Review: From the Jewish Heartland - Ellen Steinberg and Jack Prost.

Today's book I thought would be quite interesting as from my dad's side we have ancestors that were Jewish. I have always also been quite interested in World War II and the Jews ,more so the impact that Anne Frank had on those lives and the pain and grief that the Jewish suffered - it is so scary to think about what they suffered. This book review copy was provided from Netgalley for your entertainment and knowledge.

Review : From the Jewish Heartland : Two centuries of Midwest Foodways - Ellen F. Steinberg and Jack H.Prost - June 2011

Have you seen the film or read the book "Julie and Julia" the movie starred Meryl Streep and Amy Adams and the book and screenplay was written by author Nora Ephron. This is what drew me to reading "From the Jewish Heartland".

From the Jewish Heartland takes us on a journey from the beginning of Jewish History in the Midwest prior to and in the 1900's. From the Jewish Heartland takes us through a culinary journey of your favourite dishes , some like myself you may never have known that they were actually a Jewish meal from Sour Kraut and Rice Pudding.

The book contains history's of the recipes , the recipes themselves - so that you can do a Julie and follow the cookbook and make them yourselves.

With the influx of hundreds of thousands of Jews during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries came new recipes and foodways that transformed the culture of the region. Settling into the cities, towns, and farm communities of Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota, Jewish immigrants incorporated local fruits, vegetables, and other comestibles into traditional recipes. Such incomparable gustatory delights include Tzizel bagels and rye breads coated in midwestern cornmeal, baklava studded with locally grown cranberries, dark pumpernickel bread sprinkled with almonds and crunchy Iowa sunflower seeds, tangy ketchup concocted from wild sour grapes, Sephardic borekas (turnovers) made with sweet cherries from Michigan, rich Chicago cheesecakes, native huckleberry pie from St. Paul, and savory gefilte fish from Minnesota northern pike. Steinberg and Prost also consider the effect of improved preservation and transportation on rural and urban Jewish foodways, as reported in contemporary newspapers, magazines, and published accounts. They give special attention to the impact on these foodways of large-scale immigration, relocation, and Americanization processes during the nineteenth century and the efforts of social and culinary reformers to modify traditional Jewish food preparation and ingredients.