Because you can't have depths without surfaces.
Linda Grant, thinking about clothes, books and other matters.
Pure Collection Ltd.
Net-a-porter UK

Monday 22 September 2008

Canonical Jewish books


The ultimate guide to the books that every Jew needs to own. My choice

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I heartily agree with the choice of Claudia Roden's masterwork, "The Book of Jewish Food". It is quite simply a great work of social history, and to a large extent, history from the distaff, or kitchen side of families and communities.

Her own personal uprooting from a sunny childhood in the Jewish community of Cairo to cold, damp London, with little in the way of Mediterranean foods or fresh vegetables, and a mostly Ashkenazi Jewish community (despite the glorious memory of Disraeli and Montefiore), adds a personal touch to the stories of exile and reinvention of life and community.

Anonymous said...

I have to get this. My collection unfortunately consists of several Hadassah local group cookbooks which are great on the recipe side, but definitely lacking from the perspective of actually spending time reading them.

Linda Grant said...

You don't need to cook a thing. It's just reading it that's so amazing.

Anonymous said...

just reading it makes you fell you're a proper Jewish mother! And try the orange cake this rosh hashanah - redemption on a plate

Wendy said...

Claudia Roden's book of Jewish food is not just for Jews but for everyone interested in culinary culture. I consider it the best cookbook in my collection of hundreds, the kind of book I wish I'd written. And the Sephardic dishes are invariably superb. It should be on every cook's shelf.

Anonymous said...

A more general list for women, which refers to Esquire's list.

Must be the season for making lists.

http://jezebel.com/5053732/75-books-every-woman-should-read-the-complete-list