Eat Jewish Cookbook Review – Tantalizingly Easy-to-Read Delish Recipes, Interesting, Complete

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Category: Haute This Issue

Published on Friday, 16 January 2026 11:04

Written by Janet Walker

Eat Jewish: Over 100 Recipes That Blend Jewish Heritage, Modern Flavors and Family Traditions, from Quarto Publishing, presents a collection of deliciously appealing recipes, passed down from generation to generation, compiled in one easy-to-follow complete volume.

Author Melinda Strauss begins her ode to Jewish cooking by providing a small compact history of the Jewish People, and "What is Kosher?" Within these two pages, the laws and rules laid out in traditional Jewish-law are condensed into simple, easy to understand tenants. Her introduction into Jewish cooking continues with a brief explanation of "How to Cook with This Book."

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Throughout the 225 pages, Strauss not only introduces the home-chef to delicious time-honored recipes, but also provides, for those interested, the Hebrew names, pronunciations, and other interesting notes, historical tidbits, and an overview of the Jewish calendar, specific holidays, their significance and meaning.

Once we begin to delve into the cookbook, the table of content is comprised in the customary manner, "Breads," "Condiments & Seasonings," "Dips & Salads," "Soups," "Fish," "Meat," "Poultry," "Side Dishes," "Kugels & Casseroles," "Dairy," "Dessert," "Cookies & Treats," and "Holiday Recipes."

What Strauss has complied are tantalizing home recipes, including delicious and indulgent carb-filled loaves of several varieties of sweet Challah breads, each a decadent extravagance and luxurious experience.

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Throughout she also explains elements of the Jewish traditions, that are significant and important on each of the holidays. "Cinnonmon raisin Challah Crown," is an example, she explains, "On Rosh Hasanah, the Jewish New Year, it's traditional to eat sweet foods like apples dipped in honey or date syrup (silan) to symbolize a sweet new year. [. . .] Another tradition I love is eating round foods, which represent a crown or the cyclical nature of the years – one ending and a new one beginning." She also provide a full page diagram on latticing the dough strips into crown shapes to bake.

As we peruse the Contents, each of the chapters contains many mouthwatering, tantalizing recipes such as in "Soups," she not only provides recipes for the traditional Matzah Ball, Chicken Soup, and Passover Egg Noodles, but also, Slow Cooker Oxtail Soup. In the note section, for this recipe she includes a tribute to Irving Naxon, who the inventor of the Slow Cooker, who created the pot style crock "inspired by the Jewish tradition of preparing cholent before Shabbos on Friday evening to cook in the residual heat from the bakery ovens for Shabbos lunch on Saturday.

In "Meats," she provides recipes for Dry-Rub Brisket, Steak Tidbits, and Hasselback Keilbasa, and she also includes Pomegranate-Braised Pot roast, which sounds delicious and appears delightfully yummy. Also interesting is the note section, which she explains the importance of the Pomegranate in Jewish tradition. "Pomegranates are said to contain 613 seeds, symbolizing the 613 commandments in the Torah. These seeds represent the many good deeds we hope to accomplish in the coming year."

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When Strauss presents the Poultry section, she includes several unique and seductive chicken recipes, and for those who believe Chicken is a gift from the gods, her choices Poultry Apple Cider Roasted Chicken, Tamarind barbecue Chicken Wings and Cornflake-Crumb Chicken Bake will entice any poultry lover to immediately delve into the pages. Cornflake-Crumb Chicken Bake, which is simply coating the chicken in cornflake crumbs, also has an interesting story, as the author explains she cooks this same dish for her family on a one-sheet baking tray and includes Pearl Couscous, which was invented in Israel and originally called Ptitim. "In 1953, during a period of austerity, when rice was scarce, due to food shortages, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion asked the Osem company to create an affordable rice-like substitute to help feed the population."

With two sections dedicated to sweet, "Desserts," and Strauss includes recipes such as Red Velvet Cake, "Grandma Shelly's Chocolate Walnut Banana Cake, and Strawberry Galette. In "Cookies & Treats," she includes Lemon Cookies (Ima's Cookies), Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie Sticks, and Pistachio Meringues.

Eat Jewish, also includes a specific section on Holiday Recipes (page 220) and includes Classic Potato Latkes, Brussel Sprout and Beef Bacon Latkes, Passover Bagels, Cold Brew Cheesecake, S'mores Coconut Macaroons, and others sure to please

Eat Jewish: Over 100 Recipes That Blend Jewish Heritage, Modern Flavors and Family Traditions, is a must have for every home cookbook collection. With easy-to-follow recipes, large pictures, and simple instructions, Strauss brings the art of Jewish cooking into every home, and more importantly, provides many appetizing recipes that will delight every family .

Available online, and at fine bookstores everywhere.

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Title: Eat Jewish: Over 100 Recipes That Blend Jewish Heritage, Modern Flavors and Family Traditions.

Author: Melinda Strauss.

Language: English.

Release Date: September 2025.

Publisher: Rock Point a division of The Quarto Publishing Group.

Cover Design: Tara Long.

Photography: Sheneur Menaker

Images: Used with Permission.

Length: 255 pages.

ISBN: 978-1-57715-473-0.

MSRP: $30.00 (U.S.), £22.00 (UK), $40.00 (CAN.).

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five award-winning screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," a non-fiction narrative, "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," and "Songs of Freedom: A Collection of Biblical Teachings," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Authors Guild, the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.