16 Best Jewish Cookbooks: Jewish & Kosher Cooking Books 2024
Discover culinary delights with the 16 best Jewish cookbooks! Explore a rich tapestry of Jewish and Kosher recipes that celebrate tradition and flavor
Welcome to an insightful journey through the '16 Best Jewish Cookbooks: Jewish & Kosher Cooking Books,' written by Muhiuddin Alam on the book recommendations and reviews site, ReadingAndThinking.com.
Over the years as a leading authority on literary expertise, I've created numerous articles on the topics of Best Cookbooks, many of which can be found on this site. I'm also a regular contributor to other websites and publications.
I have received many requests to recommend some of the Jewish & Kosher Cookbooks. In response, I'm pleased to offer my expert recommendations for this article.
So, when I suggest these books, it's because I've read a lot and want to share the best ones with you. I'm all about making your reading experience awesome. Trust in a guide deeply immersed in the literary books and stories. I love books just like you do!
I will recommend the best Jewish & Kosher Cooking Books in this post, which is based on my in-depth study and extensive research in this field. Some notable recommendations include The Jewish Cookbook, Modern Jewish Cooking, Bubbe and Me in the Kitchen, Kosher Revolution, and Olive Trees and Honey.
These aren't the only books on this topic. Below, you'll find 16 books with detailed descriptions of each of these outstanding resources, helping you make well-informed decisions in your journey.
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| Jewish & Kosher Cooking Books 2024 |
16 Best Jewish Cookbooks: Jewish & Kosher Cooking Books 2024
I don't know if Jewish Cookbooks are in focus or not but anyway I have been doing all this like recipe prep and thoughtfulness because we're in this period of a lot of Jewish holidays.
So I've been using my best Jewish Holiday Cooking Books a lot. I thought it would be fun to just kind of show you guys my best Jewish cookbooks of all time collection.
but these are just like the best Jewish & Kosher Cooking Books that I love and use all the time for just cooking.
1. The Jewish Cookbook
The Jewish Cookbook is an inspiring celebration of the diversity and breadth of this venerable culinary tradition.
A true fusion cuisine, Jewish food evolves constantly to reflect the changing geographies and ingredients of its cooks.
Features more than 400 home-cooking recipes for everyday and holiday foods from the Middle East to the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa - as well as contemporary interpretations by renowned chefs including Yotam Ottolenghi, Michael Solomonov,
and Alex Raij - this definitive compendium of Jewish cuisine introduces readers to recipes and culinary traditions from Jewish communities the world over and is perfect for anyone looking to add international tastes to their table.
2. Modern Jewish Cooking
Modern Jewish Cooking: Recipes & Customs for Today's Kitchen (Jewish Cookbook, Jewish Gifts, Over 100 Most Jewish Food Recipes) by Leah Koenig
From a leading voice of the new generation of young Jewish cooks who are reworking the food of their forebears, this take on the cuisine of the diaspora pays homage to tradition while reflecting the values of the modern-day food movement.
Author Leah Koenig shares 175 recipes showcasing handmade, seasonal, vegetable-forward dishes.
Classics of Jewish culinary culture- such as latkes, matzoh balls, challah, and hamantaschen updated with smart techniques and vibrant spices.
Approachable recipes for everything from soups to sweets go beyond the traditional, incorporating regional influences from North Africa to Central Europe. Featuring holiday menus and rich photography, this collection is at once a guide to establishing traditions and a celebration of the way we eat now.
Leah Koenig is a writer and cookbook author whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Saveur, Gastronomica, Food Arts, CHOW, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Tablet, and The Forward.
Her first cookbook, The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook: Daily Meals for the Contemporary Jewish Kitchen, was named one of the 'Best Books of 2011' by Library Journal. Leah lives with her husband, Yoshie Fruchter, and leads cooking demonstrations around the country. Visit her at www.leahkoenig.com
3. Bubbe and Me in the Kitchen
Bubbe and Me in the Kitchen: A Kosher Cookbook of Beloved Recipes and Modern Twists by Miri Rotkovitz
Jerry Seinfeld's fictional dentist Tim Whatley famously converted to Judaism "for the jokes," but if there's one thing that defines Jewish culture as much as humor it's food.
