Sour Cream: Just because it’s a classic doesn’t mean it’s the right decision. You’re probably pretentious AF and painfully stubborn about your opinions. You’re the Mom Friend, and you make sure everyone knows it.

Applesauce: Your sweet tooth is indicative of your childlike tendencies. You’re creative and fun, often called the funny one in your friend group. You love pop music, and you’re not afraid to show it. You like what everyone likes, and what’s wrong with that?

Plain: Why mess with perfection? Real recognizes real. Plain latke lovers don’t try to mask the taste of latke with extraneous, unnecessary toppings, and I love that for you. Either you aren’t American, or your parents weren’t, and you make a point to play the dreidel game annually. I just know.

Garlic Mayo: Ok, self-proclaimed ‘foodie,’ I see you. It’s a bold choice, but I can’t call you wrong. If you cook your own latkes, you have a secret ingredient you swear by, maybe caramelizing the onion before mixing it with the potato, or some elaborate potato-soaking process. You disregard others’ approval, either living life for yourself or actively trying to trigger them. Good.

Ketchup: This is what assimilation’s done to you?! Get help. Latkes are not hash browns. You’ve never made your own latkes, and you probably eat sufganiyot without filling.

BBQ Sauce: You’re definitely the Dad Friend of your friend group. You probably also do the Sufganiyah Challenge annually.

Chrein (Jewish horseradish-beet sauce): Topping latkes with chrein seems like it would be better than topping gefilte fish with it, but let’s not beat around the bush here; we know you eat gefilte fish. You probably also eat chopped liver. And cat food.

Vanilla Ice Cream: You pride yourself on being different. Quirky, one might say. It’s time to let go of the past, Vanilla. We get it, you were the weird kid on the playground and no one wanted to play with you and now you’re trying to reclaim your weirdness. Reassess, Vanilla. There are better (and less insane) ways to stand out.

Lox and Cream Cheese: Ok, grandpa, we get it. You’re very Ashkenazi, very New York, and very Old Jewish Man. It’s not Pesach, dude. You can just put that on a bagel.

Deli Meat: You’re just as Ashkenazi and as much of an old soul as Lox and Cream Cheese, but, like, quirkier. Not quirky in the try-hard, wannabe Vanilla Ice Cream way, though. You’re genuine as it comes, acting irrespective of others’ judgements.

Guac: You’re definitely a millennial, and painfully passionate about which Hogwarts house you’re in. (Hufflepuff, probably.) Get with the times. You do not need to put guac on everything… especially on a latke? Please stop. Enough.

Cheese: You’re hot. And probably lactose intolerant, so, um, maybe stop topping things with cheese.

All these factors considered, all the potential potato pancake toppings in mind, choosing a favorite should be a deeply personal decision. With that being said, though, I would argue that there’s only one correct latke topping:

The post What Your Favorite Latke Topping Says About You appeared first on Jewcy.

I schlepped over to Brooklyn and arrived just in time for the event’s second session. Just near the entrance I was greeted with crocheted bagel headbands and keychains from Treesley, which were unexpectedly cute and of course, Bantam bagels’ samples which were superb.

At another corner there was a photo-op station with a pool of bagels a la museum of ice cream’s sprinkles pit. At least I assume that’s what they were before I got there. By 1PM, all that was left was bagel puree, and some inflatables including bagels, palm trees, eggs, and… bacon? I don’t know how to feel about the treif vibes here. All I’ll say to the organizers is: next year I’d opt for a bagel wall. No bacon for me.

One of the highlights was a panel of “bagel experts” including Jake Cohen, Morgan Raum, and Hannah Albertine, in which Cohen provided a diplomatic response to the Montreal vs. New York bagel controversy. Common, Jake! We need answers. The panelists also discussed bagel orders and other very important bagel debacles in an overall lighthearted and fun half-hour, which hit the spot after rounds of bagel samples.

