{"id":48706,"date":"2026-03-27T01:25:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T08:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=48706"},"modified":"2026-03-26T19:09:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T02:09:23","slug":"vast-recipe-story-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2026\/03\/27\/vast-recipe-story-collection\/","title":{"rendered":"Vast recipe &#038; story collection"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i>The Jewish Food Society\u2019s website has many Passover options: salads, mains and desserts. For people who prefer cookbooks, the society has published The Jewish Holiday Table, which can be purchased online.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/i>The Jewish Food Society was established in 2017. The nonprofit\u2019s main purpose is \u201cto build the largest archive of Jewish family recipes and stories attached to them in the world.\u201d One can get lost for hours on its website, it\u2019s so extensive. With Passover coming, several holiday stories are highlighted, along with some matzah recipes. It\u2019s well worth a visit: <a href=\"https:\/\/jewishfoodsociety.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">jewishfoodsociety.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The society was founded by Naama Shefi, who was born and raised in Israel, on Kibbutz Givat Hashlosha, near Petah Tikva. She went to high school in Tel Aviv and did her army service before moving to New York in 2005.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy kibbutz life made me really understand the power of community. Because we are nothing without community,\u201d she told <i>Tablet Magazine<\/i> in a 2024 interview.<\/p>\n<p>It also made her crave a wider variety of foods and spices. In a 2021 interview with the <i>Forward<\/i>, she noted that the bland diet she and other former kibbutzniks grew up with led many of them to develop an interest in food. She was speaking to the <i>Forward<\/i> because another nonprofit she founded was about to launch \u2013 Asif: Culinary Institute of Israel, in Tel Aviv, whose \u201caim is to explore local food culture and provide a home for research, dialogue and a wide range of culinary experiences. Through a library with 1500+ culinary books, revolving exhibitions, cooking workshops, a rooftop farm, and pop-ups hosted by local and international chefs, Asif will help document and articulate the evolving Israeli kitchen.\u201d You can also lose yourself on its website, perusing the online exhibit, going through its library, reading stories from its journal and, of course, trying out some of the many recipes. If you\u2019re heading to Israel, definitely look at asif.org\/en, heading to its \u201cThe Flavour Mosaic\u201d section, which features a collection of food establishments \u201chandpicked by culinary experts from across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mar-27-Pass.27.recipes-Jewish-Food-Society-Jewish-Holiday-Table-cover.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-48708\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mar-27-Pass.27.recipes-Jewish-Food-Society-Jewish-Holiday-Table-cover.jpg\" alt=\"image - The Jewish Holiday Table book cover\" width=\"250\" height=\"331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mar-27-Pass.27.recipes-Jewish-Food-Society-Jewish-Holiday-Table-cover.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mar-27-Pass.27.recipes-Jewish-Food-Society-Jewish-Holiday-Table-cover-227x300.jpg 227w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>For people who prefer a tangible hold-in-your-hand cookbook, the Jewish Food Society has published <i>The Jewish Holiday Table: A World of Recipes, Traditions &amp; Stories to Celebrate All Year Long<\/i>, by Shefi and the JFS, with Devra Ferst. It comprises 135 recipes, as well as stories from Jewish families. It\u2019s organized by season and highlights the major Jewish holidays, including Shabbat.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In that 2024 interview with <i>Tablet<\/i>, Shefi talked about the cookbook and what makes it unique.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe concept of the book is really a celebration of Jewish holiday traditions from all around the world, from places as far apart as Ethiopia and Paris and Buenos Aires to here in Brooklyn,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, it was very important for us to showcase the diversity of the Jewish experience. Also, the book follows the Jewish agricultural calendar, so it\u2019s extremely seasonal, which I think is unique. And, for each holiday, we showcase four to five family tables and their menu alongside very personal essays with their history and journey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The diversity of Jewish experience is a focus of the cookbook.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no one family with one single origin, so it really serves as evidence about our people,\u201d Shefi told <i>Tablet<\/i>. \u201cIt shows how so many families were forced to flee one place and make a life in another place. And, sometimes, there were a few generations that were successful in the new environment and, then again, challenging circumstances forced them to keep going on their journey. That also affected the cuisine in a very substantial way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You can buy <i>The Jewish Holiday Table<\/i> at amazon.ca and other online bookstores \u2013 if you order today, it might even arrive before Passover ends. In the meantime, here are a couple of the approximately 10 recipes for charoset at <a href=\"https:\/\/jewishfoodsociety.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">jewishfoodsociety.org<\/a>. The website has many options for the holiday: salads, mains and desserts.<\/p>\n<p><b>CARROT CHAROSET<br \/>\n<\/b><b><\/b><i>(This recipe was shared by chef Michael Solomonov. It takes about 15 minutes to make.)<\/i><i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>4 carrots, peeled and grated<br \/>\n<\/b><b>1\/2 apple, peeled and grated<br \/>\n<\/b><b>1\/2 cup walnuts, chopped<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/b><b>1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped<br \/>\n<\/b><b>2 tbsp fresh horseradish, grated<br \/>\n<\/b><b>2 tbsp raisins<br \/>\n<\/b><b>1 tbsp white vinegar<br \/>\n<\/b><b>3\/4 tsp kosher salt<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p>Combine the carrots, apples, walnuts, cilantro, horseradish, raisins, vinegar and salt in a medium bowl. Toss to combine.<\/p>\n<p>Set aside for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavours to combine. Serve.<\/p>\n<p><b>APPLE AND ASIAN PEAR CHAROSET<br \/>\n<\/b><i>(This recipe was shared by pastry chef Fany Gerson. It takes an hour and 15 minutes to make.)<\/i><i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>1 cup honey<br \/>\n<\/b><b>1 shallot, minced<br \/>\n<\/b><b>3 celery stalks, minced<br \/>\n<\/b><b>2 Honeycrisp apples, peeled and diced<br \/>\n<\/b><b>1 Asian pear, diced<br \/>\n<\/b><b>2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped (about 2 sprigs)<br \/>\n<\/b><b>1\/2 cup red wine vinegar<br \/>\n<\/b><b>1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, separated (about 3 medium oranges)<br \/>\n<\/b><b>1 tbsp + 1 tsp fresh horseradish, grated<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p>In a medium saucepan over low heat, gently warm the honey until it begins to bubble, about five minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Add shallots and celery, stirring for one minute until well incorporated. Add vinegar and stir to combine.<\/p>\n<p>Add apples and pears and reduce heat to very low stirring constantly and making sure the mixture does not get too hot. During this time, the fruit will release water. Continue to stir until the water is completely reduced\/evaporated, 45 to 60 minutes. It is important to watch closely and stir often to keep the sugar from burning.<\/p>\n<p>When the water has completely disappeared and the mixture is dark and caramelized, add 3\/4 cup of orange juice and reduce again, mixing and smashing the fruit, about 10 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1\/4 cup orange juice, chopped oregano and one tablespoon of fresh horseradish.<\/p>\n<p>Transfer to small serving bowl. Garnish with one teaspoon fresh horseradish. Serve immediately.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Jewish Food Society\u2019s website has many Passover options: salads, mains and desserts. For people who prefer cookbooks, the society has published The Jewish Holiday Table, which can be purchased online. The Jewish Food Society was established in 2017. The nonprofit\u2019s main purpose is \u201cto build the largest archive of Jewish family recipes and stories [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48707,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[781],"tags":[3460,3584,6073,24770,400,3456],"class_list":["post-48706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holidays","tag-charoset","tag-cooking","tag-food","tag-jewish-food-society","tag-passover","tag-recipes"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48706\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}