Miri Rotkovitz spent her childhood in the kitchen of her grandmother, Ruth Morrison Simon, whose commitment to international Jewish fare left a lasting impression.
Bubbe and Me in the Kitchen is a touching, humorous, versatile kosher cookbook, which celebrates the storied recipes that characterize and reinvent Jewish food culture.
Offering time-tested culinary treasures from her grandmother's recipe box, plus more than 80 original recipes of Miri's own, this kosher cookbook includes Ashkenazi favorites such as babka, brisket, and matzo ball soup, and more global dishes, from za'atar pita chips and forbidden rice bowls to watermelon gazpacho and Persian chicken stew.
Complete with holiday menus, this kosher cookbook is just as likely to spark memories and spur conversation as it is to enliven your meals.
More than a kosher cookbook, Bubbe and Me in the Kitchen include:
- An Overview covering generational perspectives on keeping kosher
- Over 100 Recipes reflecting the diversity of traditional and modern Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi cuisine for a comprehensive kosher cookbook
- Sidebar Tips and Tidbits provide tips for ingredient substitutions, cooking tricks, and fun facts about Jewish culture and cuisine
A kosher cookbook that reinvigorates family recipes and embraces our culinary future.
4. Kosher Revolution
Kosher Revolution: New Techniques and Great Recipes for Unlimited Kosher Cooking by Geila Hocherman and Arthur Boehm
Thanks to the availability of sophisticated kosher ingredients and food-savvy kosher cookbooks, kosher cooks are able to cook any kosher recipe at home.
No cookbook, however, has taken the logical next step to show cooks how to make any recipe kosher with nothing lost in the translation.
Kosher Revolution does recipes in each chapter arranged from basic to neo-kosher, so as you cook through the book, you'll be building skills and refining techniques.
With a handy chart for exchanging info at a glance, Kosher Revolution promises to breathe new life into your kosher kitchen.
5. Olive Trees and Honey
Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World by Gil Marks
"A land of wheat and barley, of grapevines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees and honey... You shall eat and be satisfied."
A Deut. 8:8-10 A Celebration of Classic Jewish Vegetarian Cooking from Around the World Traditions of Jewish vegetarian cooking span three millennia and the extraordinary geographical breadth of the Jewish diaspora.
A from Persia to Ethiopia, Romania to France. Acclaimed Judaic cooking expert, chef, and rabbi Gil Marks uncover this vibrant culinary heritage for home cooks.
Olive Trees and Honey is a magnificent treasury shedding light on the truly international palette of Jewish vegetarian cooking, with 300 recipes for soups, salads, grains, pasta, legumes, vegetable stews, egg dishes, savory pastries, and more.
From Sephardic Bean Stew (Hamin) to Ashkenazic Mushroom Knishes, Italian Fried Artichokes to Hungarian Asparagus Soup, these dishes are suitable for any occasion on the Jewish calendar.
A festival and everyday meal alike. Marks' insights into the origins and evolution of the recipes, suggestions for holiday menus from Yom Kippur to Passover, and culture-rich discussion of key ingredients enhance this enchanting portrait of the Jewish diaspora's global legacy of vegetarianism cooking.
6. Joy of Kosher
Jamie Geller, “The Jewish Rachael Ray” (New York Times) and founder of the Kosher Media Network, including Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller magazine and JoyofKosher.com, shares more than 200 ideas for fast, fresh family-friendly recipes, each with tips on how to dress them up for entertaining or dress them down for everyday meals.
Accompanied by gorgeous full-color photos, Joy of Kosher includes original ideas for authentically kosher, foolproof, flexible recipes for scrumptious, nutritious, and easy dishes—all with no slaving over a hot stove or rabbi required.
Enjoy such delectable dishes as Crystal Clear Chicken Soup with Julienned Vegetables and Angel Hair (Dress It Down: Chicken Noodle Alphabet Soup), Garlic Honey Brisket (Dress It Down: Honey Brisket Pita Pockets
), Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese (Dress It Down: Mac and Cheese Muffin Cups)
, and Gooey Chocolate Cherry Cake (Dress It Up: Red Wine Chocolate Cherry Heart Cake). Plus, Jamie offers a whole chapter on the art of making challah, 10 sweet and savory recipes, holiday menus, and a special Passover section.
7. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
I think honestly best cook chef of all time is Ina Garten the Barefoot Contessa. I wanted to share with you that this is the original Barefoot Contessa cookbook.
I have all of hers and in it, she has the recipe for our perfect roast chicken, this is what I use almost every Friday night just for my simple but delicious roast chicken for Shabbat.
So I highly recommend this book for just like classic best ways to prepare food like the simplest best works every time. OK, I'm gonna stop talking about it but I love her.
8. The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook: Recipes and Wisdom from an Obsessive Home Cook by Deb Perelman
Then after I got a share of Deb Perelman Smitten I'm sure you guys all know and love her too so Deb has a lot of Jewish recipes also and I wanted to share with you guys my favorite from her which is actually this isn't really had too much recipe but it's obviously my favorite from Hurst the other favorite I have from her.
I love pasta and peas so a good tiny bit helps it not really but I mean it has peas in it so that's my everyday go-to recipe from Deb and she's got lots of great juice recipes and silly juice desserts for the holidays.
9. Jewish Holiday Cooking
Jewish Holiday Cooking: A Food Lover's Treasury of Classics and Improvisations by Jayne Cohen
then moving on to the actual Jewish cookbooks the first Jewish cookbook back every bot I got at my Ont UCLA. this wasn't the college bookstore, one of the first books.
I got it's so beautiful of the cover but Jewish cooking and they wanted to share with you guys my favorite recipe.
In this book which is the Iranian grilled chicken sides recipe with sumac real thinking about sumac by already how to post it on it.
I grew up with a lot of Persian friends who love love love person Jewish cooking. although I am not very good at it. I always need a recipe so there's a lot of that in here so Jewish holidays.
10. Zahav
Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking by Michael Solomonov & Steven Cook
The next one I want to share is Zahav is so hot this is an Israeli cookbook and the reason I go to this book is for two pages of hummus recipes I love making my own hummus actually. I try to all the time instead of buying it.
The basic thing you do is just take tahini chickpeas lemon juice olive oil salt pepper and you're dying to put it in a food processor but it is so freaking good so I love trying new home recipes and these ones are all delicious.
11. Celebrating with the Kosher Butcher's Wife
Celebrating with the Kosher Butcher's Wife by Sharon Lurie
I have to celebrate with the kosher butcher's wife. there's a lot of neat stuff in here. I generally do it because we very often but I do it for the holidays and my husband loves me. so I spend them like at kosher butcher's wife she knows what's going on.
so I like this book a lot and I wanted to point out my favorite in the box which is this sausage wrapped so what's really interesting about these is that take them as Gator hotdogs in phyllo dough.
there's also a smash like a potato mash that goes in the dough as well or like at the bottom really cool recipe and very delicious highly recommend it.
12. Kosher by Design
Kosher by Design: Picture Perfect Food for the Holidays & Every Day by Susie Fishbein
My next recommend it's Kosher by Design I love this cookbook for this example of holiday staple escapes. I think for young people it's a really difficult holiday like decorating for obviously
but just to give an example that's the cheese shown in the book for it is so beautiful. She has a whole section for Hanukkah separating so I just love her designs and I like really thoughtful tablescapes.
I think it's a wonderful way to let your guests know how much you love them coming over if you know really thoughtful about how your table looks obviously your food should be good but that's the part I like best.
13. The Holiday Kosher Baker
The Holiday Kosher Baker: Traditional & Contemporary Holiday Desserts by Paula Shoyer
Then I love this cookbook the holiday kosher Baker. I wanted to show you guys my favorite give this book which gives her Passover chocolate candies.
I used her recipe for the chocolate click-covered matzah and swallowed a piece of chocolate light and she's got a ton of other super Passover dessert ideas which I'm always looking for.
14. Plenty
Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi
the next one I haven't put a Plenty cookbook on what date I've been through that Otellini little restaurant store thing in London so working well but yes obviously my favorite recipe. in the book is the one on the front cover the roasted eggplant.
I love eggplant in general and this is so-so. This is sort of like a fusion cookbook but has a lot of good is really these dishes um some of it is like to kind of tie in crazy for me but um it's a really good cookbook and the pictures are amazing.