Kosha Dillz’s performance was energetic and drew a crowd, but so did his merch. My personal favorite being an “In God We Trust” T-shirt with a bagel smack in God’s O. The messaging! The symbolism! The relevance! And Kosha’s merch was not the only one on display. Oh, the merch. It was totes, and tees galore. Anna Sanders’ Lox of Love tote bag is a 10/10, Katie Brookoff’s prints were adorable, and BagelFest’s own t-shirt was really cute too.

All in all, Brooklyn BagelFest provided a space to schmooze with other Jews, and fill our delicate stomach with carbs and cream cheese. BagelFest is as much about the bagels as it is about the experience, and a showcase of how iconic the bagel has really become. I can’t wait for next year’s undoubtedly bigger and better BagelFest, and in the meantime, I will be obsessing over how I will become a “bagel expert” so I can serve on the next star-studded panel.

The post Celebrating the Art of the Bagel at Brooklyn BagelFest appeared first on Jewcy.

Stuffed monkey (Jewish Lond.). A very pleasant close almond biscuit. Now the confectioner exchanges his stuffed monkeys, and his bolas… for unleavened palavas, etc.—Zangwill, Children of the Ghetto.

I had never heard of a “stuffed monkey,” so obviously I had to find out how to make it for myself. I’ve since received requests to share, so here it is: A stuffed monkey.

The recipe seems to come from Sephardic Dutch Jews (they would have originally been from Portugal) living in England. It’s sweet, but not rich, and serves like a tart or a pie. The above-cited 1902 book Children of the Ghetto references it as a “contemporary confectionary,” though I found a reference to it by name in as early as 1882. So, now you know exactly what to serve at your Jewish steampunk tea party!

In regards to the weird name (yuck, it does not make you think of an appetizing pastry), the “stuffed” is a reference to the nature of the dessert.  As for “monkey?” There are multiple theories, including that the family that popularized it was called Monnickendam, or that it comes from the Arabic for stuffed: “makhshi.”

The recipe below is a cobbled together version of three that I found online: From Cook It Simply,  Jewish Mother Cooking, and The Vintage Cookbook Trials (which took its recipe from Florence Greenberg’s 1967 British Jewish cookbook):

For the crust:

• 2 cups and 2 tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• ½ tsp. vanilla (optional)

For the filling:

• The peel of one large orange
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (or try dark raisins or dried cherries)
• 1 1/3 cup chopped/slivered almonds (feel free to experiment with other nuts)
• 1 ½ tbsp. brown sugar
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 3 tbsp. melted butter
• 1 egg yolk (save the white for glazing)

For the glaze:

• 1 egg white
• handful of sliced/slivered almonds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Sift the flour, salt, and cinnamon into a bowl, and rub in the butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Stir in the eggs, sugar, and vanilla, and knead into a smooth dough.

3. Divide the dough into two sections. Wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 375°F.

5. Combine all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and mix well. Use a food processor to make the mixture paste-like. Don’t worry about it being smooth; it’s fine to have bits of peel, almonds, raisins, etc., visible.

6. Lightly grease an 8″ pie or other baking tin

7. Roll flat and spread one of the dough pieces out into the bottom of the pan.

8. Spread filling over the dough, then roll out the other piece of dough and lay it over the filling.

9. Pinch edges together so the filling doesn’t leak out (it helps to smooth out cracks with a teaspoon of water). Brush top of dough with the egg white mixture and generously sprinkle with the almonds.

10. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden-brown. Let cool and serve!

Enjoy, and comment below or tweet us if you try it out!

Featured image credit: Wikimedia 

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I stared at the bacon. I had never seen such a fatty piece of meat before. It stared back at me. Oink. Under normal circumstances, I would have flat-out refused to eat it. But the rules were different in the eating disorder treatment facility where I had spent the last two months. I looked across the table at my dietician, weighing my options. The punishment for not completing a meal was a loss of privileges and a lukewarm glass of Ensure.

“I can’t eat pork products,” I said. “For religious reasons.” Fattening, greasy, salty pork products. I had been using a variation of this line since the onset of my eating disorder years previously: I can’t eat that. I’m allergic/sick/full/ethically opposed/skeptical of its whereabouts. All the patients seated at my table knew every trick there was, and I wasn’t sure anyone would believe me. The staff at the facility didn’t have much exposure to Jews. I once had someone ask me if that’s the one where you can’t drink alcohol. But in 2014, the post-PC era, nobody was going to argue with me. My dietician offered me a veggie patty instead.

