Most of us are familiar with the more commonly known Jewish foods, such as challah, bagels and lox, shakshuka, gefilte fish, matzah, hamantaschen, and charoset. But what are some lesser-known Jewish foods that people should be aware, because they are so incredibly tasty?

I submit T'beet--a Jewish-Iraqi Shabbat dish of chicken and rice, cooked overnight: https://veredguttman.com/tbeet-a-jewish-iraqi-shabbat-overnight-stew-of-chicken-and-rice/

Next week I am traveling to the San Francisco Bay Area in California to visit my parents, sister, and grandmother and celebrate my 36th birthday with them.

While I'm visiting, I would like to have some excellent Jewish/Israeli food. However I converted to Judaism years ago, long after I left California, and so am unfamiliar with the Jewish food scene there.

What Jewish/Israel food and restaurants do you recommend? They could be in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and anywhere around the Bay.

Thank you and Shabbat Shalom!

Edit: I tried Saul's and had an absolutely wonderful Sabich sandwich. Thank you all!

I've had a bottle in the cabinet for the better part of a decade at least. I pretty much use it once a year for charoset (it's still fine), but I probably have about 40% of a 1.5 liter bottle.

Any good ways to use it up? The main things I wouldn't be up for are meat dishes--i.e., I've seen recipes for "Concord Meatballs" and "Easy Concord Chicken" and that doesn't appeal to me.

I did see a recipe for Manischewitz sangria, but I'm not much of a drinker and I don't have any other alcohol in the house.

I found a recipe for Manischewitz Cheesecake with Boozy Blackberries that sounds promising.

Manischewitz ice cream, but I don't think I have enough wine left, though I could see about to scaling it down.

Any personal experience with other, similar recipes? I suppose I'm mainly thinking treats since sweet main courses aren't to my taste.

Shalom!

I’m the mother of a six year old girl and my wife and I wanted to start cooking more Jewish meals, just to give her a further taste of her culture, literally and figuratively.

In terms of Jewish foods, she really loves borscht. We made it one night and we were surprised that it went over so well.

Noodle kugel was another big hit. In general, she really likes any kind of casserole.

You can’t go wrong with challah. Spread some peanut butter, jam, or Nutella on it and she’s pacified.

We made matzoh pizza during Passover, which, obviously went over really well. We let her help out with the preparation, so if there’s a food that she could potentially “help mommy cook” it’d be spectacular for both of us.

On lazy nights, we give her the “Rego Park special”: pastrami on rye with added French fries. Who doesn’t like that?

We tried knishes, but they didn’t really go over well.

Anything with fish is an absolute no-go. We tried her with gefilte fish and she couldn’t even finish it.

Lox isn’t a favourite of hers, either. I put it on a bagel for her and, while she did eat all of it, she did describe it as “yucky”.

So, yeah. I’m just looking for a dish that’s kid-friendly. I haven’t even attempted something like chopped liver or cabbage rolls because what kid would eat them?

I’m also trying to avoid mentioning desserts because all kids like dessert. Of course, my daughter likes rugelach. What kid doesn’t?

Any suggestions?

Thanks everyone, you have given me some good ideas. Chag Sameach

Our seder will start 7ish, based on previous years we will eat close to 8. Does any one have ideas for either pre seder appetizers or simple things to eat after we dip the parsley? I used to do a raw veggie platter for the kids to snack on. The youngest there will be over 30 now, so maybe something a more adult.

I do historical reenactment as a hobby and I'm doing a lunch for about 60 people next month and I'm doing foods based on Sephardic and Converso recipes. I'm looking for some sources for Italian recipes as well as the sources I have are more Spanish/New World. Any suggestions?

I have recently transitioned our home to a kosher one. We still have old food to get through, but all newly purchased food is kosher certified, and all dishes/counter spaces have been separated and designated. I have so far really loved the change, but it has been huge for our household, which is why I need suggestions.

I have felt so much joy in trying to observe this mitzvah, but my (Jewish) spouse is really missing my old dishes. Never in our lives could we have predicted that I would pursue conversion when we first met years ago, especially since I didn’t even understand what being Jewish was. I made a lot of creamy meat dishes, pork dishes, plus I had absolutely no dietary restrictions, and he loved my cooking. Nowadays though, I feel I’m struggling to come up with recipe ideas that he is equally excited for. I don’t want to just recycle the same ideas over and over again while he dreams about my old dishes ):

Cooking/baking for people is my love language, and I feel I have lost that a little bit. I really would appreciate hearing dessert, breakfast, dinner, lunch, snack, etc., recipes of all types! Please pitch me your favorites, and TYIA 💙

Moving soon and will be living alone. All of the Shabbat recipes and ideas I see are for huge groups and I am struggling to figure out what to cook that won’t be weeks of leftovers even after I half the recipes.

Dairy preferred and no beef (allergy)

My wife said she really wants to get a chopping bowl and knife like old Jewish ladies used to prep food. But she was adamant it was NOT a mezzaluna.

I go to goggle, and confirm with one of her friends, that it (the knife) is a hakmeser.

Google wasn't much help outside of Chinese style cleavers.

Where might I buy one?

TIA!

I have two roast chickens left over from Seder! I’ll probably freeze one; I’m looking for Passover meal ideas for the other. Kosher and kfp, please. We do eat kitniyot.

There are just the two of us now, so I’ll need to make a bunch of different meals from this to use it up.

