Dishes of the Diaspora: 5 Jewish foods to try

The history of Jewish cuisine stretches back more than 3,500 years, to a time when the ancient Israelites lived and farmed in mostly one region. During that period, their existence was closely tied to the land. They grew olives and grapes and pressed them into oil and wine; planted fields with barley, wheat and legumes; milked goats and sheep; and they foraged for wild greens.

Following the Diaspora, a new era of Jewish cuisine began. Jewish communities fanned out from the Middle East and were deeply influenced by the customs, people and ingredients they found in their new homes. However, over the centuries a few primary threads of Jewish culture and cuisine developed, based on several key geographic regions where Jews settled.

Ashkenazi Jews have roots in the area around the Rhine River (now western Germany and eastern France), and eventually spread across Eastern and Central Europe. Sephardi Jews are traditionally rooted in the Iberian Peninsula but many were forced out by the Spanish Inquisition and resettled across the Mediterranean, the Balkans, the Lowlands, the Middle East and North Africa. Mizrahi Jews trace their ancestry to Middle Eastern countries and to North Africa, though there is a fair amount of overlap between Mizrahi and Sephardi cuisines.

Today the definition of Jewish food is as fluid as ever. It is constantly evolving as groups relocate, imported ingredients become increasingly available, and as our modern world and social media continue to build bridges between geographically disparate communities.

Pumpkin bread (Evan Sung)

Sephardi Jews traditionally eat foods made with pumpkin and squash on Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), when these recipes hold significance. Jewish traders also played a major role in spreading the New World gourd across the Mediterranean during the time of Columbus, and Sephardi cuisine continues to utilise pumpkin in many baked goods, jams and dishes today. This gently spiced bread, called pan de calabaza, can be shaped in a spiral for Rosh Hashanah, baked in a loaf pan, or formed into rolls or a challah-style plait.

Kugel (Evan Sung)

The potato is a New World vegetable that did not become popular in Eastern Europe until the mid-19th century. But the starchy tuber caught on quickly, and today, kugels made with shredded potato are among the best-known and -loved dishes within Ashkenazi cuisine. Crisp on the outside and custardy within, potato kugel is comforting and stick-to-your-ribs hearty. It is often served on Shabbat, Passover and other festive holidays.

Jerusalem bagels (Evan Sung)

In the Old City of Jerusalem it is hard to miss the vendors selling stacks of these elongated, sesame-strewn rings, sometimes called baygaleh, which usually come with za’atar (a herb-spice mix) for dipping. Often still warm from the oven, they make an exquisite breakfast. Palestinian in origin, these bagels are ubiquitous throughout Israel.

Gefilte (Evan Sung)

Gefilte fish holds a key spot in the Jewish culinary canon. The word ‘gefilte’ means ‘stuffed’ in Yiddish, and it was originally just that: finely chopped fish that got mixed with onions and matzo meal (ground breadcrumbs) and stuffed back into the fish’s skin, then roasted. Eventually, that preparation gave rise to fish balls poached in fish broth. There are several variations. Jews from the United Kingdom often fry the gefilte fish mixture, making crispy fish balls that resemble falafel. The practice stems back to the 17th century when Sephardi Jews settled in London. And in Mexico, some cooks make gefilte fish a la Veracruzana, simmering the fish quenelles in a tomato sauce spiked with capers, oregano and green olives.

Cholent (Evan Sung)

For many Ashkenazi Jews, no Shabbat lunch is complete without cholent, a traditional stew. There is no hard-and-fast recipe; Hungarians add plenty of paprika, while some Australians have been known to stir in Vegemite. Its slow-cooking technique likely originated in the Middle East and spread with traders to Spain, France, then Eastern Europe where, through a bit of linguistic gymnastics, it became cholent.