A little over a month after my discharge from the hospital, here I am again, in a face-off with the proverbial bacon. For the past few years, Passover has marked an annual decline in my health, serving as fuel for the eating disorder. With its institutionally condoned limit on carbohydrates, Passover is an anorexic’s dream. The lessons about redemption and freedom bypassed my underfed brain completely, replaced by an adherence to and obsession with custom. If there was one thing I excelled at, it was restrictive rituals. No peanut butter, no corn, no rice, no bread, and why stop there?

This Passover, I am in recovery, and I have decided to maintain a non-Passover diet for the duration of the holiday. Having been discharged from the hospital only recently, my health, physical and emotional, is precarious. I drank enough weight gain supplements, gave enough blood, spent enough hours doing nothing in the constant presence of medical professionals to learn I never wanted to come back. We weren’t allowed to be alone at all, not even in the bathroom. If food fell on the floor, we had to eat it. My IV drip prevented me from bending my arm for hours at a time. To put it lightly, it was an unpleasant experience—and one that my Judaism had contributed to.

In many ways, it’s Judaism, and not just Passover, that’s difficult for me. Year-round, there are good and bad and pure and impure foods, a hierarchy of sustenance. No animals with these feet, no wine handled by these people, bless the foods in order, don’t eat this after that or that with this. (On my list of rules: no crunchy foods, no sugar, no white foods on Tuesdays or Thursdays, no crusts, no eating with strangers.) In the hospital, they taught us that there was no good food or bad food. Food is nourishment and we need it to live, end of story.

I was the girl who cried kosher. Kashrut had been less a method of connecting with Judaism and more a convenient weight loss tool. Didn’t see the meat being cooked? There’s probably butter. Better not eat it. My conservative upbringing was more kosher-style than kosher, but I capitalized on my Judaism as a way to cut more foods out of my diet.

Consequently, I find my religion at odds with my health. The religious practices are, for me, a gateway to personal rituals, which are a gateway to starvation, a sure way back to the hospital. I will participate in the seders, and eat the matzah and gefilte fish and charoset during communal meals, but this year—bread and pasta on Passover.

I feel justified in my decision, but I struggle with how I will make the holidays meaningful without observing the customs. My family has been accepting—even encouraging—of my choice, as have my friends. Any judgment on the spaghetti I ate for lunch on the first day came from myself. This year, why is this night different from other nights? What makes Passover Passover in 2014? What makes me Jewish? By dismissing myself from the food rituals, I am also excluding myself from the social element of holidays, and of religion.

As is often the case when I pose questions to myself about Judaism, I don’t have anything resembling an answer. I have a friend who maintains that I am looking for a metaphysical solution that isn’t there, and I’m inclined to believe he is right. Nothing is going to feel satisfying or complete, but sometimes—at least for me—just looking is the answer.

This year, the haggadah is the center of my observance. When I turn to the text itself, I find a fragment of validation: We read that when the Israelites approach the Red Sea with Pharaoh close behind, they fear the worst. God parts the seas, and the only way out is through. The Israelites safely make the crossing to freedom, their demons far behind them, but they have a long way to travel. They stop and survey what has just happened. A hurdle is cleared, and the next is ahead. They are free but not unbound.

Once we were slaves, now we are free. In my small way, I have been redeemed, offered a reprieve from a low weight and a low potassium count and low energy. I am reluctant to use the vocabulary of Exodus, because I was never a slave, and in the important ways, my life has been peaceful and good. But in the microcosm of my life, I have finally been offered a taste of freedom from a disease that grabbed hold and wouldn’t let go. Now, even with hurdles ahead, I am running in the opposite direction.

Elyse Pitock is a junior at Barnard College whose work has also appeared in the New York Times.

(Image: Shutterstock.)

The post This Passover, I’m Liberating Myself From My Anorexia—By Eating Chametz appeared first on Jewcy.

