Jewish food in Italy: GIVE IT A TRY!

Have you ever tried Jewish food? Have you ever heard about the kosher cuisine? If not, this article is perfect for you! You will be surprised to discover the food richness of this culture.

“Jewish ghettos” are spread all over the world, even in Italy, where they are integral part of the Italian culture, as for example in Rome and in Venice, just to cite the most famous ones. So, even if you are in Italy, you have the chance to experience another culture, savouring the kosher cuisine!

What does the word kosher mean?

The word kosher, meaning “clean” or “pure,” refers to food that has been ritually prepared or blessed, so it can be eaten by religious Jews.

Kosher food is divided in 3 main categories:

• Dairy: for food such as cheese, milk, yogurt etc.

• Meat: including all kosher animals and fowl slaughtered in the prescribed manner, and their derivative products.

• Pareve: this describes food that is neither dairy nor meat, such as eggs and fish, tofu, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables.

For observant Jews there are also a lot of norms that must be observed: dairy and meat must never be combined, and meat has to undergo a specific slaughtering process in order to eliminate all traces of blood, so they will only eat meat and poultry that’s certified kosher. Certain foods are forbidden altogether, such as pork and shellfish. Each Jewish community has its own traditional specialties, depending on the country they’re installed in, so Jewish communities in Portugal will have different variations of dishes from those in Italy or France or Netherlands.

Jewish influences in Italian food Due to the presence of ghettos in Italy, the Jewish cuisine has influenced the Italian one. Some of the dishes that you can taste are:

• Concia (a special Roman-Jewish tradition)

• Jewish salted Codfish

• Supplì

• Hebrew-Style Amatriciana

• Jewish Pizza

• Hebrew-Style Artichoke

Typical Jewish Specialties

Jewish cuisine is also famous for its dedicated dishes for each holiday. They have, in fact, a specific culinary tradition for each of them that must be respected: during Shabbat observant Jewish can’t cook for example, so they have to prepare everything in the previous days; for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) symbolic foods are eaten (to bring prosperity and good luck for the new year); in the days prior to Yom Kippur (a fasting day), dishes that are slowly to digest and prevent thirst are eaten and so on.

And here are some suggestions about Jewish most common specialties that you can try:

• Matzoh ball soup

• Challah

• Borekas

• Kugel

• Shakshuaka

• Potato latkes

• Sufganiyot

• Bazargan

• Rugelach

• Brisket

Let us know if you visit one of this Jewish Ghettos in Italy and don’t forget to send us your photos, so we could repost them and share your experience with all our community!