Research Catalog

Title

Rhapsody in schmaltz : Yiddish food and why we can't stop eating it / Michael Wex.

Author

Wex, Michael, 1954-

Publication

New York : St. Martin's Press, [2016]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

xviii, 297 pages; 22 cm

Summary

"Bagels, deli sandwiches and gefilte fish are only a few of the Jewish foods to have crossed into American culture and onto American plates. Rhapsody in Schmaltz traces the history and social impact of the cuisine that Yiddish-speaking Jews from Central and Eastern Europe brought to the U.S. and that their American descendants developed and refined. The book looks at how and where these dishes came to be, how they varied from region to region, the role they played in Jewish culture in Europe, and the role that they play in Jewish and more general American culture and foodways today. Rhapsody in Schmaltz traces the pathways of Jewish food from the Bible and Talmud, to Eastern Europe, to its popular landing pads in North America today. With an eye for detail and a healthy dose of humor, Michael Wex also examines how these impact modern culture, from temple to television. He looks at Diane Keaton's pastrami sandwich in Annie Hall, Andy Kaufman's stint as Latke on Taxi and Larry David's Passover seder on Curb Your Enthusiasm, shedding light on how Jewish food permeates our modern imaginations. Rhapsody in Schmaltz is a journey into the sociology, humor, history, and traditions of food and Judaism"--

Subject

• Ashkenazim > Social life and customs
• Ashkenazim > Social life and customs
• COOKING > Jewish & Kosher
• HISTORY > Jewish
• Jewish cooking
• Jewish cooking
• Jews > Food
• Jews > Food

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical reference (pages 267-279) and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Introduction: an oral fixation -- Who says it's supposed to taste good? The prehistory of Jewish food -- Getting to no: beginnings of the dietary laws -- If you have to ask, it's treyf: more dietary laws -- Fat of the land: the fundamentals of Yiddish cuisine -- The mother of us all: cholent and its children -- As the cholent cooks: the rest of Friday night, appetizers and soup -- It's all meat: Sabbath main dishes and some of their accomplices -- Pancakes, crepes, and sexy baking: other holiday foods -- Is that all there is? Weekday food -- Epilogue: How is it Jewish?

ISBN

• 9781250071514
• 1250071518
• 9781466882652 (canceled/invalid)

LCCN

^^2015044974

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library