Episode 37

full
Published on:

19th Mar 2021

#37 Jennifer Abadi, Sephardic & Judeo-Arabic recipe preserver and cookbook author

WE HOPE YOU’RE HUNGRY!

In today’s episode, we explore a RICH & DIVERSE culinary and cultural Jewish heritage as we take a journey through the heart of Jewish Syria, Iraq, Iran, Morocco, India, Turkey, and beyond with JENNIFER ABADI, a Sephardic & Judeo-Arabic recipe preserver & cookbook author. Together, we explore the diversity of the North American Jewish experience, discuss our feelings about the upcoming Pesach holiday, and along the way, discover some mouthwatering recipes that are simply Too Good to Passover.

Jennifer Abadi lives in New York City and is a researcher, developer, and preserver of Sephardic and Judeo-Arabic recipes and food customs. A culinary expert in the Jewish communities of the Middle East, Mediterranean, Central Asia, and North Africa, she teaches cooking at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), the Jewish Community Center Manhattan (JCC), and Context Conversations at Context Travel. In addition to providing Jewish food and culture tours on Manhattan's Lower East Side, Jennifer works as a personal chef in the New York City area and offers private in-person and virtual cooking lessons.

Her cookbook-memoir, “A Fistful of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Recipes from Grandma Fritzie's Kitchen” is a collection of recipes and stories from her family. Her second cookbook, “Too Good To Passover: Sephardic & Judeo-Arabic Seder Menus and Memories from Africa, Asia and Europe” provides an anthropological as well as historical context to the ways in which the Jewish communities of North Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean, and Middle East observe and enjoy this beloved ancient festival.

 

Links:

Jennifer Abadi’s website

Jennifer’s blog, Too Good to Passover where she shares info, insights, and recipes (including some belonging to dishes we discussed on the show)

Jennifer on Instagram

Buy Jennifer’s cookbook memoir, A Fistful of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Recipes from Grandma Fritzie’s Kitchen, an intimate culinary food album featuring more than 125 Syrian-Jewish recipes, warm family anecdotes, and little-known stories of Syrian-Jewish culture.

Buy Jennifer’s groundbreaking cookbook, Too Good to Passover: Sephardic & Judeo-Arabic Seder Menus and Memories from Africa, Asia and Europe. Too Good to Passover is the first Passover cookbook specializing in traditional Sephardic, Judeo-Arabic, and Central Asian recipes and customs (covering both pre-and post-Passover rituals) appealing to Sephardi, Mizrachi, and Ashkenazi individuals who are interested in incorporating something traditional yet new into their seders.

The New York Women’s Culinary Alliance website

  

As always, make sure to subscribe to Jewanced on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

For more information, visit us at http://www.jewanced.com

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for Jewanced

About the Podcast

Jewanced
A nuanced exploration of Israel, the Jewish world and beyond
Jewanced is hosted by Dan Feferman and Benny Scholder, two guys who grew up in America and live in Israel.
They're curious. They want to discuss. They want to challenge popular conceptions, they want to think critically, examine independently, and most of all, they crave nuance.

Each episode features a different guest. All interesting and original people who strive to break boundaries. Together with Dan and Benny, take a deep dive into politics, foreign affairs, religion, science, technology, food, the arts, business – you name it. Explore the nuanced crossroads of Israel, the global Jewish experience, and beyond.

What's the goal? To create a daring platform where people share their stories, insights, creations, and visions. Jewanced has no talking points, no script, no agenda...just a deeper nuanced understanding of our existence.

Join them on a journey as they explore, think, debate and discuss …. And most of all, listen.

About your hosts

Benny Scholder

Profile picture for Benny Scholder
With over a decade of experience in Israel's tourism industry, Benny has managed sales, marketing, travel content, digital content, and the operations aspects of tour companies and travel agencies. Today, he is the Director of Sales-North America at Kenes Tours, Israel's leading provider of incoming tourism services, where he is proud to deliver transformative, custom-crafted Israel travel experiences designed to exceed expectations.
Originally from Minneapolis, Benny fell in love with Israel as a young adult, moving to the country in 2004. He has an extensive background in everything Israel-travel related, having completed Israel's intensive tour guide course in 2010. His career spans both logistical, content-related, and sales management positions with major and boutique Israeli tour companies alike. Benny lives with his amazing wife Maayan and two incredible children in the charming village of Gedera. In addition to his passion for transformative travel experiences, he's super passionate about food, modern & ancient history, politics, addictive TV, and game-changing podcasts. Contact him at Benny@jewanced.com

Dan Feferman

Profile picture for Dan Feferman
Dan Feferman is a Major (res.) in the Israel Defense Forces. For almost a decade, he served as a foreign policy and national security analyst, strategist and adviser in the IDF General Staff; as a special assistant to the Deputy Chief of the General Staff; and a commander in an elite intelligence unit of AMAN's Research and Analysis Division.

He is a fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, a think-tank focusing on issues of importance to Israel and the Jewish people, where he researches religious pluralism in Israel, trends in Jewish identity and Israel-Diaspora relations. He is also a political and strategic consultant and publishes and speaks widely on the Middle East and Israeli defense and political matters.

He is the author of Rising Streams: Reform and Conservative Judaism in Israel, and of a soon-to-be-published book on the changing face of American Judaism.

Dan holds a BA in International Politics and Middle East Studies from the American University in Washington DC and an MA in National Security Studies from Tel Aviv University.

Originally from Indiana, Dan moved to Israel in 2005. He is married to Elisheva, has three amazing kids, and lives in Rehovot. When taking a break, Dan stays busy with Crossfit, martial arts and cooking.