If the name of this dish sounds a bit curious, it’s because it is no ordinary one. In fact, it may be the oldest written Jewish recipe in the world! Ph.D. candidate Hélène Jawhara Piñer of the European Institute for the History and Cultures of Food in Tours, France, found it in the course of her studies of Arab cuisine in 13th to 15th century Andalusian Spain. Piñer, whose father’s family descends from 14th century Spain, is seeking to trace the ways in which Arab Muslims, Catholics, and Jews once shared recipes and cooking techniques. She can see an evolution as the centuries and recipes changed to hide their Jewish origin (for example, substituting lard for olive oil). By the time her rese
The Western Sephardic melodies for Tisha b’Ab, including the book of Ekhah (Lamentations) and the Kinnot (elegies), are unique, haunting, and beautiful. One of the most poignant Kinnot is Bore Ad Ana, which personifies the Jewish people as a wandering dove, searching for her father and crying out for his love and protection. Recordings of the New York, London, and Bordeaux versions of the song can be heard in the links below, and you will see their subtle differences: New York: http://www.shearithisrael.org/content/bore-ad-ana London: https://sites.google.com/site/londonsephardimusic/fast-of-ab/bore-ad-ana Bordeaux: http://old.piyut.org.il/tradition/988.html?currPerformance=1289 Congrega