meals begin, as on other holidays, with the consecration of the day - kiddush, pronouncing blessings on wine. After kiddush comes washing of hands, blessing of bread, which is dipped in salt (on autumn holidays - in honey), and the first course of Jewish cuisine begins.

The law that protects the Sabbath rest does not recommend that a devout Jew engage in work, and one of the concepts of “work” is sorting through something, taking it apart piece by piece. Wise Jewish women found a way out here too, they invented stuffed fish, meatballs, chopped cutlets... You simply don’t need to remove the bones from them, similar dishes in Jewish cuisine enough.

You cannot heat food on an open fire on Saturdays, but on the other hand, the food served on the table should be tasty and nutritious. Each community has its own unique Jewish dishes, which you can get your fill of both cold and warm, as well as those that can be put in the oven all night and taken out hot in the morning - hamin (cholent), kugeli And casseroles.

Khamin (cholent), a Jewish dish

Jewish recipes

Many dishes that have become firmly established in our lives today are in no way associated with Jewish cuisine. For example cheesecake was invented by Jewish housewives in Ukraine. It was only during the first wave of immigration to America that his recipe came to New York. And the famous appetizer from the times of the USSR “Fish under marinade”, upon closer examination, turns out to be nothing more than hraime- a popular Jewish dish from North Africa.

But there are also examples when food from another cuisine was borrowed and prepared in its own way by Jewish housewives, and now we associate it with Jewish cuisine. This is, for example, the story mincemeat- cold appetizer of chopped herring with apples. It was originally a German dish of veal and herring, like an oven-baked pate.

Forshmak

Kosher Jewish food

Kashrut is a set of laws regarding food and its preparation. He determined in great detail whether and how exactly it is possible to cook and eat various types of meat, poultry and fish. It is on the basis of these commandments that there is a law according to which Jews do not eat pork, horse meat, hare, rabbit meat, seafood, birds of prey and reptiles.

• In traditional Jewish cuisine There is a rule to separate dishes for preparing meat and dairy foods. All pots, molds, bowls, knives, boards - which are used to prepare dairy foods - cannot be used for cooking meat and vice versa.
• To make meat kosher and could be used in national Jewish cuisine, cattle and poultry must be slaughtered in compliance with certain rituals and rules. The laws of kosher slaughter are taught in a yeshiva (religious educational institution).
• After slaughter, meat must be carefully separated from the veins., in particular from the “sciatic nerve”, which is specifically mentioned in the Torah. The profession of one who removes the veins and sciatic nerve from cattle is called “menaker”. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Like “reznik” or “shochet”, these are popular Jewish surnames that indicate the occupation of the ancestors of their bearers.

• Jews believe that the soul is in the blood of an animal, and therefore blood is prohibited in kosher Jewish cuisine. In order to make the blood-forming organs suitable for food (kosher), they need to be prepared in a certain way.
• For a fish to be kosher, it must have fins and scales. If one or the other is missing, like sturgeon or catfish, it is not kosher, and therefore its caviar is also not kosher. Sterlet, stingray, shark, eel and seafood (lobster, oysters, crayfish, lobster, shrimp, octopus) are also non-kosher.
• Dairy products and milk in traditional Jewish cuisine must come from a kosher animal, without impurities. In order to obtain a kosher milk certificate, the milking process must be supervised by an observant Jew.
• Cheeses fermented with rennet are not kosher. But now there are enough cheeses that are produced with artificially grown enzymes and are used without problems in kosher Jewish cuisine; they usually have a kosher certificate issued by the rabbinate.
• Gelatin is also an animal product and therefore not kosher. Agar is used instead in Jewish recipes.
• Wines and alcoholic drinks, those made not from grapes (vodka, liqueurs, tequila, rum) do not require a kashrut permit.

