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2 MIN READ

Little Georgia at the Crossroads of Rego Park and Forest Hills, Queens

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This past April it dawned on me that I hadn’t even thought of creating a chapter on Georgian Jews for my Passover cookbook. Why? For some reason I thought that both historically and culturally Georgia would be more like Eastern Europe, and that the Jewish community, therefore, would be predominantly Ashkenazi. But in doing a little bit of reading about the country in general and the Jewish community in particular, I learned that they were among the oldest communities in the Jewish diaspora that many believe goes back to the days of the Babylonian destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. While in fact Russia does border Georgia to the north, upon closer look I observed that to the south were Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, three countries that one could categorize into the Near East, Eurasia, or Central Asia, depending upon your perspective.

I decided to email a Milena Kozhin, a young Georgian-American woman I had met back in 2009 to ask her what she considered herself to be, and she confirmed that not only did they (the Georgian Jews) not consider themselves to be Ashkenazi, neither were they truly Sephardic. “We are our own thing,” expressed Milena’s aunt Irina, “and my husband will get upset if you call us one or the other.”

Blinchiki6_Blog

Matzah Blinchikis with Meat

On two separate occasions, once in May and again in June of 2014, I went to visit Milena so that we could cook together, and I could see how the dishes reflected this crossroads of East meeting West. When we first entered the apartment of her Grandmother’s I observed a beautiful table of all kinds of fruits, cakes, and pastries, that was interestingly reminiscent of my visit to a Bukharian couple who had also set their table with beautiful fruits and breads. We made Pkhali Charkhali (Beet Salad with Garlic, Walnuts, and Coriander Leaves), Meat Blinchiki (Fried Meat-Filled Matzah Blintzes), and Pelamushi (Grape Juice Pudding). And like the language, the unusual combination of flavors and ingredients felt unfamiliar to me. Here is what I observed: Georgians like to serve many dishes at once, and the flavors are strong but not hot. They use a lot of walnuts, coriander leaves, garlic, and fenugreek, and are known for their many dairy products and variety of delicious breads. And if you think that you still might have figured them out, for Passover they eat corn meal, but not rice.

Tags
blinchiki
Bukharian
crossroads
east meets west
Eurasia
near east
Pelamushi
Pkhali

jenniferabadi

A beautiful day for the annual Greek Jewish festiv A beautiful day for the annual Greek Jewish festival on the Lower East Side, organized by Kehila Kedosha Janina synagogue. Nice to see Sarah Aroeste and Susan Barocas at the Savor table and nosh on sesame candies. I even got to sign a few copies of my cookbooks « A Fistful of Lentils » and « Too Good To Passover » at the cookbook table!

Find out more and order the whole package of music, recipes and videos at savorexperience.com. 

“Too Good To Passover” and “A Fistful of Lentils” cookbooks available on Amazon.

#passover #seder #sépharade #nourriturejuive #kascher #moyenorient #méditerranéen #toogoodtopassover #jenniferabadi #afistfuloflentils #kosherfood #jewishfood #sephardicfood #middleeasternfood #arabicfood #conversion #syrianfood #virtuallearning #virtualcookingclass #personalchef #privatechef #savorexperience #ladino #sephardic
Join me and other women chefs from around the worl Join me and other women chefs from around the world for the “Savor: A Sephardic Music & Food Experience” virtual release party on SUNDAY, APRIL 23.

This is a multisensory way to learn about and experience Sephardic culture and history. Ten songs about food on the latest album by singer Sarah Aroeste are paired with recipes and cooking videos by women chefs from around the world including me. I'm so proud to be part of Savor! 

Find out more and pre-order the whole package of music, recipes and videos at savorexperience.com. 

REGISTER FOR FREE! 
at bit.ly/SavorRelease.

“Too Good To Passover” and “A Fistful of Lentils” cookbooks available on Amazon.

#passover #seder #sépharade #nourriturejuive #kascher #moyenorient #méditerranéen #toogoodtopassover #jenniferabadi #afistfuloflentils #kosherfood #jewishfood #sephardicfood #middleeasternfood #arabicfood #conversion #syrianfood #virtuallearning #virtualcookingclass #personalchef #privatechef #savorexperience #ladino #sephardic
Just because Passover is over doesn’t mean that Just because Passover is over doesn’t mean that we have stopped celebrating! In North African Jewish communities special breads are prepared to mark the end of the 8-day bread “fast” during a festival called Mimouna. 

Here is an example of a Libyan yeast bread with olive oil and fennel seeds called La Mimuna (like the name of the holiday itself). The hard boiled egg in the center represents fertility, the cycle of life, and new beginnings. The breads are reminiscent of special braided breads prepared for Easter by neighboring Christian communities. 
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“Too Good To Passover” cookbook available on Amazon.

#passover #seder #sépharade #nourriturejuive #kascher #moyenorient #méditerranéen #toogoodtopassover #jenniferabadi #afistfuloflentils #kosherfood #jewishfood #sephardicfood #middleeasternfood #arabicfood #conversion #syrianfood #virtuallearning #virtualcookingclass #personalchef #privatechef #mimouna #libyanfood #breads #eggs #fertility #mufleta
What we all look forward to: matzah brei for break What we all look forward to: matzah brei for breakfast! Need to buy more eggs…
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“Too Good To Passover” cookbook available on Amazon.

