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Choi / Shai

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Bukharian Black Tea with Rosewater, Cracked Cardamom Pods, and Saffron Rock Sugar Candy

In this month’s AARP issue. Thank you to Jill Gr

In this month’s AARP issue. Thank you to Jill Grant who interviewed me about this family favorite comfort food!

On another note, it was a bit disheartening, but unfortunately not surprising these days, to receive an email from a woman claiming that only challah, gefilte fish, and matzah ball soup were Jewish. She lectured me on what I could and couldn’t teach, according to her, and claimed that as a Jew I must have stolen the recipe. I guess this was her not-so-subtle way of telling me to « go back to Poland » — an anti-Semitic trope that American Jews in particular have been hearing since October 7.

Mizrahi Jews need to keep sharing their long history in the Middle East, North Africa, and Western/Central Asia so people know that we share many similar dishes with our Muslim and Christian neighbors!

#mizrahi #mizrahijews #mizrahifood #syrianfood #syrianjewishcommunity #jewishfood #antisemitism #israelifood #middleeasternfood #arabicfood #aarp

In Sicilian cooking you will find dishes influence

In Sicilian cooking you will find dishes influenced by Sephardic, Spanish, North African, and Arabic flavors. For dinner I ordered a salty-sweet pasta prepared with tomatoes, sardines, olives, breadcrumbs, pine nuts, and raisins—a taste of all the varying cultures in one bite!

#sicilianfood #arabicfood #sephardicfood #northafricanfood #italianfood #pasta #siracuse #spanishfood

In the Ortygia neighborhood of Siracusa, an Ancien

In the Ortygia neighborhood of Siracusa, an Ancient Greek city in southwestern Sicily, was once a thriving community of 5,000 Jews with at least 12
Synagogues. In 1987 the oldest mikveh (Jewish ritual bath) in Europe was discovered in the Guidecca (Jewish quarter) during the construction of a hotel. This mikveh had been built in around 600 C.E.and remained in use for nearly 1,000 years, until the Jews of Sicily, under the control of the Spanish Inquisition, were expelled. When I descended 60 feet below (i was not allowed to bring my phone) I observed 5 individual baths carved by hand into stone filled with fresh water brought in from natural springs, as they had been when they were still active. It is believed that before fleeing members of the Jewish community filled and covered the baths to hide them from destruction, which in the end protected them for 500 years.

Before the expulsion there were nearly 40,000 Jews that inhabited Sicily with a history that dated back centuries. The synagogue that connected to the baths was converted to a church a long time ago, and virtually every other sign of Jewish life has been destroyed and replaced. But thanks to our Sephardic ancestors the Jews today have proof that we were once here.

#jewishcommunity #jewishhistory #spanishinquisition #antisemitism #conversos #expulsion #sicily #mikve #jewishrituals #jewishpride #standwithisrael #siracuse

A very hot and crowded walk through the Vatican Mu

A very hot and crowded walk through the Vatican Museum in Rome today, with a surprise Magen David floor tile just under my feet!

#vaticanmuseum #starofdavid #magendavid #rome #jewishrome #romanjews #italianjews

Tempio Maggiore, Roma. Great Synagogue of Rome. No

Tempio Maggiore, Roma. Great Synagogue of Rome. Not Sephardic. Not Ashkenazi. Not Mizrahi. Roman.

Museo Ebraico, Jewish Quarter, Rome.

#bringthemhomenow #museoebraica #jewishghetto #ghettoebraico #romanjews #tempiomaggiore #greatsynagoguerome #synagogues #synagogue #synagoguesoftheworld #italianjews #ebraismo

Museo Ebraico, Jewish Quarter, Rome. #bringthemh

Museo Ebraico, Jewish Quarter, Rome.

#bringthemhomenow #museoebraica #jewishghetto #ghettoebraico #romanjews #holocaust #pogrom #standwithisrael

The opening night for the Paris Olympics will begi

The opening night for the Paris Olympics will begin this Friday night and the police from all over the country have arrived to secure the city. What strikes me is how much special protection is necessary for the Israeli teams and athletes to be safe. While I am glad that France is taking their safety seriously it makes me both sad and angry that in order for any Israeli to compete they must have 24/7 protection from being attacked. No other team requires this same level of protection around the world to participate. Not even Iran.

#standwithisrael #parisolympics2024 #paris #israël #bringthemhomenow #antisemitism #israel #neveragain

After reading Claire Davenport’s recent West Sid

After reading Claire Davenport’s recent West Side Rag article about the new Yemenite coffee shop Moka & Co. that opened up near by, In the article the owner (Basheer Shahbain) noted that it was important for people to know that Jews once lived in Yemen and shared a cultural heritage with the Arabs, so I thought that he might be a good subject to interview for my ongoing cookbook project on the memories of food from the Middle East.

I went to check out the cafe today and when I arrived I spotted someone who looked like the owner speaking to a customer. I introduced myself and explained my cookbook project to him, and Basheer was very friendly and welcoming. Before Ieaving, I went up to the counter to place an order for one of the coffees, but the barista informed me that Basheer had already told him to prepare a Maleki for me, which is like a chai made with cream, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and honey. I sat down and lifted the cup to thank him and said “to Middle Eastern hospitality,” to which he laughed and brought over a cup that he was selling on a shelf that read: “Where there is Yemeni coffee, there is hospitality.”

For those of you who have seen my posts calling for more people to interview for my cookbook project, this may have been my lucky day in finding someone from Yemen!

#sépharade #nourriturejuive #kascher #végétarien #moyenorient #méditerranéen #toogoodtopassover #jenniferabadi #afistfuloflentils #kosherfood #jewishfood #sephardicfood #middleeasternfood #diaspora #yemenifood #yemenicoffee #yemenitejews #mizrahi

#pâque #pessah #passover #seder #sépharade #nour

#pâque #pessah #passover #seder #sépharade #nourriturejuive #kascher #végétarien #moyenorient #méditerranéen #toogoodtopassover #jenniferabadi #afistfuloflentils #kosherfood #jewishfood #sephardicfood #middleeasternfood #diaspora #standwithisrael #bringthemhomenow #bringthemhome

ONGOING COOKBOOK PROJECT: Looking for people to sh

ONGOING COOKBOOK PROJECT:
Looking for people to share their favorite food memories!

I have interviewed 14 people for my ongoing cookbook project on favorite childhood dishes from home, but I still need your help to make it complete!

I am looking to interview individuals (Muslims, Jews, Christians, other) who grew up in the following
countries and later moved to the US, UK, or Canada:

Afghanistan
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Jordan
Tunisia
Yemen

If you (or someone you know might be interested in being interviewed please DM or email me!

#pâque #pessah #passover #seder #sépharade #nourriturejuive #kascher #végétarien #moyenorient #méditerranéen #toogoodtopassover #jenniferabadi #afistfuloflentils #kosherfood #jewishfood #sephardicfood #middleeasternfood #diaspora #cookbook #uscitizen #centralasia #westernasia #northafrica #middleeast #foodmemories #foodpolitics #childhoodfoodmemories #westernasia

Jennifer Abadi | Choi / Shai