Like Justice Potter Stewart, I cannot definitively say what constitutes food porn, but I know it when I see it. Food porn isn’t erotic in a traditional romantic sense (Although South Park aired a 2010 episode about it in which Randy gets a little too involved with the Food Network). Rather, it’s the glamorization of food with images—and thanks to Instagram and other social networking platforms, it’s become a colloquial phrase. Capitalizing on that trend are two 24-year-old University of Colorado grads with their new website, MrFoodPorn.

Mixing photos and prose, Noah Rinsky and Josh Seigel use their site as a Manhattan-based forum for detailing their experiences with high-end food. Writing about expensive dining can quickly turn people off, so they opted for a silly name and quirky logo—a messy man all suited up, with a turkey leg in hand and stains dribbled on his lapel—to garner a wider audience. And to keep Mr FoodPorn from being too indulgent (the site’s ‘About Us’ section reads, “We’re devourers of all things fleshy, bready, and over indulgent; eaters to the first degree, scaling the highest meringue-mountains of wanton culinary delight!”), Rinsky and Seigel devoted a page to two hunger-fighting charities, Food Bank for New York City, and City Harvest. Giving back is important to them, and I’m sure it helps the conscience when you’re sinking your teeth into those sugar-cured bacon strips, which Rinsky won’t eat because he’s kosher. Instead, Seigel gives him play-by-plays of the bacon-wrapped matzo balls at Traif in Brooklyn.

They seek to add substance and creativity to the language around food porn. Instead of simply photographing your deep-fried dinner and adding a #nomnom hashtag, Rinsky and Seigel describe exceptional meals for their audience, who can read leisurely while salivating freely. They both work in the food industry, so they write about the culinary world beyond just the dining experience. In this excerpt, Mr FoodPorn describes his high-stress experience as a trainee waiter at the upscale Manhattan restaurant Eleven Madison Park.

“What is so unique about the river that runs along this vineyard?” he asks, and I assume that the metaphor will become more lucid if I’m ever allowed in the inner circle. Or is he just quoting The Master?

“I-I’m…” stutters the seasoned waiter. “I’m not quite sure.”

A look of disgust consumes the manager’s face as he calls on another server, who he applauds for saying something that I find cryptic at best, moronic at worst. I keep asking myself if I even want this job, and I consider the money; the huge bills, the massive tips; fifteen courses, hundreds of wines, five-thousand-dollar tabs. I do. I really really do want to work here. Before entering the dining room, I watch servers fold napkins as they go over the menu with me. The napkins must be folded identically and each stack must be the same height. When this is through, I’m asked to go look at myself in the mirror and am told that my collar isn’t right. I search without finding error, and a server is nice enough to fix it for me. Dinner service starts and I follow Jacob, my server for the night, into the grand dining room. Eleven Madison Park’s ceilings seem to expand and soar, and the huge windows give the impression of Old World Europe. The job is constant movement, and I sweat right through my cotton shirt. Each table is assigned a team of servers. There are so many that I’m afraid of knocking something over, so I ask Jacob what happens if I do.

Rinsky and Seigel just threw a launch party for Mr FoodPorn, and according to Seigel, who’s been tracking analytics, the site has been steadily gaining readers (he recently quit his day job to work on the website full time). While they continue to develop and grow the site, more poutine and calf liver will no doubt be consumed—and, of course, viscerally described, bite by bite.

The post Two Hungry Jews Create ‘MrFoodPorn’ Site to Chronicle Eating Adventures appeared first on Jewcy.

While many feel restricted during the leaven-free days of Passover, those of us on gluten-free diets find the holiday culinarily liberating. In fact, Passover is the Jewish holiday that keeps on gluten-free giving now that many companies have naturally gluten-free products or developed a gluten-free line alongside their traditional Passover line. Thanks to these products, we can fulfill the mitzvahs of the holiday while adhering to our dietary restriction—and making sure our palettes are satisfied.

