Sephardic recipes
Jewish recipes are often categorised as either having Ashkenazic or Sephardic roots, and almost all Jewish people will identify more with a particular one.
Ashkenazic dishes originate from colder climates such as Poland, Germany and Russia, so dishes from that part of the world reflect a chill in the air. Many of these comforting recipes warm the body (and soul!) during harsh winters. Common dishes are hearty stews mixed with meat and potatoes, or hot soups with chicken, noodles and dumplings.
Sephardic cookery, on the other hand, has a more Mediterranean feel to it. These dishes originated from warmer climates (such as Spain and Morocco), and include meat and fish cooked slowly with specialities of the region (like preserved lemons and olives) or rich tomato sauces flavoured with aromatic spices like cumin, cinnamon and plenty more!
We have a variety of recipes from both backgrounds for you to choose from, so you can either create a familiar favourite, sample something new or even mix things up and combine the two backgrounds together when cooking your next Friday night feast. To make your menu planning a little bit easier, here's our selection of Sephardic taste sensations. And if you and your family are hungry for even more Sephardic recipes, visit Flavours of Babylon: A Family Cookbook by Linda Dangoor for some additional ideas and details about this rich culinary tradition.
Starters:
Mains:
Chicken stew with mixed dried fruit*
Spicy rice with lamb (Sephardic T'beet)*
Side dishes:
Chickpea and grilled aubergine salad
Fasolia (Sephardic green beans)
Desserts:
Almond milk pudding (Mahallabi)*
Basbousa (Sephardic semolina cake)
* These recipes come from Flavours of Babylon: A Family Cookbook by Linda Dangoor.