#passover #seder #sépharade #nourriturejuive #kascher #moyenorient #méditerranéen #toogoodtopassover #jenniferabadi #afistfuloflentils #kosherfood #jewishfood #sephardicfood #middleeasternfood #arabicfood #conversion #syrianfood #virtuallearning #virtualcookingclass #personalchef #privatechef #passover2023 #passoverrecipes #matzahbrei #matza #matzah #kosherforpassover
The best crafts are ones you can eat later.
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“Too Good To Passover” cookbook available on Amazon.

#passover #seder #sépharade #nourriturejuive #kascher #moyenorient #méditerranéen #toogoodtopassover #jenniferabadi #afistfuloflentils #kosherfood #jewishfood #sephardicfood #middleeasternfood #arabicfood #conversion #syrianfood #virtuallearning #virtualcookingclass #personalchef #privatechef #passover2023 #passoverrecipes #matza #granola #matzah #kosherforpassover
Open-faced Hillel sandwich. . . “Too Good To Pa Open-faced Hillel sandwich. 
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“Too Good To Passover” cookbook available on Amazon.

#passover #seder #sépharade #nourriturejuive #kascher #moyenorient #méditerranéen #toogoodtopassover #jenniferabadi #afistfuloflentils #kosherfood #jewishfood #sephardicfood #middleeasternfood #arabicfood #conversion #syrianfood #virtuallearning #virtualcookingclass #personalchef #privatechef #passover2023 #passoverrecipes #matza #granola #matzah #kosherforpassover #hillelsandwich
Passover 5783 has arrived. . “Too Good To Passo Passover 5783 has arrived.
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“Too Good To Passover” cookbook available on Amazon, and if you are in New York City you can pick up a signed copy at @kalnyc Kitchen Arts & Letters cookbook store on Upper East Side!

#passover #seder #sépharade #nourriturejuive #kascher #moyenorient #méditerranéen #toogoodtopassover #jenniferabadi #afistfuloflentils #kosherfood #jewishfood #sephardicfood #middleeasternfood #arabicfood #conversion #syrianfood #virtuallearning #virtualcookingclass #personalchef #privatechef #passover2023 #passoverrecipes #matza #matzah #sedertable
Matzah farfola? Kosher for Passover granola. “ Matzah farfola? Kosher for Passover granola. 

“Too Good To Passover” cookbook available on Amazon, and if you are in New York City you can pick up a signed copy at @kalnyc Kitchen Arts & Letters cookbook store on Upper East Side!

#passover #seder #sépharade #nourriturejuive #kascher #moyenorient #méditerranéen #toogoodtopassover #jenniferabadi #afistfuloflentils #kosherfood #jewishfood #sephardicfood #middleeasternfood #arabicfood #conversion #syrianfood #virtuallearning #virtualcookingclass #personalchef #privatechef #passover2023 #passoverrecipes #matza #granola #matzah #kosherforpassover
Macaroons made ahead and frozen for Passover! Fr Macaroons made ahead and frozen for Passover! 

From “Too Good To Passover” cookbook:

Syrian pistachio macaroons with orange blossom water (page 396)

Italian almond-pignoli macaroons (page 616)

Books available on Amazon, and if you are in New York City you can pick up a signed copy at @kalnyc Kitchen Arts & Letters cookbook store on Upper East Side!

#passover #seder #sépharade #nourriturejuive #kascher #moyenorient #méditerranéen #toogoodtopassover #jenniferabadi #afistfuloflentils #kosherfood #jewishfood #sephardicfood #middleeasternfood #arabicfood #conversion #syrianfood #virtuallearning #virtualcookingclass #personalchef #privatechef #passover2023 #passoverrecipes #macaroons #amaretticookies #pignoli #almonds #pistachios #italianpastries
Vicki still has her great-grandmother Vida’s ori Vicki still has her great-grandmother Vida’s original burmelos pan from Monastir (today the city of Bitola) in the Republic of Macedonia. Her great-grandmother was Greek from Salonika (now Thessaloniki) but moved to Monastir to marry Vicki’s great-grandfather and join the Ladino-speaking Sephardic community. At the time the city was a part of the Ottoman Empire.

For a Passover burmuelos/bimuelos/bumuelos recipe check out my cookbook “Too Good To Passover” and look for the Greek, Turkish, and Bulgarian chapters!

Link in bio to my new website for upcoming Passover prep lessons and to purchase my cookbook.

“Too Good To Passover” is available on Amazon in the U.S. Canada, Europe, and Japan.
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#passover #seder #sépharade #nourriturejuive #kascher #méditerranéen #toogoodtopassover #jenniferabadi #afistfuloflentils #kosherfood #jewishfood #sephardicfood #middleeasternfood #arabicfood #conversion #syrianfood #virtuallearning #virtualcookingclass #personalchef #privatechef #passover2023 #passoverrecipes #sephardiccommunity #turkishfood #monastir #macedonia #bitola #ottomanempire #bunuelos #greekfood
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Jennifer Abadi | Little Georgia at the Crossroads of Rego Park and Forest Hills, Queens