15. Millennial Kosher
Millennial Kosher: recipes reinvented for the modern palate by Chanie Apfelbaum
My second last push is your Jewish cookbook, of course, this is the new millennial kosher sample on Instagram she's amazing and I just got this book a few months ago and I love all her recipes in it, to be honest, they're all it all looks so good but my favorite is the free energy of an egg galette.
I love it as much as the representative. Hi, I'm kind of like a flat pie I'm Ree Drummond Pioneer Woman makes a lot of galettes too so I just haven't rolled into them and I love those cook luck so I had a recommending elastic cookbook.
I just want to quickly show you guys the cookbook that was made for me for my wedding shower just like a collection of all friends of family recipes so I use this one a ton.
16. Deliciously Kosher
Deliciously Kosher: Traditional and Contemporary Recipes by Valley Beth Shalom Sisterhood
This is a Jewish family cookbook deliciously kosher by the synagogue. I grew up in so I just love some I got cookbooks and like there again it's like historical-cultural memories so that is my Jewish cookbook collection.
What food do the Jews eat?
It stems from the biblical regulations on diet, according to these regulations (kashrut), Jews can only eat certain types of meat and fish. Pork, rabbit meat, and shellfish are not acceptable.
In the water, there are no wings and scales, birds and the like, winged four-legged creatures, locusts, grasshoppers, crickets and their kind, grasshoppers and their kind, all of which can be eaten.
In addition, the tableware used for dairy products must be used separately from the tableware used for meat products. Fish, eggs, fruits, and vegetables (Pareve food) can be eaten with meat or dairy products. Tableware used for dairy products and meat should be used, cleaned, and stored separately.
Cooking is not allowed on the Sabbath, and only the food prepared in advance can be simmered over low heat. Usually, such foods are Cholent (a dish prepared the day before) or Kugel (similar to noodles).
About Jewish eating habits
The staple food of the Jews is bread, which is made from wheat flour and barley flour. The latter is generally eaten by the poor. Because bread occupies the first place in Jewish food, it is often regarded as a "lifeline."
They don't need a knife to cut the cakes, they just break them with their hands, lest they cut the "lifeline" with a knife.
Jews love to eat beans. Jacob traded the red bean soup for Esau's birthright and privileges ("Genesis").
The Bible mentions Canaan many times as a "land flowing with milk and honey", which shows that the Jews often consume honey and milk. They often drink milk, goat milk, and camel milk, and eat cheese.
The vegetables commonly eaten by Jews are onions, garlic, leeks, and melons. They eat less meat and only eat meat when entertaining guests or wealthy people. Generally eat the meat of cattle, sheep, and poultry, not pork.
The Jews did not eat much fruit, mainly grapes, pomegranates, figs, and olives.
Jews do not use chopsticks, knives, forks, or spoons to eat, but grab them with their hands, so they must wash their hands before eating.
The way they wash their hands is very special: the servant carries a pitcher with a spout, pours water on the hand of the person who wants to wash his hands, and puts a basin underneath to catch the water. If it is a treat, the servant will also wash the feet of the guest.
When eating, a low table is placed in the middle, and there is a large plate for food on the table. People gathered around the table, cross-legged, or kneeling on the mat. Whether it is before or after the meal, there is a person who reads a message, much like a Christian praying before a meal.
When the Jews ate liquid food, they broke the bread into small pieces and then dipped them in. Since eating with your hands, washing your hands after a meal is naturally essential.
The Jews are very hospitable, and they regard their guests as messengers sent by God. It is the sacred duty of every Jew to entertain guests. The eighteenth chapter of Genesis describes Abraham's hospitality to guests.
When the Jews entertain guests, they usually send out an invitation a few days in advance; when the banquet is ready, the invitation will be sent again when it is about to start.
After the guests entered the door, the host and the guest bowed to each other and put their hands on their chests, mouths, and foreheads, saying: My heart, my mouth, and my mind are all willing to serve you.
The host and the guest kissed each other. There are also rules for the seating position of guests: the host’s right hand is up, VIP guests are on the right; the host’s left hand is down, and ordinary guests are on the left.
Before the meal, ask the guests to drink water first, and then eat. From the description in the Book of Amos, you can see that the food at the banquet is very rich, with meat and wine; sometimes there is music, singing, and dancing in the banquet for guests to enjoy.
After the banquet, the host often keeps the guests. When guests insist on leaving, the host often sends them far away.
