Encyclopedia of Jewish Food

by Gil Marks

  3. Pour the hot preserves into glass jars. Store the preserves in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

  Einlauf

  Einlauf are drop dumplings.

  Origin: Germany

  Other names: Alsace: noques; Austria: nockerln; Germany: triflach.

  The first Jewish American Cookbook, Jewish Cookery (1871), contained a recipe for "Drop Dumplings for Soup," which the first edition of The Settlement Cook Book (1901) called "Ein Lauf." One of the favorite and easiest of European dumplings, einlauf are made from a simple, loose egg batter. The name comes from the German for "to come in/to flow," from lauf, which means "run/course." Unfortunately, in modern German einlauf means "enema" and in sports also denotes "finish" or "placing."

  This dumpling contains nearly equal amounts of egg and water, bound with a little flour, making it light and fragile. The batter must be thin enough to drop into boiling soup, stew, or water, but not too thin. To achieve a long noodle-like shape, the batter is slowly drizzled from a height. A matza meal variation developed for Passover tastes like knaidlach. The batter can be cooked in any soup or stew, but a clear broth is the most common. With the advent in the mid-twentieth century of commercial packaged noodles, einlauf and other traditional homemade soup garnishes lost much of their popularity.

  (See also Dumpling)

  Ashkenazic Egg Drop Dumplings (Einlauf)

  4 to 5 servings

  [PAREVE]

  1 large egg, lightly beaten

  ¼ cup water

  About 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour or 1/3 cup matza meal

  2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

  About 1/8 teaspoon salt

  Pinch of ground black or white pepper (optional)

  In a medium bowl, beat together all the ingredients until smooth. Using a large spoon and from a height, in a slow, steady stream let the batter drop into a pot of boiling soup or stew. Or for more distinct dumplings, drop the batter by teaspoonfuls, one at a time. Cover and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve in the hot soup or stew.

  Emmer

  At some point in prehistory, in the Fertile Crescent, Triticum urartu, a close relative of einkom, crossbred with another wild grass, yielding wild emmer, which, like durum, is considered a subspecies of tetraploid wheats. Wild emmer, nicknamed in Hebrew em ha'chitah (mother wheat), still grows in parts of northern Israel. Emmer, einkorn, and two-row barley were the first domesticated crops; they were possibly initially domesticated in southeastern Turkey, just east of the Euphrates River. Emmer was initially boiled to make porridges. When some of the gruel fell into the fire, the first breads were created. Eventually, wild yeast found its way into some of the emmer porridges, giving rise to the first yeast breads.

  Emmer is a hulled wheat. Typically, kernels of hulled wheat were pounded or roasted to remove the husks, requiring a large amount of labor and, due to breakage of the kernels, significantly decreasing its shelf life. Despite any drawbacks, farmers continued to cultivate emmer, as it grows well in warmer climates, resists fungal rot, and is high yielding, with large grains and a relatively high amount of protein (gluten). Breads made from emmer are fairly light in texture and flavorful, although they are heavier than those made from contemporary common (bread) wheat. Consequently, in the late Mesolithic Age, emmer became the most prominent grain throughout the Near East, North Africa, and much of Europe, and this popularity lasted until Roman times.

  Emmer and barley were the main crops of biblical Egypt and Israel; emmer was the source of the bread of the Egyptian upper class and was probably used in the original matzas of the Exodus. Although durum wheat emerged in Israel as the favorite grain—it was used for the solet (fine flour) required in the Temple offerings—emmer remained the most widely grown wheat, while barley was the most common grain. Emmer (kusmin) was among the five grains detailed by the Talmud as being forbidden during Passover.

  Beginning at the end of the Iron Age (c. 900 BCE), naked wheats (the chaff does not cling to the kernels), in particular durum and modern bread wheat (descendants of emmer), gradually supplanted emmer, and its usage all but disappeared in most locales. It does remain a relic crop in parts of the Mediterranean. One of the few areas where emmer retains a degree of popularity is in Tuscany, where it is called farro and used to make breads, pasta, and especially soups.

  (See also Grain and Wheat)

  Empanada

  Empanada is a folded half-moon-shaped turnover that is either deep fried or baked.