Here are a few of my favorite kosher for Passover gluten-free things (to be sung to “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music, naturally). I hope you find as much joy in them as I do. I also hope you have better self-control than I do with some of these products (see: macaroons).

Matzoh for the Seder Table: Traditional matzoh is off limits since it has gluten. To fulfill the mitzvah of saying the blessing and eating matzoh, those of us who are on gluten-free diets can turn to oat matzoh. Lakewood Matzoh Bakery offers wonderful gluten-free oat matzohs available in Oat Machine Square and Traditional Shmurah, which I found at Fairway. Challah was taken on the matzohs that are made with certified gluten-free oats—oats must be certified gluten-free—and have Gluten-Intolerance Group’s certification seal.

Matzoh for the Breakfast Table: For the breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the ‘I need a snack’ kind of matzoh, I like Yehuda’s Gluten-Free Matzoh-Style Squares. The Squares are not intended for use during a seder, but are perfect with a shmear of cream cheese or for matzoh pizza.

I also recommend the newest gluten-free matzoh on the block: Manischewitz’s Gluten Free Matzo-Style Squares. I almost couldn’t believe this product was real when I saw it on the shelf. Then again, the words gluten-free on a Manischewitz box just seem so perfect.

When it comes to matzoh in cracker form, both Yehuda and Manischewitz crackers do the job. If you are like my sister, you might like them with cream cheese and a half sour pick on top.

Gluten-Free Matzoh Balls—Need I Say More? Your soup will thank you (and then your gluten-free guests will also) for using Yehuda’s Gluten-Free Matzoh Meal for the matzoh balls. In other words, if you plan on having chicken soup like I do at seder, make sure to pick up a box or two or even three.

Chicken Cutlet Time: Gluten-free chicken cutlets are just a coating away thanks to Jeff Nathan Creations’ Gluten Free Panko Flakes. The flakes are brand new and are available in plain or seasoned. Any chicken cutlet lucky enough to be made with these flakes is going to be a hit, which mean my chicken cutlets are going to be quite popular this week.

Passover Pasta: Whether you need gluten-free noodles for your kugel or are looking for a bowl of pasta, Manischewitz and Gefen have you covered. I like Manischewitz Gluten-Free Fine Yolk Free Noodles for my kugel and enjoy their spiral and shell-shaped noodles for everyday pasta fun. For a wider noodle, I recommend Gefen’s Gluten Free Egg Free Wide, which are perfect in soup.

Dessert: I love Manischewitz Gluten Free Chocolate and Yellow Cake Mixes. They are a great gluten-free cake and the fact that they are kosher for Passover is just the cherry on top. But my favorite part of the Manischewitz cakes might just be that the pan is included.

Macaroons: Passover hasn’t even started and I have already gone through two containers of Streit’s chocolate chip macaroons. There is just something about these moist treats, whether coconut, chocolate, chocolate chip or toffee crunch. If you’re a red velvet lover like I am, Manischewitz Red Velvet Macaroons are a must, as is the Chocolate Macaroon Dough. I repeat: Chocolate Macaroon Dough. This dough is the mother of all Passover products. Pure genius. It comes in a tub—how fun—and makes 44 macaroons.

And what would Passover be without candy fruit slices? Original Sweet Shoppe offers gluten-free raspberry, orange & lemon fruit slices that are the perfect treat at your seder.

The post The Best Gluten-Free Passover Products appeared first on Jewcy.

• There’s a food revolution happening in Poland, and it sounds pretty good. [Washington Post]

• Ramaz alum Leandra Medine—better known as her sartorial alter ego, Man Repeller—made the New York Post’s list of 13 Women to Watch Under 30. [NYP]

• Mila Kunis cooks Russian food. That is all. [Esquire]

• Meanwhile, when Carmelo Anthony was lurking by the Celtics bus the other night, he was “probably not there to to tell his opponents they could still get to Veselka and order the latkes.” [WSJ]

• Jeff Garlin is getting a podcast called “By The Way,” and comedy pals like Larry David and Judd Apatow will be stopping by. [HuffPo]

• Until then, here’s Apatow talking to Alex Baldwin on Baldwin’s similarly-named WNYC show, “Here’s the Thing:”

The post Daily Jewce: Mila Kunis’ Russian Cooking, Apatow and Baldwin Kibbitz appeared first on Jewcy.