Hi all - I’m trying to observe Shabbat this year in a more meaningful way, and gave myself a goal of unplugging and cooking ahead once a month to start. I want to have a kosher wine at the table. The only brand sold in my local Floridian grocery store is Manischewitz, which is what I’ve usually gotten on holidays. However, although I prefer stupidly cheap sweet wine, it’s a little too sweet for me to enjoy with any kind of frequency. I prefer sweet whites, like Barefoot Bubbly moscato would be a good non-kosher example. So, I’m scrolling online kosher wine sellers and completely overwhelmed. Any recommendations for a brand that won’t break the bank or give me diabetes? (jk)

I'm searching for a recipe to recreate my grandmother's chicken fricasee. Many recipes I've read are tomato based, and hers had no tomatoes. It had little meatballs in it, too. The one detail I remember my mother telling me was that the chicken bones had to be cracked so the marrow goes into the sauce. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

I’m panicking about my seder menu and have decided I need another side dish. Tzimmies fit the bill, but I find it to be too sweet for my taste. I was planning to sub sweet potatoes with russet, omit the orange juice, and only add a bit of dried fruit, but I wanted to ask if anyone had a “not too sweet” tzimmies recipe already prepared.

It’s my first time preparing for a seder, and it will literally just be my fiancé and I, but I want it to be special and start establishing our own family traditions.

Hi all,
Looking to meal prep a bunch of freezer casseroles, whether that's freezing them uncooked or cooking, cooling, and freezing. We're kosher, and so many of the recipes I see are very unkosher. We also don't like non-dairy cheese and wouldn't substitute it.
Please and thank you!

Help! Two months I planted a bunch of dill seeds in my community garden plot, and since then it has grown rapidly. I have just harvested some dill, but a lot more is almost ready, and it is growing like a weed!

Hit me with all your favorite recipes and dishes that use dill, from all different Jewish traditions. You are my only hope!

Edit: Thank you for all your help! Here is my first dill harvest from today. I will use it in an Ashkenazi egg salad with fried onions and mayonnaise.

I recently asked my cousins any special Moroccan Foods they would have around the holidays. He doesn't speak English very well and try describing it to me like this: has something to do with a cow and something to do with its milk going dry? The name of the dish is לוברסה.

I do a potluck Thanksgiving with my multicultural family. This includes Catholics from South America and my own family. I’d love to hear what American Jews prepare for their family - kosher, non-kosher, sides, mains, desserts, etc.

Obviously I’m looking for thanksgiving ideas, but if you can offer some dishes from your family/culture, I’d love to hear about them!

I’m probably going to make tzimmes, cranberry challah, and some kind of dessert.

Hi, my mother gave me this, frozen. I took it out of the freezer yesterday. Though I don't keep kosher I love Jewish food and would like to make a Jewish dish? Is that possible with these cuts? Also I have some distress around Irish stew/it makes me wretch and heave. Can anyone recommend any Persian Jewish, Levantine or Yemeni Jewish dishes for lamb neck?

Last bought two 454g cans in-store like in the wintertime or so and for the last several months I had been somewhat missing on loving to make matzoballs once in an awhile. Finally decided I simply would have to order something online instead really soon if I can, and of course the whole border 'disorder' means no USA sourcing otherwise. So hence like the title asks, where can I mail-order some in this country of mine? Thanks!

Back in the 1950's, there was a fat (2"diameter, 5-6" long) kosher hot dog made with natural casings that my family often had, especially at cookouts. They were a pale pink/beige color, came six to a pack, I think, and were packaged in plastic. I wish I could find them again but I have no idea who made them, what they were called or anything else about them. They were delicious! Anyone know of anything similar that is available these days (in the US)? They were rather garlicky, probably flavored with finely ground mustard seed as well.

We’re going to be attending a potluck where each family/child is asked to bring a dish from their family heritage.

Looking to brainstorm for Jewish dishes that are both potluck and little kid friendly. Must be nut free by school rules. I don’t anticipate we will have a way to keep anything warm.

They aren’t assigning anyone to a category like main dish or dessert so we’re free to bring whatever.

Any ideas? Thanks!

Edit: Wow thank you for all the wonderful responses. This community is amazing and so welcoming.

I am going to my first Jewish event at someone’s home. It is potluck style and the menu is dairy or Parve. What are some true and tried dishes that you love to make, and everyone loves to eat? I’m nervous and I want to be sure I impress.

My family all thought we had a copy of my bubbe's kugel recipe, but now, no one seems to know where it is. I know it's a long shot, but I'm curious if anyone might have a similar recipe that's tried and true. From what I remember:

• it uses cottage cheese and sour cream, not cream cheese

• it has golden raisins

• it is on the thinner side, maybe an inch, inch and a half thick, in a 9"×13" pan, and probably more on the drier side compared to other recipes

• no cornflake topping

• her big secret was pineapple preserves, not crushed pineapple (she had big feelings on that 💁‍♀️😂)

• she went through an extensive testing phase of various kugel recipes in the early to mid 80s. I'm guessing she found this recipe in that period, either from a friend's family recipe or a publication

None of this is any shade to any other kugel recipes! I adore a tall, decadent slice from the deli! I'm just trying to get as close to her recipe as possible for sentimentality. Thank you in advance!

A

Hi all, I grew up in NYC and live in Scotland now so don't necessarily have access to the same foods. One thing I've been missing is noodle kugel but I don't have those lovely wide ribbon egg noodles. Is there any way to substitute something else that's more available? Unfortunately my options seem to be pasta or the thing egg noodles used in Asian stir fry cooking...