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The German-Jewish Cookbook

Recipes and History of a Cuisine

This cookbook features recipes for German-Jewish cuisine as it existed in Germany prior to World War II, and as refugees later adapted it in the United States and elsewhere. Because these dishes differ from more familiar Jewish food, they will be a discovery for many people. With a focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients, this indispensable collection of recipes includes numerous soups, both chilled and hot; vegetable dishes; meats, poultry, and fish; fruit desserts; cakes; and the German version of challah, Berches. These elegant and mostly easy-to-make recipes range from light summery fare to hearty winter foods. The Gropmans—a mother-daughter author pair—have honored the original recipes Gabrielle learned after arriving as a baby in Washington Heights from Germany in 1939, while updating their format to reflect contemporary standards of recipe writing. Six recipe chapters offer easy-to-follow instructions for weekday meals, Shabbos and holiday meals, sausage and cold cuts, vegetables, coffee and cake, and core recipes basic to the preparation of German-Jewish cuisine. Some of these recipes come from friends and family of the authors; others have been culled from interviews conducted by the authors, prewar German-Jewish cookbooks, nineteenth-century American cookbooks, community cookbooks, memoirs, or historical and archival material. The introduction explains the basics of Jewish diet (kosher law). The historical chapter that follows sets the stage by describing Jewish social customs in Germany and then offering a look at life in the vibrant émigré community of Washington Heights in New York City in the 1940s and 1950s. Vividly illustrated with more than fifty drawings by Megan Piontkowski and photographs by Sonya Gropman that show the cooking process as well as the delicious finished dishes, this cookbook will appeal to readers curious about ethnic cooking and how it has evolved, and to anyone interested in exploring delicious new recipes.

272 pages | 7 x 10 | © 2017

Food and Gastronomy


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Reviews

"The Gropmans allow us to revel in a cuisine that has been unjustly maligned for too long. The German-Jewish Cookbook provides both the cook and the interested reader with much to enjoy both for gustatory pleasure and for the historical and familial context in which these foods reside. . . . This reader is eager to test out many of the recipes and also to seek out the more esoteric ingredients that have for all intents and purposes vanished from the regular retail sources to which we normally turn for our foodstuffs. . . . One of the best things about this cookbook is that you don’t even need to be interested in cooking to find it fascinating. There is so much history and culture woven into the text, that it almost feels like a trip to another country. The recipes in the book are not all kosher but the authors make clear which ones are not and it is easy to adjust them to make them kosher if one desires. The book includes two indexes, a list of resources for foods, a bibliography and a list of acknowledgements. This book is highly recommended."