Hungry for Hanukkah pastries? Aren’t we all. Too busy to find places around New York City that will satisfy your craving? Consider this an early Hanukkah present.

1. For the Fancy Side of the Family: Eleni’s Playfully Unique Cookies

Sip tea and nibble on elegant nosh with your relatives on Upper East Side relatives at this nut-free bakery.

2. For You, the Cupcake Lover: Two options, of course.

Magnolia Bakery

Simple and delectable Magnolia cupcakes will make you croon “All I want for Hannukah is you.” Enjoy these chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting and delicate little Jewish stars and Menorahs on top.

Crumb’s Bake Shop

The Holiday Signature Collection includes two types of cupcakes: the scrumptious Stars of David (vanilla cake filled with chocolate cream cheese frosting topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting) and mouthwatering Mazel (vanilla cake filled and frosted with vanilla buttercream sprinkled with blue and yellow nonpareils)

3. For your Gluten-Free Homegirl: Babycakes NYC (kosher, vegan, and gluten-free)

They’re selling special-edition rugelach and jam donuts for the holiday season.

Despite their seemingly limitless ingredient restrictions, we hear this place is quite good.

4. For the Jelly Donut Enthusiast: Susan Sez

Susan sez “say it with cake” has a new answer to Israeli sufganiyot. Owner Susan Berlin says her jelly-filled cupcakes “taste amazing” and are healthier than traditional fried donuts.

5. For the Dessert Builder: Baked By Melissa

Unfortunately, Baked by Melissa does not carry any Hannukah-specific treats. What they do feature, however, is a pretty extensive blueprint for how to build a dreidel out of several different signature flavors.

All you need is 100 cupcakes to create this picture—no big deal.

Happy snacking!

The post A Sweet-Toothed New Yorker’s Guide to Hanukkah Desserts appeared first on Jewcy.

The Gefilteria will host its launch party at Smooch in Brooklyn on Sunday. I talked with the co-founders about Ashkenazi soul food and Kvass, the Jewish kombucha.

How did the three of you get together?

This idea started as a concept, a way to re-imagine Jewish Ashkenazi food which came to me at the Hazon food conference. I mentioned it to Liz and she was really excited. We both work in the food world in various ways. We started to brainstorm ideas about Ashkenazi food and ways to make it in a way that was in-line with our values: sustainably sourced, responsible, slow comfort food.

Jackie and I were “deli friends”—whenever we would meet up in New York we’d meet at the original 2nd Ave Deli. After a while we realized that we needed to bring in Jackie’s business-sense as well as her family history of cooking these types of foods into the project. Jackie’s parents are from Russia and she grew up in Brighton Beach eating this kind of food daily; we needed her. The three of us got together with the idea of the “carp in the bathtub concept”—a philosophy of freshness and good quality ingredients that the carp in the bathtub represents.

Why gefilte fish?

The idea started with gefilte fish as a concept because it’s the most misunderstood Ashkenazi food. Most people won’t even touch it. Most people’s association with gefilte fish is jarred, ugly, grey oblong, gelatinous vessels of poor flavor and that’s not what is. Before making our initial batch of gefilte fish, it had been missing from family meals for almost a generation.

One of our guiding principles is that the beauty of Ashkenazi food is peasant in origin. It’s our culture’s tradition of making food last longer or feeding more people because in Europe we weren’t necessarily the wealthiest people. You had to make one carp feed an entire family for a full meal. We wanted to make gefilte fish inspire pride and be relevant again. It’s a relevant concept now, especially in a recession. And it’s a really delicious and a nutritious food.

Where does this kind of Jewish food originate?

Gefilte fish can be found in various versions around Europe—from Poland to Hungary to Russia. Depending on the region the gefilte fish will taste different—gefilte fish from one area is sweeter than gefilte fish from another area. Just as there are many different versions of gefilte there are just as many varieties of borscht depending on where you’re from. It’s the food that was eaten by the people.