  Origin: Iberia

  Other names: Ladino: boreka; Farsi: sanbusak; Portuguese: empada.

  Turnovers are one of the most widespread foods— enwrapping meat, vegetables, fruit, or cheese in thin layers of bread or pastry dough is an ideal and portable way to extend limited resources. The first record of a turnover was the sanbusak, a Farsi word indicating it originated in Persia, initially a fried triangular filled pastry, which was first recorded in Iraq in the early ninth century. It arrived in Iberia by at least the early thirteenth century and probably became a popular Sephardic dish even earlier. In parts of Spain, however, particularly Galicia (in the northwest, abutting Portugal), these pastries eventually became known as empanadas, from the Spanish empanar (to cover with bread); this name is now found in most Spanish-speaking countries, each of which has its own variation.

  Rabbi Joseph Caro (1488—1575), part of a family from Toledo, Spain, that settled in Turkey following the expulsion, in his work Shulchan Arukh, still the preeminent code of Jewish law, states: "It is permissible [on the Sabbath] to place an [already cooked] empanada near the fire in a place that is hot enough to scathe the hand even though the fat in the empanada melts." (By the way, Ashkenazim tended not to allow this leniency for warming cooked food unless "absolutely required.") Pointedly, at this time, Sephardim still referred to their turnovers as empanadas and some of those who settled in western Europe after the expulsion of 1492 continued to use this term.

  The sizable number of Conversos who settled in Brazil, Mexico, and what would later be the American Southwest brought their versions of empanadas with them; many cooks retained the use of chopped beef rather than the Spanish pork. Sweet potato became another popular filling. However, as Sephardim in the Ottoman Empire gradually merged their food with the local cuisine, the name empanada eventually became boreka, the term for a Ladino-inspired version of the Turkish börek.

  The classic empanada evolved from its original triangular shape to the easier-to-form half-moon; smaller ones are sometimes called empanadillas or empanaditas. Large empanadas are served as an entrée or side dish, while small versions are offered as an appetizer or dessert. The original empanada was made from bread dough, but later an oil-based pastry was developed, and still later a flaky pastry. Initially, they were fried, but eventually baking became the predominant means of preparation. Traditional fillings included meat, fish, and vegetables, and dessert empanadas became a later variation. A favorite remains empanadas de pishkado, a Turkish version filled with mackerel. Empanadas (or borekas) filled with meat or vegetables are longstanding Sephardic Sabbath fare; they are served cold or reheated for Sabbath lunch. Empanadas fried in oil are traditional on Hanukkah.

  (See also Boreka, Pastelito, and Sambusak)

  Essig Fleisch

  Essig fleish is a sweet-and-sour pot roast.

  Origin: Germany

  Other names: sauer fleisch.

  Sweet-and-sour is a popular flavoring in much of Jewish cookery; the prominence of the flavor combination developed because vinegar (essig in Yiddish) was added to foods as a preservative and tenderizer, and honey or sugar was then used to temper and complement the vinegar's sharpness. Ashkenazim of northern Europe, who had few fresh herbs or inexpensive spices at their disposal, relied very heavily on sweet-and-sour flavors, especially in dishes based on fish or meat, such as meatballs, stuffed cabbage, tongue, borscht, and pot roast. Plain pot roast is called gedempte fleisch (well-stewed meat). As the name essig fleisch denotes, the sour of the
pot roast originally came from vinegar. Ukrainians use rosl (fermented beet vinegar) for the cooking liquid. However, more recently lemon juice and sour salt have become the preferred acid among many cooks. With the spread of sugar beet factories in parts of Europe in the mid-nineteenth century, and the arrival of inexpensive sugar in those areas, sweet-and-sour dishes became even more prominent. Germans add gingersnaps and some others use tomato paste or flour as another element of flavor and as a thickener for the cooking liquid.

