What Is It About Jews and Food?

By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOACH Field Worker

In New York City, there are plenty of Kosher restaurants. There are meat establishments and dairy establishments, and even pareve establishments. There are Kosher restaurants that hold to the highest authority with glatt Kosher meat and which close their doors several hours before Shabbat each week, and there are other places that stay open on Shabbat and serve only Kosher meat with no dairy products on the premises. And then there are those restaurants that define themselves only as "Jewish delis," such as the famous Katz's Deli, a Kosher-style deli, that have items like the pastrami-and-cheese sandwich, the Reuben, on the menu.

Everyone follows his or her own standards of kashrut, but there's something about eating at a Jewish restaurant that appeals to many. What is it about Jewish food that unites us as a people? Each holiday has its signature dishes that Jews from all around the United States (and the world) serve to their guests during festive meals. We grow up eating certain foods that might seem alien if not for their presence throughout our childhoods and their associations with a ritual or festival. What is it about Jewish food that unites us as a people?

Often our connections between food and Jewish rituals or calendar cycles arise from someone's tradition being transferred to the next generation. Something as simple as bagels and lox for Sunday brunch or the Yom Kippur break-the-fast, or chulent on Shabbat afternoon, isn't directly linked to a specific holiday or purpose, yet it's something that has established itself as a tradition for many people. When there's a holiday to be observed, there's almost always food around. One of the most widely-observed Jewish holidays, Passover, even takes place over a meal that can last eight hours. And when there's no holiday, schmoozing is often accompanied by a platter of something or other. Food can be a way to bring people together, spark conversation, or simply supplement both of those situations. For the Jewish people, it's just another tradition.

Trying to sort out keeping kosher on campus? Try KOACH's basic primer here.

[Posted 1/6/11]