When the Jewish people from these various countries came to the United States they brought their foods with them. Borscht, for example, isn’t uniquely Jewish. There’s Russian borscht, Polish borscht, Hungarian borscht and the flavors depended on what food grew in the varying regions. There is beet borscht in some areas and more cabbage-heavy borscht in other areas.

The tradition of pickling can be found in every culture. Peoples from nearly every culture have a variety of fermented vegetables. It’s not “Jewish food” but it is food that Jews brought with them to the US and is the origin of the deli. This is the food that we grew up with, the food that we know.

What do you hope to accomplish by re-imagining Ashkenazi food through The Gefilteria?

Pride. Some of the jokes about Ashkenazi food are pretty funny, we’ve got to admit, though they’re not founded in what we believe to be the essence of Ashkenazi cuisine. We are proud of the humble peasant roots of our ancestors and the creativity with which they made the most out of cabbage, beets, and potatoes.

We see The Gefilteria as a sort of laboratory, an exploration of some of the dishes of our past. The food that doesn’t make it onto the deli menus, the food that isn’t as exciting to people because they’re not used to eating it. Gefilte fish wasn’t supposed to be “ugly” food—it was a Sabbath food, eaten on special occasions. To have it be something put in a jar and without care saddens us. We’re not re-imagining it, but bringing it back to what it should be and what it has been. We want people to be excited and happy about eating this kind of old-world food.

It’s about upping Ashkenazi food in the minds of our generation. The idea that these foods are humble; beets, potatoes and cabbage are all ground vegetables, root vegetables and they possess that kind of ground energy. We call our business a roots-driven business because the roots are so powerful, this is our way of expressing our past-part theater, part art, all food.

What other Ashkenazi fare will The Gefilteria be re-introducing to people?

We’ve come across a phenomenal cold Borscht recipe. Kvass, which is the borscht base, is the “Jewish Kombucha” it’s probiotic, it has a nice tang like kombucha, but it is made without the added sugar. We’re doing a variety of fermented vegetables-sauerkraut, horseradish and pickles in the summer—the sides that would have been eaten with this type of European peasant food. We’re also doing a black and white cookie stick which will bring the two flavors together in a way that the traditional shape of a black and white cookie can’t.

How are you a part of the Slow Food, Farm-To-Table, DIY Food movement that’s happening in NYC now?

While we’re reimagining gefilte fish in a way that’s basic, we want to make sure we are sourcing them well also. We’re consulting with sustainable seafood companies, searching for the best ways to source the fish with a focus on sustainable fishing. We’re local vegetables and working only with seasonal vegetables.

We’re a craft-food business and we like the imagery of a laboratory. We’ll be selling Gefilte Fish kits using our sustainably sourced fish, our recipe and our manifesto in the hopes of giving gefilte fish back to the people.

We want to pay respect to this humble, European food as well as the deli and New York street-food. This is the food of the street and we want to be serving this food to the people on the street.

What can people expect at The Gefilteria launch?

We’ll be serving all of our food hors d’oeuvre-style. We’ve made a really beautiful carrot and beet horseradish that the gefilte will sit on which looks really beautiful. We’re serving our kvass as cocktails and we’ll have copies of our Manifesto for people to read. There will be music, nosh, and hopefully great conversation about gefilte. We’ll also be taking orders for Pesach—but the launch is mainly about the food and reintroducing it to Brooklyn.

Starting March 11th, we’ll be taking online orders for gefilte fish by the loaf or by the kit-in both cases it will come with horseradish. After the holiday we’ll be selling at fairs and festivals. We’ll be selling our kvass by the jar, seasonal fermented vegetables by the jar, and sauerkraut on line.

Five years from now, what’s happening with The Gefilteria?

What we hope to achieve is longevity. This food is healthy, cheap and delicious. It should be transformed and reinterpreted through every generation. Just because we don’t live in Eastern Europe where the food originated doesn’t mean it isn’t ours and can’t be enjoyed with our ever evolving taste buds.

(image credit: The Gefilteria)

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