1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (115 page)

Along with pickled cucumbers (see
listing
), green tomatoes, and sauerkraut (see
listing
), the peppers are staples throughout eastern Europe, where long winters have historically meant few fresh vegetables. The tradition was carried on in the New World by eastern European peddlers in neighborhoods like the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where the pickled vegetables were produced in neighborhood tenements and sold from pushcarts. A lot has changed on New York’s Lower East Side since the pushcart pickle days, but a few streetside purveyors still hold their ground—and a renaissance in pickling among so-called “artisanal” sorts has created a renewed appreciation for briny vegetables of all kinds.

Where:
In New York
, Sammy’s Roumanian Steakhouse, tel 212-673-0330,
sammysromanian.com
;
in Los Angeles
, Langer’s Delicatessen, tel 213-483-8050,
langersdeli.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Arthur Schwartz’s Jewish Home Cooking
by Arthur Schwartz (2008);
From My Mother’s Kitchen
by Mimi Sheraton (1979).

A barrel-pickled delicacy.

Of all the ways Jews and eastern Europeans like their herring—raw, smoked, fried, baked, or in salads—the pickled version may reach supreme heights. Subtly spiced by a pickling mix that includes bay leaves, peppercorns, coriander,
mustard seed, and dried red chile peppers, this lightly vinegared, onion-crunched fish is a coolly satisfying treat, especially served with dark pumpernickel or sour rye bread.

Almost always part of the post Yom Kippur fast—a light, dairy-related meal—pickled herring is also considered a good omen for Rosh Hashanah. (As it is in many cultures, herring is a lucky harbinger for the new year.)

Although some swear by the so-called schmaltz or fatty herring as the starting point for pickling, the leaner, firmer salt herring are far more receptive to the flavors and aromas of a curing brine. In any case, the fish should be gutted and soaked whole for twenty-four hours in running cold water—or, if a constant trickle of water is not possible, in frequent changes of cold water—as a first step. After soaking, it should be cut into 1-to 2-inch slices, with skin and bones intact to keep the meat firm and juicy. Fillets may be easier to eat, but they offer blander rewards.

It’s a good idea to beat the
miltz
, or spleen, of the fish into the sauce for a tantalizing, sea-bright creaminess that remains pareve, or dietarily neutral. Sour cream should be beaten in just before serving, or not at all—adding sour cream to a whole batch of pickled herring is a mistake on two counts: Sturdy leftovers may become sour, and for those observing kashruth, cream renders the herring inedible before a meat meal.

Where:
In New York
, Freds at Barneys, tel 212-833-2202,
barneys.com
; Barney Greengrass, tel 212-724-4707,
barneygreengrass.com
;
in Houston
, Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen, tel 713-871-8883,
kennyandziggys.com
;
in Los Angeles
, Langer’s Deli, tel 213-483-8050,
langersdeli.com
; Art’s Delicatessen, tel 818-762-1221,
artsdeli.com
; Canters Deli, tel 323-651-2030,
cantersdeli.com
;
in Los Angeles and Miami
, Jerry’s Famous Deli at multiple locations,
jerrysfamousdeli.com
.
Retail and mail order:
In New York
, Zabar’s, tel 800-697-6301,
zabars.com
; Russ & Daughters, tel 212-475-4880,
russanddaughters.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The Book of Jewish Food
by Claudia Roden (1996);
The New York Times Jewish Cookbook
edited by Linda Amster (2003);
The Artisan Jewish Deli at Home
by Nick Zukin and Michael Zusman (2013);
epicurious.com
(search pickling your own herring).

In an obscurely marked shop on a corner of Via del Portico d’Ottavia, the main stem of Rome’s old Jewish ghetto, in a building replete with the exquisitely aged, faded apricot-colored walls so typical of that city, lies Pasticceria “Boccione” Limentani—home of the delectably chewy yet requisitely crisp and firm sweet bread that is somewhat misleadingly known as
pizza ebraica
, or Hebrew pizza.