Jewish cuisine is based on a certain food philosophy - kashrut. Kashrut is a nutritional system adopted by the ancient Jews, requiring followers to strictly observe it in any land, wherever history may lead. There are three main prohibitions at the heart of kashrut. First, “do not boil a kid in its mother’s milk,” so no meat in milk sauce. In addition, the house must have separate sets of tableware and kitchen utensils and special places for preparing meat and dairy dishes. You cannot eat meat and dairy dishes in the same meal, even if they are on different plates. Secondly, only artiodactyl ruminants can be eaten, and the animal must be killed instantly so that the meat is not spoiled by fear hormones. Therefore, recipes from pork, hare, meat of predatory animals and birds, fish without scales and animal blood are excluded from cookbooks. Third, you can’t cook on Saturday. Hence the recipe for dishes that can be prepared on Friday so that they are infused by Saturday. This is how cholent came into being. Of the first courses, preference is given to broths with flour dumplings, of the second - stuffed fish, poultry, stuffed vegetables, tsimmes, and minced meat dishes. Jewish cuisine has an abundance of flour preparations and baked goods: challah, teiglach, lekakh, homentashen. Wheat flour or matze mel is used to prepare flour dishes and products. Honey, nuts, poppy seeds, and raisins are used as additives for baked goods.

There are 167 recipes in the "Jewish Cuisine" section

Hummus with avocado

For hummus with avocado, you need to choose ripe, creamy fruits so that when mixed with chickpeas, the finished snack has a uniform consistency. The finished hummus is served immediately, with flatbread or chips. But if some of the snack remains, she can...

Tsimmes with meat

To prepare tzimmes with meat, meat ribs are suitable, which are placed in a heat-resistant bowl along with onions, carrots and dried fruits. For flavor, in addition to the usual salt and pepper, cinnamon, as well as honey and orange juice are added to tzimmes. Cooking...

Forshmak. Classic herring recipe

This is usually made from fish, but sometimes meat or offal is used to prepare it. The traditional dish also includes apples, eggs, bread, butter and onions. Sometimes there are quite surprising variations. For example, instead of the usual products, processed cheese or tomato juice is added to the snack. However, today we want to tell you how the traditional classic is prepared as follows:

• Cut three slices from the loaf, place them in a bowl and cover with water.
• Peel the green apples (we will need one and a half pieces), remove the core and cut them into cubes.
• Remove the peel from the onion and then cut it into several small pieces.
• Place the prepared products in the bowl of a food processor, add 500 grams of salted herring (fillet) and two boiled eggs.
• Grind the ingredients and then transfer the snack to a separate bowl. If you wish, you can finely chop all of these products with a knife. Serve the mincemeat with slices of black bread.

Israeli cuisine is known for other delicious dishes. We will talk about some of them below.

Homemade hummus recipe

This dish is very popular among the peoples of the Near and Middle East. It is usually prepared from chickpeas, and then the puree is seasoned with any vegetable oil and a variety of spices. We would like to bring to your attention a classic hummus recipe. It is not difficult to prepare it at home. So:

• Soak 100 grams of chickpeas in hot water overnight.
• In the morning, let the cereal cook in the same water for two hours.
• Once the peas have softened, drain off most of the liquid (there should be about one cup left).
• Place the chickpeas in a blender, add 20 grams of olive oil, and then puree until smooth.
• Place 40 grams of tahini in a bowl and grind the ingredients again.

At the very end of cooking, add paprika and cumin.

Cold eggplant appetizer

“Baba Ganoush” is the original name of the dish that we will make from blueberries, garlic, hot peppers and cilantro. Please note: according to the rules, eggplants must be cooked over an open fire, so you can prepare this appetizer at the dacha or during a picnic. So, how to make dishes read below:

• Take two eggplants, brush them with oil, pierce them in several places, and then wrap them in foil. Place the vegetables in the oven and roast until done (just remember to turn them in time).
• Remove the skin from the eggplants and finely chop the pulp with a knife. Do the same with half a hot pepper, two cloves of garlic and a bunch of cilantro.
• Season the appetizer with oil and mix well.

Serve it with flatbread or thin bread slices.

