Hanukkah Recipes From Around the World

"Hanukkah Recipes From Around the World" by Naomi Ben-Ami explores the diverse culinary traditions of Hanukkah, tracing how Jewish kitchens globally reflect migration, local ingredients, trade, religious customs, and family heritage. This cookbook documents recipes from Jewish communities spanning North Africa, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Europe, India, Latin America, Israel, and North America. It carefully avoids generalizations, acknowledging that not all fried foods are ancient and that dish histories often overlap rather than belonging exclusively to one group. The author's approach emphasizes a disciplined way of recounting food stories, steering clear of folklore inflation.

Readers will find a collection of tested recipes, including sfenj, bimuelos, keftes, dairy pastries, savory fritters, latkes, sufganiyot, and contemporary adaptations, all provided with US measurements and weights. Headnotes distinguish between archival evidence, established community traditions, and personal family accounts. The book features maps illustrating ingredient journeys without reducing cultural identity to cuisine. Dedicated technique pages offer practical advice on frying temperatures, oil management, ingredient substitutions, allergy considerations, and safe kitchen roles for children. Regional menus are designed to highlight culinary contrasts rather than merging disparate dishes into an undifferentiated international assortment. A source note clarifies the Talmudic origins of oil as a significant culinary theme, distinguishing it from the separate historical narrative of the Maccabean period. Interviews within the book reveal how cooks adapted their culinary practices after migration and what traditions they chose to preserve.