ICJudaism: A Teacher’s Guide to Judaism
Hosted by ICTeachers Formerly: Mike’s Rough Guide to Judaism
Disclaimer:
The contents of these pages represent the author’s personal views, experience and
understanding.
There are bound to be some things here that some Jews would disagree
with.
Jewish Food 3
Foods for Other Occasions
Shabbat: Shabbat is the most important Jewish "festival" and happens weekly. One way to celebrate Shabbat is to eat the best meals of the week. We have two loaves on the table instead of one and the loaves are challah, made with a rich dough (with added egg and a little sugar), rather than ordinary bread.
A typical Friday night meal in an Ashkenazi family home might consist of chicken
soup with lokshen (vermicelli), fish -
The main course is often roast chicken with roast potatoes and vegetables; the sweet might be apple strudel or some other rich dessert, served without cream or custard since it is not kosher to eat anything dairy straight after eating meat.
The meal will finish with a cup of lemon tea (no milk) and the saying of Grace after Meals followed by the singing of appropriate songs.
Funerals: After a funeral it is customary to gather at the home of the bereaved to comfort them. Bereaved people are not expected to look after themselves for the first week. Friends and relatives prepare food for them and for their visitors, of whom there are usually lots during that first week, which is the initial period of intense mourning, known as sitting shivah. When they return from the funeral, mourners are given a snack consisting of round foods, often bagels and eggs. The round shape symbolises the cycle of life and eggs symbolise new life.
High Tea: Not an especially Jewish event but when Jews want to make a spread for visitors you are likely to find strongly flavoured foods like pickled or marinated herring, olives, chopped egg and onion, chopped liver (always chicken liver), which is the Jewish equivalent of paté and, of course, smoked salmon (on its own or with cream cheese). Most of these will be served on bridge rolls or, even better, bagels. There will almost certainly be cake, too!
