The Book of Jewish Food (25th Anniversary Edition) by Claudia Roden

Notes about this book

  • PinchOfSalt on January 19, 2017

    I own a hardcover version of this book (ISBN 0-394-53258-9, sixth printing of the 1996 edition). The EYB index is missing a number of recipes found in my copy. Specifically, the recipe on page 312 (Minestra Dayenu, Chicken soup with matzos) and both recipes found on page 313, (Shorba bi Djaj, Chicken Soup with Rice) and Bulgarian Yogurt Soup are not listed. Recipes on the previous and successive pages are included in the EYB index. It's a shame, since Shorba bi Djaj is one of my favorites in this book.

  • LeePicard on January 18, 2010

    A beautiful book to read and learn from. Every recipe I've made so far has turned out well. We've had some new tastes and family favorites from this book

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Potato latkes

    • Frenchfoodie on November 20, 2022

      Quick, easy and tasted delicious. Can stand frying at pretty high heat.

  • Bagels

    • bwilcox on July 28, 2023

      Worked well enough. Kneading by hand was a serious project - I had to break off into littler pieces and knead one by one till recombining, and it took over an hour

  • Carrot tzimmes

    • Breadcrumbs on March 27, 2016

      p. 164 – I thought this dish sounded like a great alternative to my usual maple-glazed carrots. I picked up some local Viper’s Bugloss honey just for this dish. CR notes that the recipe is traditionally prepared for New Year because they resemble gold coins thus encouraging good fortune for the year ahead. As it turned out, my carrots started out as a mélange of colours and ended up a vibrant red so we’ll see what’s in store for us in the year ahead!! So here’s the thing…I LOVED this dish! I don’t recall ever liking cooked carrots. Seriously! The carrots were infused with the delicious bitter orange flavour and the ginger/honey sauce balanced that beautifully. Truly scrumptious!! No one is more surprised than me to find myself typing this!

    • Delys77 on October 08, 2014

      Not the most amazing braised carrots, but the ginger and orange is nice, and dish is very passable. I would make sure you remove the lid and raise the heat to get a nice caramelization of the carrots at the end.

  • Hamantashen

    • thekitchenchronicles on March 10, 2018

      This recipe worked well- the dough is nice and flaky (not doughy or tough which is my biggest complaint with most hamantaschen) and the filling is bright. Some of mine did fall apart in the oven so next time will pinch then harder and maybe give them another round in the fridge before they go in the oven.

  • Mango chutney

    • Rachaelsb on January 11, 2023

      Delicious!!! Such full flavor and the vinegar gives it great acidity to offset sweetness. Loved this!!

  • Apiu Ilado

    • dangtangy on May 16, 2022

      Maybe a bit thin for everyday. You know how acid can make things taste not quite right. I think I achieved that! I should have put more olive oil in there I think and perhaps more salt. Thinking that mashed up tomorrow with some cream and stock it would make really nice soup, perhaps with garlicky croutons

  • Salsa verde per pesce

    • lorloff on October 01, 2017

      This sauce was absolutely fantastic. It had the perfect flavor to serve with poached salmon. The gherkins were a secret ingredient that really worked. Will make again it was delicious and easy to do

  • Poulet aux olives

    • Delys77 on October 08, 2014

      Very tasty with a few small modifications. Brown the bone in, skin on thighs first, then reserve and sauté onions. Also, uncover for the last 15 or so minutes of cooking to let liquids reduce a bit. Lastly, you could finely mince a bit of preserved lemon and put it into the braising liquid, or even leave them whole and then remove before serving. The step of blanching the olives makes them much less pungent but still very flavourful.

  • Kofta bil karaz

    • RachaelN on July 10, 2020

      Perfect recipe. I've done it with beef and lamb. Both are great.

  • Ragout aux epinards

    • Delys77 on September 29, 2014

      Pretty good but not something I would repeat. You definitely need a stock pot for this as the amount of spinach is huge. The split peas completely break down so you are essentially left with a dal like sauce with cubes of meat in it, that eventually has 1.5 lbs of spinach wilted into it. The colour isn't all that appetizing, but with a heavy hand of seasoning the overall flavour is pretty good, if not spectacular.

  • Kofta a la sauce tomate

    • Melanie on October 12, 2014

      I made the Tunisian variation of this dish, using parsley, mint, onion, garlic, cinnamon, harissa and rosebud powder in the meatballs. However, despite the numerous flavourings used, the meatball wasn't full of flavour. I would make this dish again but increase the flavours, as overall I liked the dish, which felt comforting. I cooked the meatballs in the oven before adding to the tomato sauce, and served with Ottolenghi's baked rice dish from Plenty More.

    • mooo42 on September 02, 2023

      Made with Impossible. Delicious!

  • Albondigas di prasa

    • Delys77 on October 06, 2014

      These are very interesting. The combination of ingredients yields something almost like a dumpling, despite the lack of flower. The FP seems like an odd tool, but it worked very well. Be sure to wet your hands before handling the paste and don't worry too much about the shape. I do think going with the regular 350 for the oil is a good choice. She recommends cooler but I think they will absorb oil for sure. good maybe add a touch of thyme, and season a bit more heavily. For sure serve with the garlic tomato sauce.

  • Roz bil ful ahdar

    • Tealismyname on May 05, 2024

      Really bizarre way of cooking rice. My husband soaked the rice before hand (which we do for basmati rice typically) and the result was a mushy mess) I would cook for 8 minutes and then drain. Flavour was nice though!