Also known as pizza Romana, the pizza is actually a complex coffee cake with jewel-like studs of raisins, almonds, pignoli nuts, and candied fruits. A specialty of the Limentani family for about two hundred years, Hebrew pizza is believed to have been brought to Italy by Jews who were expelled from Spain; before working their way to northern Italy, they spent some time in Moroccan-influenced Sicily, and anyone familiar with the richly sticky confections much loved by Arabs will perceive a melding of influences herein.

With its gentle whiffs of cinnamon and sweet wine, pizza ebraica is particularly good with a glass of red wine, or the strong, astringent Italian brandy that is grappa. It is almost as satisfying when eaten with a cup of coffee or tea.

Now run by Graziella Limentani with her three granddaughters, the bakery, also known as Il Forno del Ghetto (the oven of the Ghetto), draws a loyal clientele for other delectables as well. There’s the
torta de ricotta e visciole
, a creamy, gentle cheesecake whose sweetness is accented by chunks of winey sour cherries. Another house favorite is the
mezzaluna
, a half-moon-shaped, almond-paste biscuit made only for Yom Kippur, the autumn High Holiday of atonement. Unique to this last of the Jewish ghetto bakeries is
pasticcioli dura
, a very firm, weighty bread rich with honey and crunchy with toasted almonds. It, too, is the right foil for a cup of coffee or a glass of red wine or grappa.

All baking at this
pasticceria
is strictly kosher, and the Limentani family is Sabbath observant (shomer shabbat)—meaning the shop is closed from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning and on all Jewish holidays.

Where:
In Rome
, Pasticceria “Boccione” Limentani (Il Forno del Ghetto Boccione), tel 39/6-687-8637.
Further information and recipes:
Cucina Ebraica
by Joyce Goldstein (1998);
The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews II
by Edda Servi Machlin (1992);
saveur.com
(search pizza boccione).

There’s no such thing as a lukewarm reaction to the sticky, meaty, and garlic-scented aspic known as
p’tcha
, or
petchah.
Usually served cold and gelled, the kosher riff on an eastern European pig’s-foot favorite is also sometimes served hot—at which point its heady fragrance of garlic and bones may send p’tcha haters right out of the room. But to its fans, this true Jewish soul food is a deeply satisfying, homey treat. When old-timey kosher butchers abounded, p’tcha could readily be purchased, but today it is nearly impossible to find outside of dedicated and time-honored Jewish enclaves.

A very old-fashioned staple of the Ashkenazic Jewish table, thought to have come to eastern Europe by way of the Ottoman Empire (incidentally, both the Turks and the Greeks have similar dishes made with lamb’s feet), p’tcha is humble stuff, made from the cheapest cut of meat: a cleaned and split calf’s foot boiled in water for hours, with lots of salt and pepper, until the meat falls from the bone. As it cooks, it emits a
pungent aroma, awful to some and merely authentic to others.

In its most elegant and classic preparation, the foot is removed from the liquid and the meltingly tender meat is picked clean from the bones, then chopped and returned to the liquid along with lots of fresh, thinly sliced garlic. Only then is the entire concoction allowed to congeal overnight, so that the meat sets in its own aspic. Sometimes cut into squares like a kind of pâté, the aspic may be garnished with chopped hard-cooked egg and served with mustard. The delicate flavor of the meat and aspic hints at none of the acrid aroma let off during cooking, and the garlic and pepper add pungent interest.

Another version calls for larger pieces of meat on the bone, serving them hot in a garlicky paprika sauce. Any leftovers are then prepared according to the usual method and served again the next day, cold and complete with their congealed gel.

