Amy Rosen - Kosher Style

The author on the eve of her eldest brothers bar mitzvah.

ur bubbes and boobies, saftas and nanas are the matriarchs of the kitchen and thus the rulers of the roost in Jewish homes. They are culinary giants in quilted polyester muumuus and silk slippers who know how to make the Semitic linchpins we grew up onthe kugel, the gefilte fish and the crispy-skinned roasted chicken. Sad to say, they wont be around forever, and that will be a loss indeed. But it will be an even bigger loss if the recipes we grew up on pass away with them, along with those special connections to our past.

Over a recent bowl of excellent matzo ball soup, I got to thinking: this generation is in real danger of losing the Friday-night dinner memories and a giant piece of our collective heritage. The dishes for celebrations and the ones for every day (though in Jewish homes, food is always a celebration). So I put down my soup spoon and picked up my pen. I was going to save Judaism! Well, maybe save is a little strong, but I decided the time had come for me to write the cookbook Ive wanted to write for a decade. I have a sense of pride in my Judaismwhat we eat is who we are. Obviously Im not the only one who feels this way, as most people love the food of their people. But a lot of those people also happen to love the food of my people.

Sure, the food may not always look so hotit was created to sustain, not to entertainbut it tastes like gold and oozes warmth. Through centuries of persecution, its one of the things that has lasted, that has bound Jews together, our plates piled high with fresh blueberry blintzes. It still does.

From my Bubi Fran and Boobie Ronnie, to my mom and other cherished family and friends, everyone has their specialties. Ive been eating and loving their dishes (and now missing some of them) my whole life, and with this cookbook, Im taking these traditions and spiriting them into the 21st century.

Do me a favor and flip to the photo of the bagel, lox and cream cheese (). This reflects how I eat (I literally eat a bagel, lox and cream cheese every day) and how most of my Jewish friends and family eat. Traditional, but not outdated. These are living recipes.

All of the dishes in this book are inspired by the tables and tales and chutzpah of the North American Jewish experience, and they represent what I think it means to be Jewish today. Using religion as a touchstone, all of the recipes also happen to be kosher (but more on that a little later).

All of the dishes in this book are inspired by the tables and tales and the chutzpah of the North American Jewish experience.

Woven throughout are stories about my experiences as a travel writer with one of the most quotable populations on earth. From St. Johns to Fort Lauderdale, Montreal to Manhattan, Ive enjoyed meals and moments unique to the Ashkenazi experience, complete with humor, wisdom and chopped liver.

Kosher Style is for those who love delicious modern food, travel writing or both. Its a cookbook with food writing that respects the traditions born in eastern European kitchens, while traveling beyond. Jewish readers will love it for the taste memories they can recreate, while others will be won over by the gorgeous full-color photography.

So why is it called