'The Jewish Heritage Cookbook'
Recipes by Marlena Spieler
Photographs by William Lingwood
Lorenz Books -- 2004
Buy It on Amazon

A rebuke to those whose idea of Jewish cooking is limited to such gut-busting fare as kugel and knishes, "The Jewish Heritage Cookbook" is an eye-opening and mouthwatering survey of the traditions and recipes of the global Jewish Diaspora. While the more recognizable stalwarts of Ashkenazi (or Eastern European) Jewish cooking do get their due (there are no less than six recipes for kugel), Spieler also dedicates ample space to the foods of the Sephardim, Jews who settled in Spain, Portugal and North Africa, paying particular attention to the rich culinary heritage of Moroccan Jews.

Spieler also provides plenty of context for her recipes: a lengthy introduction delves into the history of Jewish migration across the globe, dietary traditions and laws, the culinary significance of various holidays, and the definitions and usage of traditional foods and ingredients. Spieler's book is as much reference guide as cookbook -- not only will you learn how to make something like like lamb with globe artichokes, you'll also learn about the significance of artichokes to the Italian Jews who created the dish.

See what we tested and whether it's worth buying after the jump.
Takeaway tips: Spieler's guide to Jewish foods is invaluable: over the course of almost 30 pages, she discusses Jewish dietary laws and their effects upon the preparation and serving of various ingredients. Her page on dairy foods, for example, discusses the Biblical significance of dairy, the kosher laws that apply to its consumption, and its historical and cultural place in Jewish communities throughout the world. Because the book was originally published in Britain, all recipe measurements are given in both metric and U.S. customary units.

Quality of pictures: Beautiful -- even the chopped liver looks amazing. The food is photographed in detail, and each recipe includes helpful preparation shots of things like properly caramelized onions and how much filling to use in pierogi.

What we tested: Dag Ha Sfarim, a whole fish cooked in spices traditionally eaten by the Sephardim during Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.

Though this is a potentially intimidating recipe -- in addition to demanding a whole fish -- head, tail and all -- it calls for a long roster of fresh spices and herbs; it's also a surprisingly straightforward one, thanks largely to Spieler's clear instructions. Buying a cleaned and gutted fish took care of the most potentially difficult task, and what remained was that of making a very flavorful tomato sauce, which gained great depth and nuance from the cumin, curry powder, cilantro, chilies, turmeric and garlic that went into it. The finished product, coated in the sauce and garnished with toasted pine nuts and parsley, was a showstopper: it elicited the "oohs" and "ahhs" typically reserved for something like a roast pig with an apple crammed in its mouth. It was also incredibly tasty, possessing the substance to match its abundant style. While this isn't exactly something you'd whip up on a busy weekday night, it's a great dish for a celebration of any kind.

Worth the investment: Definitely. Whether you're looking for interesting hors d'oeuvres like vegetarian chopped liver and muhummara, a good bagel recipe, or, yes, six variations on kugel, this is an excellent resource. And the extra helping of cultural insight is as nourishing as a bowl of bubbe's borscht.