Kosher USA follows the fascinating journey of kosher food through the modern industrial food system. It recounts how iconic products such as Coca-Cola and Jell-O tried to become kosher; the contentious debates among rabbis over the incorporation of modern science into Jewish law; how Manischewitz wine became the first kosher product to win over non-Jewish consumers (principally African Americans); the techniques used by Orthodox rabbinical organizations to embed kosher requirements into food manufacturing; and the difficulties encountered by kosher meat and other kosher foods that fell outside the American culinary consensus. Kosher USA is filled with big personalities, rare archival finds, and surprising influences: the Atlanta rabbi Tobias Geffen, who made Coke kosher; the lay chemist and kosher-certification pioneer Abraham Goldstein; the kosher-meat magnate Harry Kassel; and the animal-rights advocate Temple Grandin, a strong supporter of shechita, or Jewish slaughtering practice. By exploring the complex encounter between ancient religious principles and modern industrial methods, Kosher USA adds a significant chapter to the story of Judaism's interaction with non-Jewish cultures and the history of modern Jewish American life as well as American foodways.

Traces three centuries of Jewish-American culinary history, with more than three hundred kosher recipes, a historical overview, and an explanation of dietary laws.

Stretching between turn-of-the-century Paris and contemporary Canada, Mme Proust and the Kosher Kitchen is the story of three women whose lives intersect across time to reveal the intrinsic bonds of our collective and personal histories. It is a rich and compassionate debut, a novel that encourages us to explore the depths of love and memory, of life and of art. Unable to escape the pain of her unrequited love for Max Segal, Marie Prévost travels to Paris in order to study the writing of her other great amour: the novelist Marcel Proust. Marie is bilingual and works as a simultaneous translator in Montreal, and believes that reading Proust’s original papers will give her insights into love and loss that just may mend her broken heart. But when Marie arrives in Paris, Marcel remains as elusive as Max: the strict officials at the Bibliotèque Nationale only allow her access to the peripheral papers of File 263--a much ignored and poorly catalogued collection of the diaries kept by Jeanne Proust, Marcel’s mother. Despite the head librarian’s opinion that they contain only the “natterings of a housewife,” Marie begins to translate them, and discovers that Jean Proust’s diary is as illuminating for what is not said as what is there. Mme Proust and the Kosher Kitchen is Kate Taylor’s first novel, and has been highly praised by reviewers. Most comment on Taylor’s wonderful ability to weave together three distinct stories in such a way that the larger truths emerge from among their combined details, and on the subtle way she is able to meld history and fiction. As one literary critic has stated, “Mme Proust and the Kosher Kitchen marks the stunning emergence of a writer from whom we can expect much in the future.”

House on Diamond Hill: A Cherokee Plantation Story

A collection of over 100 quick & easy, tasty, and healthy Kosher recipes from around the world that will please everyone at your table. Kosher cooking has been redefined for the modern family. The New Kosher by author and cooking teacher Kim Kushner is filled with healthy recipes, exquisite flavors, and a fresh sensibility for the modern lifestyle. Emphasizing fast, easy, and delicious dishes for everyday meals and special occasions, this is your comprehensive guide to kosher cooking. Looking for a modern twist on a traditional dish? Try Kim’s sticky date and caramel challah bread pudding, homemade challah with za’atar everything topping, 5-minute sundried tomato hummus or Mediterranean-inspired lentil, carrot and lemon soup. Trying to find a new family favorite? Whip up some coconut-banana muffins with dark chocolate, penne with lemon zest, pine nuts and Parmesan “pesto,” easy dill chicken and stew or a crispy rice cake with saffron crust. Need a dessert everyone will love? You can’t go wrong with recipes like deconstructed s’mores, crunchy-chewy-nutty “health” cookies, miniature peanut butter cups and dark chocolate bark with rose petals, pistachios and walnuts. Warmly written with personal narratives and detailed nuance, Kim’s recipes reflect her experience as a generous instructor who loves to teach and a mom who cooks tasty and nourishing fare for a big family. “An inventive gourmet approach to kosher cooking, spiced up with Middle Eastern and North African influences.”—USA Today

Kosher? That means the rabbi blessed it, right? Not exactly. In this captivating account of a Bible-based practice that has grown into a multibillions-dollar industry, journalist Sue Fishkoff travels throughout America and to Shanghai, China, to find out who eats kosher food, who produces it, who is responsible for its certification, and how this fascinating world continues to evolve. She explains why 86 percent of the 11.2 million Americans who regularly buy kosher food are not observant Jews—they are Muslims, Seventh-day Adventists, vegetarians, people with food allergies, and consumers who pay top dollar for food they believe “answers to a higher authority.” Fishkoff interviews food manufacturers, rabbinic supervisors, and ritual slaughterers; meets with eco-kosher adherents who go beyond traditional requirements to produce organic chicken and pasture-raised beef; sips boutique kosher wine in Napa Valley; talks to shoppers at an upscale kosher supermarket in Brooklyn; and marches with unemployed workers at the nation’s largest kosher meatpacking plant. She talks to Reform Jews who are rediscovering the spiritual benefits of kashrut, and to Conservative and Orthodox Jews who are demanding that kosher food production adhere to ethical and environmental values. And she chronicles the corruption, price-fixing, and strong arm tactics of early-twentieth-century kosher meat production, against which contemporary kashrut standards pale by comparison. A revelatory look at the current state of kosher in America, this book will appeal to anyone interested in food, religion, Jewish identity, or big business.

An essential work for every Jewish home! Proclaimed as the 'Encyclopedia of Kosher Foods, Facts, and Fallacies,' this handy volume will fill you in on everything you need to know about the kosher food industry. Includes a list of reliable hashgachos (kashrus symbols), background on how kashrus organizations operate, lists of kosher fish, and little-known facts that will open your eyes to things you never knew before. Also features a section on Passover products. A completely revised and updated edition.