Where:
In New York
, Sammy’s Roumanian Steakhouse, tel 212-673-0330,
sammysromanian.com
;
in Los Angeles
, Simon’s La Glatt, tel 323-658-7730.
Further information and recipes:
From My Mother’s Kitchen
by Mimi Sheraton (1979);
Jewish Cooking in America
by Joan Nathan (1994);
Encyclopedia of Jewish Food
by Gil Marks (2010);
food.com
(search petchah).
Tip:
P’tcha has its own community fan page on Facebook, so you can “like” it even if you actually don’t.

Also known as skirt steak, the lusciously juicy tenderloin cut is popular in many of the world’s cuisines, as likely to be found on a well-dressed French plate as on a Mexican fajita platter. Because it comes from the steer’s forequarters and is thus considered kosher (meat from the hindquarters is not), the flavorful and relatively economical cut has also become a staple of Jewish cuisine.

Basically a belt of meat cut from around the animal’s middle, tenderloin is narrow and flat, and is only really good served rare—longer cooking renders it tough and dry. Especially associated with Jews of Romanian origin, the cut is popular throughout that country, where the grilling of meat is a special talent. The iconic mantle of mashed, lightly browned garlic that accompanies Romanian-style tenderloin in kosher-style steak restaurants may shock faint palates, but the garlic’s mellow heat mingles delectably with the bloody, salt-accented juices of the meat. An accompaniment of cottage-fried potato slices or crisp French fries completes the meal, with perhaps a pickled green tomato or two adding a cool but pungent accent.

Where:
In New York
, Sammy’s Roumanian Steakhouse, tel 212-673-0330,
sammysromanian.com
;
in Houston
, Kenny & Ziggy’s, tel 713-871-8883,
kennyandziggys.com
;
in Los Angeles
, Langer’s Delicatessen, tel 213-483-8050,
langersdeli.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Ten: All the Foods We Love and Ten Perfect Recipes for Each
by Sheila Lukins (2008);
The Mile End Cookbook
by Noah Bernamoff and Rae Bernamoff (2012);
From My Mother’s Kitchen
by Mimi Sheraton (1979);
food.com
(search romanian skirt steak).
See also:
Hanger Steak, Flank Steak, and Skirt Steak
.

Though often dubbed “poor man’s sturgeon,” satiny smoke-and salt-cured sablefish is considered far superior by many connoisseurs of the genre. The sablefish (
Anoplopoma fimbria
) is a long, slender swimmer, with black skin and the silky, oily, and firm pearly-white flesh to which it owes its success. A particularly moist and meaty fish, it can be handled and cooked in myriad ways. But the fish is put to best use when cured in salt and sugar and then smoked over hardwood, with a finishing sprinkle of paprika for a burnished red glow.

Along with smoked salmon and pickled lox and sturgeon, sable is present at almost every function at which Jewish people gather to eat—it is a staple at bar mitzvahs, Yom Kippur fast-breaking, shiva buffets, and Jewish delis alike. It has been sold in New York City since the early twentieth century, but it’s also treated as a delicacy in Japan, where it is cured in miso, sake, or green tea.

When buying sable, ask for a taste before choosing. Although sablefish is sometimes referred to as black cod, which it strongly resembles, they are not the same thing. Sable should be firm-fleshed yet silky, flaky but not falling apart, and sweet-salty but not over-poweringly so. It is an obvious choice as a substitute for smoked salmon on a bagel with cream cheese, but becomes far more elegant when served in slices, sprinkled with freshly ground pepper, with a wedge of lemon and a buttered slice of thin Westphalian-style pumpernickel.

Dine-in, retail, and mail order:
In New York
, Russ & Daughters, tel 212-475-4880,
russanddaughters.com
; Zabar’s, tel 800-697-6301,
zabars.com
; Murray’s Sturgeon Shop, tel 212-724-2650,
murrayssturgeon.com
; Barney Greengrass, tel 212-724-4707,
barneygreengrass.com
;
in Toronto
, Mendel’s Creamery N’ Appetizer, tel 416-597-1784,
kensingtonmarket.to/mendels-creamery-n-appetizer
.