Association of Jewish Libraries newsletter

Table of Contents

Foreword by Nach Waxman • Prologue • Introduction • THE HISTORY OF JEWS IN GERMANY AND THEIR FOOD • WEEKDAY MEALS • White Bean Soup (Weisse Bohnen Suppe) (P) or (D) • Spring Pea and Asparagus Soup (Frühlingserbsen und Spargel Suppe) (D) or (P) • Celery Root and Leek Soup (Sellerie und Lauch Suppe) (P) or (D) • Vegetable Soup with Pancake Ribbons (Flädle) (D) • Calf’s Liver Soup Dumplings (Kalbsleber Klösse) (M) • Soup Dumplings (Schwammklösse) (P) or (M) • Sour Cherry Soup (Sauerkirschsuppe) (P) or (D) • Chilled Fruit Soup (Kalte Fruchtsuppe) (P) • Salmon in Aspic (Lachs in Aspik) (P) or (M) • Pan-Fried Rainbow Trout (Forelle nach Müllerin Art) (D) or (P) • Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with White Wine Sauce (Kohlrouladen mit Weissweinsauce) (M) • Boiled Beef with Fresh Horseradish (Suppenfleisch mit Frischem Meerrettich) (M) • Beef Tongue in Red Wine Sauce (Zunge in Rotweinsauce) (M) • Sweetbreads in Pastry Shells (Kalbsbries in Blätterteigpasteten) (M) • Chicken Fricassee (Hühner Frikassee) (M) • Braised Goose Giblets (Gänseklein) (M) • Hoppel-Poppel (M) • Spätzle (P) or (D) • German Pancakes (Pfannkuchen) (D) • Baked Apple Pudding with Pears (Apfel Schalet mit Birnen) (D) • Baked Rice Soufflé with Cherries (Reisauflauf) (D) • Raspberry–Red Currant Pudding (Rote Grütze) (P) or (D) • Plum Pudding (Zwetschgenpudding) (P) or (D) • SHABBOS AND HOLIDAY MEALS • Berches (P) • Chicken Soup and Rice (Hühnersuppe mit Reis) (M) • Matzo Balls (Matze Suppenklösschen) (P) or (D) • Greenkern Soup with Duck (Grünkernsuppe mit Ente) (M) • Sweet-Sour Carp in Aspic (Karpfen mit süss-saurer Sauce) (P) • Herring Salad (Heringssalat) (D) • Roast Goose (Gebratene Gans) (M) • Roast Duck (Gebratene Ente) (M) • Veal Roast (Kalbsbraten) (M) • Stuffed Veal Breast (Gefüllte Kalbsbrust) (M) • Breaded Veal Cutlets (Wiener Schnitzel) (M) • Beef Goulash (Gulasch) (M) • Sauerbraten (M) • Matzo Dumplings (Matze Knödel) (M) or (P) • Matzo Schalet (Matzeschalet) (M) or (P) • Noodle Schalet (Nudelschalet) (M) or (P) • Twice-Baked Potato Schalet (Kartoffelschalet) (P) • Almond Macaroons (Makronen) (P) • Coconut Macaroons (Kokosnussmakronen) (P) • Cinnamon Stars (Zimtsterne) (P) • Spiced Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies (Krokerle) (P) • Haman (D) • Knee Doughnuts (Knieküchlein) (D) • Matzo Fritters (Grimsele) (P) • Wine Sauce (Weinsauce) (P) • Dried Fruit Compote (Gemischtes Kompott) (P) • Chestnut Crème (Kastaniencreme) (D) • Wine Cream (Weincreme) (D) • Rice Pudding with Cream and Strawberries (Reis à la Trautmannsdorf) (D) • Meringue Cups with Berries (Meringue Gebäck mit Beeren) (D) • Cheesecake with Mürbeteig (Käsekuchen mit Mürbeteig) (D) • Emperor’s Cake (Kaisertorte) (P) or (D) • Matzo Coffee (Matze Kaffee) (D) • SAUSAGE AND COLD CUTS (WURST UND AUFSCHNITT) • Head Cheese (Sülze) (M) • Lentil Soup with Ringwurst (Linsensuppe mit Ringwurst) (M) • VEGETABLES • Beet and Celery Root Salad with Watercress (Rote Rüben und Sellerie Salat mit Kresse) (P) • Cabbage Slaw (Krautsalat) (P) • Carrots with Parsley (Gelbe Rüben mit Petersilie) (P) or (D) or (M) • Cucumber Salad (Gurkensalat) (P) • Green Bean Salad with Summer Savory (Bohnensalat mit Bohnenkraut) (P) • Mushroom Sauce (Champignonsauce) (P) or (M) • Mustard Pickles (Senfgurken) (P) • Pan-Fried Potatoes with Caraway Seeds (Geröstete Kartoffeln mit Kümmel) (P) or (D) • Potato Dumplings (Kartoffel Klösse) (P) or (D) • Potato Pancakes (Reibekuchen) (P) or (D) • Potato Puffs (Kartoffelpuffer) (P) • Opa’s Potato Salad (Opa’s Kartoffelsalat) (P) or (M) • Potato Soup (Kartoffelsuppe) (P) or (D) or (M) • Radish Salad (Rettichsalat) (P) • Sweet-Sour Red Cabbage (Süss-Saures Rotkraut) (M) or (P) • Kohlrabi in White Sauce (Kohlrabi in weisser Sauce) (P) or (M) or (D) • Savoy Cabbage in White Sauce (Wirsing in weisser Sauce) (P) or (M) or (D) • Spinach in White Sauce (Spinat in weisser Sauce) (D) or (P) or (M) • Vegetables Vinaigrette (Gemischte Gemüse Vinaigrette) (P) • PARTIES AND COFFEE AND CAKE • Liptauer Cheese (Liptauer) (D) • Stuffed Eggs (Gefüllte Eier) (D) • Smoked Salmon Canapés (Rauchlachs Kanapeen) (D) • Chicken Liver Pâté (Hühnerleberpastete) (M) • Meat Salad (Fleischsalat) (M) • White Wine Punch with Strawberries (Erdbeerbowle) (P) • Almond Biscuits (Mandel Stangen) (P) • Almond Pockets (Mandel Maultaschen) (D) • Butter Cookies (Butterplätzchen) (D) • Apple Cake with Yeast Dough (Apfelkuchen) (D) • Gugelhopf (D) • Plum Cake (Pflaumenkuchen) (D) • Orange Cake (Orangentorte) (P) or (D) • Marble Cake (Marmorkuchen) (D) • Chocolate Hazelnut Torte (Schokolade und Haselnuss Torte) (P) • Chocolate Cherry Cake (Schoko-Kirsch-Kuchen) (D) • Hedgehog Cake (Igel) (D) • Ladyfingers (Löffelbiskuits) (P) • CORE RECIPES • Vegetable Broth (Gemüsebrühe) (P) • Beef Broth (Fleischbrühe) (M) • Chicken Broth (Hühnerbrühe) (M) • White Sauce (Weisse Sauce) (P) or (D) or (M) • Raspberry Syrup (Himbeersaft) (P) • Butter Dough (Mürbeteig) (D) • Yeast Dough (Hefeteig) (D) • Duck and Goose Fat (Geflügel Schmalz) (M) • Herb Mayonnaise (Kräutermayonnaise) • Notes on Ingredients • Resources • Bibliography • Acknowledgments • List of Recipes by Dietary Category • Index

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