  • Green beans in tomato sauce

    • Delys77 on October 06, 2014

      Nothing wrong with this dish but you would definitely need stellar tomatoes. The sauce is highly dependent on the tomato so either use an excellent boxed variety, or perfect summer produce. Otherwise the dish is a little bland. I would add the lemon juice if it was hot or cold, not just if it is cold.

  • Pommes de terre aux olives

    • Gio on December 21, 2015

      Pg. 519. Great recipe, wonderful finished dish, superb side dish. Lots of delicious flavors to enhance the potatoes. A couple of cooking steps but quite speedy regardless.

  • Pommes de terre douces

    • Gio on December 07, 2015

      Pg. 520. I took a few liberties with this recipe but the end result was a great success so I'm satisfied. We steamed chopped sweet potatoes with the skin on. Did not mash them - just smashed them a bit. Omitted the milk but kept all the seasonings. Tossed it all together for a wonderful side dish for roasted garlic and paprika chicken. Now in rotation.

  • Brinjal albaras

    • dangtangy on May 13, 2022

      This was tasty and looked good. I think making it with coconut milk from fresh coconuts, perhaps with a bit of grated coconut too would really add to the zesty-ness of it.

  • Prasifouchi

    • Tealismyname on May 05, 2024

      Really comforting recipe. Followed as written but would like to play around with sauteing leeks instead of boiling.

  • Fritada de espinaka

    • Delys77 on October 14, 2014

      Very easy to put together and pretty good. The potato does help bind it abd the feta is very nice. That said the amount of spinach makes it a touch too earthy, I might replace some of the spinach with dill and a fair amount of green onion. At the end of the day I think this would add just a bit more nuance.

  • Kalavassika con keso

    • AliciaWarren on January 03, 2013

      A courgette and cheese gratin.

  • Oignons farcis

    • Bloominanglophile on January 10, 2015

      I was a bit skeptical about this recipe, due to the tamarind paste "sauce" and the caramelized sugar on top (sounds like a dessert instead of a savory dish), but I was surprised that these didn't take away from the dish's savoriness. Unfortunately, the 45-60 minute cook time resulted in hard, onion-covered pellets. Be sure to barely simmer these, and I would recommend reducing the cook time (maybe 30 min)?!?

  • Gateau a l'orange

    • AliciaWarren on June 05, 2016

      p 515. An old favourite. Same recipe as Stephanie Alexander's Cooks Companion p 650 except also has orange flower water here. Easy to convert to sugarless by using erythritol + stevia instead of sugar.

    • lorloff on April 25, 2021

      Absolutely delicious cake. I have made this with oranges and with clementines. Both work great. I like this version better than the one without the orange blossom water from Stefanie Alexander which is the version I first tried. I used finely ground almond flour and it worked very well. Will make again and again.

    • ElianeW on February 19, 2017

      I bake this so regularly that I can do it from memory. Not that it's complicated. This is one of those "mother recipes" - lots of other writers have adapted it in various ways, changed the fruit to clementines or added polenta. Nothing beats its orangeyness - which comes from boiling and then pureeing two whole oranges. Completely delicious.

  • Torta di mandorle a cioccolata

    • ashallen on November 25, 2019

      This is a good flourless chocolate-almond torte with a good, clear chocolate flavor. Texture is moist, dense, and a bit sticky - almost more like a confection than a regular cake. Good served with creme anglaise. I've made this with both toasted and untoasted almonds - almond flavor seemed stronger when toasted, chocolate flavor came through more clearly with untoasted. It does seem to be a bit on the sweet side and I'm not sure it needs to bake a full 45 minutes (mine was 215F in center after 45 minutes). Alice Medrich created a modified version of this recipe for her book "Pure Dessert" which looks like a good variation (Italian Chocolate Almond Torte) - it's available online at Serious Eats.

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Reviews about this book

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Reviews about Recipes in this Book

  • Hamantashen

    • Kitchen Chronicles

      The result was very tasty- and I’m happy to report that the cookie part is much more tender and flaky than the ones that have disappointed me in the past.

      Full review
  • ISBN 10 0241996643
  • ISBN 13 9780241996645
  • Published May 26 2022
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 600
  • Language English
  • Countries United Kingdom
  • Publisher Penguin Books
  • Imprint Viking

Publishers Text

THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF THE CLASSIC JEWISH COOKBOOK WITH NEW RECIPES AND MATERIAL

In this internationally acclaimed book, Claudia Roden interweaves more than 800 recipes with the stories and histories that have shaped Jewish cooking over the centuries. The recipes are treasures garnered from almost sixteen years of Roden's research around the world, enjoying the immense diversity of traditional Jewish food.

Roden shares the most essential dishes from her native Egypt and beyond, taking us on a journey through the Jewish Diaspora: from the Ashkenazi world there is hallah bread, wine-poached salmon and luscious plum tarts, and the Sephardi chapter boasts an array of tabbouleh, falafel and the inimitable orange Passover cake.

The result is a cookbook unlike any other: a learned, loving and delicious tribute to the variety and vitality of Jewish culture the world over. With new material for this special twenty-fifth anniversary edition, this is the definitive book of Jewish cuisine; a celebration of the food, and the people, that have shaped our culinary world as we know it.



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