The 100 Most Jewish Foods

Starred review from February 15, 2019
To rephrase the 1960s ad for Levy's Jewish rye bread, you don't have to be Jewish to love The 100 Most Jewish Foods. In point of fact, a handful of editor Newhouse's 75-plus contributors aren't, either; they're just so passionate about specific foodstuffs that they've penned an article or two, written a dissenting point of view, or checked the directions for one of the 60 recipes in Newhouse's compilation of (or series of controversies on) the 100 most significant Jewish foods. Top Chef host Tom Colicchio weighs in on whitefish salad, while Tablet editor Wayne Hoffman includes an ode to the used tea bag. A few other nuggets: Manhattan's black-and-white cookies emigrated with German immigrants. Blintzes are only cooked on one side. The dissenter to borscht claims it's a Soviet-Russian, not Jewish, dish. Chicken soup originated in China. Fish-genius Eric Ripert claims that gefilte fish is not as bad as it's made out to be. And celebrity psychotherapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer says pomegranates are very sexy food. Much of the gathered wisdom here is New York City-centric, but it will be relatable to anyone familiar with bagels, bialys, kichel, and kugel. Funny, emotional, memorable, and filled with gem�tlichkeit, this is a book for any reason and all seasons.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)