  Ashkenazic Sweet-and-Sour Pot Roast (Essig Fleisch)

  6 to 8 servings

  [MEAT]

  1 (3½- to 5-pound) boneless beef chuck, shoulder roast, or plate

  3 tablespoons vegetable oil or schmaltz

  3 medium yellow onions, sliced

  1 cup chopped carrots

  1 cup chopped celery

  1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced

  1 teaspoon paprika (optional)

  2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste or 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  2 cups chicken broth or water, or 1 cup broth and 1 cup dry red or white wine

  2 bay leaves or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  About 1 teaspoon table salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  Ground black pepper to taste

  1/3 to ½ cup fresh lemon juice or cider vinegar

  ¼ to ½ cup brown sugar or honey

  1. Pat the beef dry. In a large pot or roaster with a tight-fighting lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Place the beef in the pot and cook, turning frequently, until it is brown—but not blackened—on all sides, about 20 minutes. Remove the roast from the pot.

  2. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions, carrots, and celery, and sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and paprika and stir briefly. Add the tomato paste and stir until slightly darkened, or add the flour and stir until bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes.

  3. Add the broth and stir to remove any browned particles from the bottom. Add the bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Return the beef and any accumulated juices. Cover and bring to a simmer on top of the stove.

  4. Bake in a 325°F oven or simmer over a low heat, turning occasionally, until almost tender, about 2 hours. The roast may be prepared up to this point up to 2 days in advance, cooled, covered, and stored in the refrigerator before reheating.

  5. Add the lemon juice and sugar and cook, uncovered, until the meat is fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 20 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, strain the cooking liquid, pressing out the solids. Slice the meat against the grain and serve with the cooking liquid.

  Etrog (Citron)

  The citron, the earliest cultivated citrus tree, probably originated in northern India or southwestern China. The subtropical tree bears large bright yellow fruit that have a very thick skin and a sparse pulp. Until the popularization of sugar in the late medieval period, its fruit was rarely consumed, although in Talmudic times the rind was occasionally pickled or cooked into a paste. The citron's fragrance has long been highly regarded, and Talmud related that the citron and quince were the only fruits that require a special blessing to be recited over their aromas.

  The first written record of this fruit was jambila, the Sanskrit word for citron and later lemon, in the Vajasaneyi Samhita around 800 BCE. The first European record of the citron was around 310 BCE by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus, who called it malus medica (Median fruit), as he believed the plant originated in Media or Persia. The word citron in modern French refers to what Americans call a lemon; what Americans know as a citron (often candied) is called cédrat in French (from the Latin cedrus "cedar"). Because of its association with Jews, the citron is also called citronnier des juifs in French and Judenapfel in German. The Hebrew word for citron is etrog, a word not contained in the Bible, but which was derived via the Persian torong from the Sanskrit suranga (beautifully colored).

  The citron is unique in that it is the only tree that can flower and bear fruit throughout the year under proper conditions; it can also distinctively retain the fruit from one year to the next. Thus the citron is the only tree that can have buds, blossoms, and mature fruit at the same time. When citrons are left on the tree for more than one growing season and up to several years, they can reach a foot or more in length and can weigh more than ten pounds. The size of the citron explains the Talmudic incident, "It happened that Rabbi Akiva entered the synagogue carrying his etrog on his shoulder." Another feature of the citron fruit is its pitom (carpel), a small knob on the tip consisting of the pistils and stigma. Some citron varieties retain their pitom into maturity, while other varieties lose it naturally during development.

  The scrawny citron tree, which is really more of a thorny shrub, has a weak root system, requires intense irrigation, is vulnerable to disease and cold temperatures, and has a relatively short life span of about fifteen years. Grafting branches from a citron tree onto a heartier lemon tree enables the citron to produce more fruit and for much longer. The fruit from a citron tree grafted onto a lemon tree is identical to that of a natural one. However, the Torah forbids mingling two different species. Consequently, grafting branches from one citron variety to another citron variety is acceptable, while grafting branches from a citron onto a lemon tree is unacceptable and its fruit may not be used for the Sukkot ritual.

  Historically, the citron, to put it mildly, was not a very useful plant. The citron is far from the most beautiful or hardy tree. Its wood is not prized as lumber. Nor could its fruit even be considered a luxury food, like cherries or kumquats. The ancient Chinese and Indians employed citron for certain medical purposes, while the Talmud mentioned its effectiveness in countering snake venom. In ancient Greece and Rome, the fruit was primarily used as an insect repellent, stored with clothing similar to mothballs. In effect, the citron was completely unnecessary for survival, sustenance, or even shade; this was an important consideration in decisions about plant cultivation in the days when every scrap of food, clothing, and shelter tended to be of critical concern.

