Eating the archive ……the invitation you can’t turn down

Now the historian in me, leapt at the idea of eating the archive.

It is featured on the July page of the Manchester Jewish Museum Blog, which under the title “Eat the Archive”, calls on “foodies to be part of our food revolution and become a Museum Foodie Advocate.

Our new project Eat the Archive brings together two of our favourite things: amazing Jewish stories from our collection and food. It is a chance to cook, eat, connect and chat – what’s not to like?".

The story is in the summer edition of the Manchester Jewish Museum’s newsletter.

So as they say, watch this space.

Location; Manchester

Picture; Rosa’s peppers, 2016, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*Calling all Manchester Foodies to be part of the our food revolution, https://www.manchesterjewishmuseum.com/blog/?p=490

**Manchester Jewish Museum Newsletter, Summer 20000, https://mailchi.mp/manchesterjewishmuseum/april20-6957650?e=f9ef44e930

Miss Tattersall's guide for the Jewish cooks of 1895

Now, I have always maintained that history comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and lurks in the back of an attic as much as it does in the work of an eminent historian.

Rosa's peppers, 2014

And of course books on food, and the history of food are an essential part of understanding the past, giving an insight into what we ate, how it was eaten and particularly who ate what.

The politics of sugar, still surface to day with discussions on how we should approach those who made their wealth from importing, and refining a product grown by slave labour, while it is easy to forget that the Norman conquest pushed out old English names for certain foods in favour of their Norman/French alternatives.

So with this in mind I have long collected recipe books, from those of the late 18th and 19th centuries, through to the marvelous Meta Given’s Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking first published in the USA in 1947, to the post war leaflets produced by the Ministry of Food, and  recent collections which reflect food fashions, and the revolution in how we cook.

Added to these I often fall back on the food of Tina’s mother who was born and grew up in Naples.

Rosa's pastries, 2010

All of which is an introduction to an article by Keren David about an old cook book found in the offices of the Jewish Chronicle.

It dates from 1895, and is a “Jewish Cookery Book, compiled for use in the cookery centres under the school board for London” and while it was intended for young Jewish cooks, it offered up a range of dishes which Ms David points out “gives us some insight into the way secular and religious authorities worked together to assimilate Jewish children and families, without compromising religious observance, but most of all it offers a glimpse of everyday life for British Jews 125 years ago”.

At which point I could just paraphrase the article, but that wouldn’t be right, and so instead I shall just point you towards the link to Keren David’s article …. after all, why try and imitate something which has already been done far better than I could.

Location; London

Picture’s Rosa’s peppers, 2014, and Rosa’s Ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar and candied peel with a lattice of pastry, 2010 from the collection of Andrew Simpson 

*Miss Tattersall's guide for the Jewish cooks of 1895. Keren David, November 15th, 2019, Jewish Chronicle,
https://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/food/a-%EF%AC%82avour-of-haimish-history-from-an-antique-cookery-book-1.493119?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Email%2018112019&utm_content=Daily%20Email%2018112019+CID_5f44edf3793da479d5d2cb28406130f2&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software

A book I never tire of ..... The Book of Jewish Cooking

Now I like cook books, because like history books, they can be read for what they offer, but also with the passage of time,  throw a light of how we used to eat.

So back in the late 1940s, the Ministry of Food produced a series of leaflets which could be collected as a book on how to cope with rationing, providing recipes, some of which were traditional and others adapted to the shortages of food.

The rationale was in part the obvious one, but also that the war had disrupted the traditional pattern of cooking, with some children spending time away from the home when they might have learned basic cooking skills and also because wartime production had forced many people in to factory canteens, restaurants and feeding centres.

It is an area which has fascinated me and my friend Lois, who both have written about cook books in our blogs.*

And today I want to go back to an old favourite which is The Book of Jewish Cooking by Claudia Roden.

I first came across her work when I bought Mediterranean Cookery, and became an instant fan, and from there  I progressed to The Food of Italy, and then The Book of Jewish Cooking.

What they all have in common, is a clear and simple style which adds history and geography to the recipes.

And of these her book on Jewish Cooking is a fine example, offering an introduction to the food and the traditions, and then dividing up into sections on the Ashkenazi World and the Sephardi World, both of which are crammed with history and recipies.

So there you have it.

*Food History, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Food%20History

Stuffed Vegetable Marrow and Devilish Potatoes, https://loiselden.com/2018/07/14/28574/

*** The Book of Jewish Cooking by Claudia Roden, 1997

**** Mediterranean Cookery, Claudia Roden, 1989 & The Food of Italy, Claudia Roden, 1990