Passover Recipes from a Book of Remembrance

by Jason Best, Posted Apr 18th 2011 @ 4:00PM

Passover begins tonight, and before heading out to your first Seder, you might check out this article in the New Jersey Star-Ledger to get into the spirit of things (and to remind yourself of the rich traditions of Jewish cooking, way beyond matzo).

The Jewish festival, of course, commemorates the release of the ancient Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Everything that's served at a traditional Seder is steeped in symbolism -- which doesn't always make for the type of dish that you might dream about eating all year (celery with vinegar, anyone?).

But what about creamy noodle kugels, piquant cold borscht or the perfect marriage of warm potato dumplings topped with brisket? These and a host of other recipes culled from the memories of Holocaust survivors have been collected by June Feiss Hersh in a soon-to-be-released cookbook, Recipes Remembered: A Celebration of Survival.

The Star-Ledger profiled the work of Hersh and talked to some of the survivors she features in her book, which apparently also showcases some surprising recipes, like a tres leches cake and gnocchi alla romana, collected from Jews who fled the Nazis for places like the Dominican Republic or Italy.

Hersh says that when she first approached the Museum of Jewish Heritage, in New York, about interviewing Holocaust survivors about their most memorable childhood recipes and collecting those in a book, board members "let out a little gasp," which seems understandable since many of Hitler's victims starved to death.

"But what I found, what I knew to be true, is that food conjures up my most wonderful memories," Hersh told the Star-Ledger. "It's that thread that can take you from tragedy to triumph. You could see that you were able to bring the survivor to a place that was comforting and nourishing and nurturing, and that was the place that was the happiest."

Filed Under: Holidays, Recipes
Tags: cookbooks, Jewish food, passover recipes