Shakshuka

Ideal for breakfast, as it is scrambled eggs cooked with stewed vegetables. The recipe for this dish is very simple, and Jewish shakshuka is prepared as follows:

• Peel two onions and then chop them very finely.
• Cut two bell peppers into cubes, and one chili into rings.
• Peel the tomatoes (about 500 grams) and then cut the pulp into cubes.
• In a heated frying pan, first fry the onions, then add the peppers to it, and at the very end - the tomatoes.
• Add a pinch of salt and simmer everything together until the excess liquid evaporates.
• After this, make several holes in the vegetables with a spoon and break the eggs into them.

Season the dish with salt and spices, wait until it is cooked, and serve.

Hamin

The classic version of the traditional soup takes 24 hours to prepare, but we suggest reducing the time to 11 hours. You can read the recipe for Jewish soup below:

• Soak 200 grams of beans overnight.
• Peel one onion and ten cloves of garlic. Chop the first product randomly, and cut the second into slices. Fry onions and garlic in vegetable oil.
• Rinse a kilogram of beef and then cut into small pieces.
• Place the suitable beans at the bottom of a large clay pot, place 150 grams of peas and 75 grams of lentils on it.
• Next, add the potatoes, onions and garlic cut into circles. This layer needs to be salted.
• Dice the celery and zucchini, then place the vegetables on top of the potatoes.
• Next, add another 75 grams of lentils.
• At the very end, put the potatoes again, and the meat on it.
• Season the dish with turmeric, cumin and ginger.
• Dissolve four tablespoons of paprika in water and pour the liquid into the pot.
• Place the hamin in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Do not forget to periodically add water to the pot to replace what has already evaporated.
• Two hours before the soup is ready, remove it from the oven and add chopped parsley to it.
• Wrap 120 grams of washed rice in gauze (preferably in several layers). Place the structure on top of the pot and secure it with a lid so that the rice is steamed.
• Place the finished dish on plates and add two tablespoons of steamed cereal to it.

The appearance of hamin is closely connected with the Sabbath, when believers were forbidden to work. This means that they could not cook. Therefore, a delicious soup of beans and meat languished in the oven all the time that the family spent in the synagogue.

Aspic

The Jewish dish "Regel Krusha" is a jellied meat made from cow's feet. The recipe is quite simple:

• Prepare two pieces. cow legs, some beef and three pieces of chicken (you can use wings or thighs).
• Peel one carrot and remove the outer skin from the onion.
• Boil five chicken eggs.
• Cook the legs over low heat, and after a while add prepared vegetables, meat, salt and allspice to it.
• When the beef is boiled, you need to take it out and throw away the vegetables and spices.
• Separate the meat from the bones, separate it into fibers and place it in jellied meat molds.
• Pour the broth into the molds and decorate the future dish with halves of boiled eggs.

Place the jellied meat in the refrigerator for a while so that it can harden.

Eggplant salad

As you know, Israeli cuisine is famous for its variety of delicious Lenten dishes. And this time we recommend that you prepare a spicy dish. The recipe for the dish is very simple:

• Peel three eggplants, cut the flesh into cubes, add salt, place in a colander and leave them alone for one hour.
• Grill three red bell peppers. When ready, transfer them to a bowl and cover with cling film. After an hour, remove the skin from the peppers and cut them into small cubes.
• Fry the eggplants in small portions in olive oil with garlic. Place the prepared vegetables on a paper towel for a while to remove excess fat.
• Combine the prepared products with chopped herbs, salt, two teaspoons of sugar and a spoon of vinegar.

Mix the ingredients and leave to steep in the refrigerator overnight.

Conclusion

Israeli cuisine is very bright and rich. It contains meat, fish, poultry, a lot of herbs and fresh vegetables. Local chefs also enjoy flavoring their dishes with spices and seasonings.

Although Israel belongs to the Mediterranean region, it is conventionally divided into several parts. Ashkenazi dishes came along with Jews from Poland and Hungary. Sephardic cuisine can be recognized by its "oriental" tastes. For example, these include couscous and shakshuka. The Arab population of the country also influenced the national cuisine and gave it some dishes typical of North Africa.

Some foods are prohibited for Israelis, while others can only be eaten if they are not combined with others. This interesting feature stands out from other culinary traditions.