  Despite its deficiencies, the citron eventually moved westward from its birthplace through Persia and into the Levant. By the Hasmonean period, it had become one of the most popular Jewish symbols, commonly appearing on mosaics, tombstones, coins, and monuments. Precisely when the citron arrived in the Holy Land is a matter of contention. Many claim that the citron did not reach Israel until the era of Alexander the Great because there was no specific mention of it in the near East before this time. Other scholars insist that the Jews brought the citron back from Persia in the sixth century, after returning from the Babylonian exile. However, even in the centuries after Alexander citrons were of such insignificant commercial and dietary value that they were rarely, if ever, cultivated or recorded in the Middle East, with the noted exception of Israel, where they were used for Sukkot. Thus this ancient fruit surely could have arrived on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean before the Israelite conquest of Canaan around the thirteenth century BCE. The Israelites may even have become familiar with the citron during their stay in Egypt, because it may have been used in the Egyptian embalming process.

  Following the fall of the Roman Empire, citrus fruits disappeared from Italy and much of the Mediterranean, except among the Jews who continued to cultivate the etrog for the Sukkot ritual. As new varieties of citrus arrived from the East, notably the lemon and bitter orange, Jews began to cultivate these citrus trees alongside the citron. By the ninth century, Jewish traders re-introduced citrus fruit to much of the Mediterranean. Eventually, non-Jews began to raise various citrus trees as well.

  The Fruit of the Goodly Tree

  For the festival of Sukkot, the Bible instructs each person to "take for yourself" four agricultural items—peri eitz hadar (fruit of the goodly tree), palm fronds (lulav), myrtle branches (hadasim), and willows of the brook (aravot). The Four Species (Arbeh Minim) are shaken together while reciting the verse "Save us now O Lord, cause us to prosper now O Lord." Jewish tradition pos
its that the biblical peri eitz hadar is the etrog.

  There are several requirements to qualify an etrog for use in the Sukkot ritual. It should be at least twice the size of a chicken egg. The peel can have no black spots, scratches, or blemishes. To produce a kosher etrog, the fruit has to be protected from wind, sand, sunburn, and insects. An etrog must have an ukatz (stem from where it was attached to the tree). If the pitom is broken off of an etrog after maturation, it is not acceptable; if the etrog variety is one that naturally grows without a pitom, it is permissible. Hybrids, such as a cross between an etrog and lemon, are forbidden for the Sukkot ritual. Any etrog from a tree grafted onto a lemon tree or even an etrog from a tree grown from a seed of a grafted fruit, is unsuitable for the Jewish ritual.

  The etrog or citron has been an essential part of Jewish tradition and culture, for millenia, as depicted in this "Four Species of Sukkot" mosaic floor in Hamat Tiberius, one of the earliest synagogues ever discovered.

  For medieval Sephardim and Mizrachim, most of whom lived near areas of citron cultivation, etrogim were relatively inexpensive and most families procured their own fruit each year. On the other hand, among Ashkenazim, who had to import etrogim at great expense, few individuals historically could afford to purchase their own, except perhaps a small number of the wealthier Jews. Instead, a single etrog would typically be obtained by the town and shared by all. In the sixteenth century, after lemon cultivation became widespread in the Mediterranean, acquiring an etrog became more problematic, as the practice of grafting citron branches onto lemon trees and crossing the fruit with lemons became prevalent.

  Etrog Variety

  There are a dozen or more distinct varieties and their cultivars of etrogim acceptable for the Sukkot ritual; different ones are preferred by various communities.

  Citron varieties differ greatly in shape, the thickness and bumpiness of the peel, acidity of the pulp proportion of pulp to peel, texture of the albedo (the fluffy white inner part of the peel), acidity of the pulp, and number of seeds. The pulp of most varieties is highly acidic, but there are a few low-acid varieties, called sweet, that are edible raw. There are also pulpless varieties.