It is centuries old custom to serve stuffed cabbage on Purim. Cabbage was of course a staple food in Eastern Europe, abundant and easy to store. The connection to Purim? Gematriya again, the ancient art of letter number equation. Cruv which means cabbage has the same letters and numerical value as Baruch which means blessed … Continue reading →

For years, a neighbors always sent us a plate of chickpeas for Purim . None of us understood the gift. Why chickpeas? I never bought chickpeas, not even in cans. Weren’t the only people who ate chickpeas were Italians, vegetarians or people who were having Shalom Zachor-a Friday night party celebrating the birth of a … Continue reading →

Hungarian Purim: Kindl No kindl, has nothing to do with the eponymous ereader . Kindl is an almost forgotten Hungarian Jewish pastry that deserves to be remembered. Kindl is made of pastry stretched so thin you’re hardly meant to notice it . Inside is a tantalizingly sweet and tangy mixture of walnut chunks, raisins, lemon … Continue reading →

When I was a kid lekvar was something one bought in a store. A single company Simon Fisher, manufactured the stuff . I believe that they are still at it, but sadly they don’t sell their product in my neighborhood. In English lekvar is known as prune butter. Set aside any crude quips, and know … Continue reading →

Remember table side service? Table side service was 1950s food fad which may be making comeback. In table side restaurants, which were usually tony places the chefs diced, minced and flambeed your supper right before your eyes. In some traditional Jewish households table side service lives on every Shabbos morning when the head of the … Continue reading →