Eating is the most important thing in life. Jews: "Eating" is a science.
You must know these 4 points
Of the world’s top 400 billionaires, 60 are Jewish; of the world’s top ten philosophers, 8 are Jewish. It can be said that the Jews hold a huge amount of wealth in their left hand and the treasure of wisdom in their right hand. The Jews are also notoriously particular about food.
In the view of the Jews: diet is the most important thing in life. When Jewish children were young, their parents would warn them of the rules of eating so that they could develop good eating habits. Once this habit is formed, it will benefit their health throughout their lives.
1. Eating breakfast early, can run better than anyone else.
The Jews pay great attention to breakfast, and breakfast is generally rich. The Jewish breakfast in Israel now includes salad, different kinds of cheese, olives, unique Israeli bread, juice, and coffee.
Living conditions in ancient times were relatively poor, but the Jews never treated themselves badly for breakfast. "Talmud" also stipulated a meal timetable for people of different classes: the swordsman had breakfast in the first hour, and the robber was in the first hour. Two hours, rich people in the third hour, workers in the fourth hour, and ordinary people in the fifth hour.
Akibalabi advised his son: "Get up early and eat first. The summer is because of the heat, and the winter is because of the cold. The proverb says: "If you have enough breakfast, you can run better than anyone else."
2. Diet
The Jewish diet pays attention to "degree", and its basic principle is:
"Eat 1/3, drink 1/3, and leave 1/3 empty."
The Jewish people, whether they are poor or rich, exercise restraint in eating. The Jews believe that the reasonable time to eat is to "eat when you are hungry and drink when you are thirsty" when you feel the need to eat. They usually sit and eat, believing that standing eating will destroy their bodies. And you should not talk during meals, so as not to eat the food in the air intake pipe, which may cause life-threatening danger.
When Jews travel, they tend to reduce their appetite. Travelers should not eat more than the normal amount of food in famine years, and they believe that doing so can prevent travelers from suffering from intestinal diseases.
3. A healthy diet
Most Jews are mainly vegetarian, and Jews admire vegetables, and they have unique opinions on this. Such as: "Ma broad beans are not good for teeth, but good for the intestines", "Eating lentils every 30 days will not prevent asthma, but eating them every day can easily cause bad breath" and so on.
In addition, among the various foods that are beneficial to the human body, the Jews admire fish and eggs the most. Among fruits, the Jews' favorite is jujube.
4. Wine that is drunk once every three days is gold
"Talmud" reads: "The wine in the morning is stone, the wine at noon is copper, the wine in the evening is silver, and the wine that is drunk once every three days is gold." The Jews are very restrained in drinking.
In terms of diet, we need to have some general knowledge of nutrition so that our eating habits can develop in the right direction.
The Jews pay great attention to food, and they regard food as the most important thing in life. In some Jewish holy scriptures, there are records about how to eat. For example, the Old Testament and the Talmud have recorded a lot of content about food, and food also plays a pivotal role in Jewish education.
"The Wisdom of Judaism" expounds on many profound philosophies through interesting short stories about the Jewish people. Interesting and philosophical, it can be called an encyclopedia of Jewish wisdom.
There is also the Talmud, which Einstein called "full of Jewish wisdom".
This book summarizes the wisdom of Jews in business, wealth, and affairs, and is the secret of wealth in business wisdom.
Conclusion of Best Jewish & Kosher Cookbooks 2024
If you're going to be attending someone's house for a holiday meal and you're thinking of what to bring them I recommend bringing them a Jewish book.
I think that's a great idea for the holidays obviously. if they're hosting they probably like to cook and entertain
so I thought this sort of awesome weekend just to give these guys some ideas so that's it that's my best Jewish & Kosher cookbooks collection.
I hope you guys like this article. if you did please don't forget to give it a share and subscribe to my blog to see more. I'll see you next time bye.
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About Muhiuddin Alam
Muhiuddin Alam is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ReadingAndThinking.com. He serves as a consistent contributor to various websites and publications, including Medium, Quora, Reddit, Linkedin, Substack, Vocal, Flipboard, and Amazon KDP. Alam personally read numerous books and, for the past 10 years, has been providing book recommendations and reviews. Find Me: About Me & Google Knowledge Panel.
