Beni's Family Cookbook for the Jewish Holidays [Hardcover]

Jane Breskin Zalben (Author, Illustrator), Joan Nathan (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1996

What better way to celebrate the holidays than to cook-- and eat-- the delicious foods so important to Jewish tradition. Here's a sumptuous collection of recipes for every Jewish holiday through the year.

Jane Breskin Zalben has gathered treasured mouth-watering recipes from her family and friends. Such favorites as matzoh ball soup, noodle kugel, and gefilte fish are here, as well as kasha varnishkas, hamantaschen, and macaroons.

Each section of the cookbook features a different holiday and includes notes on its religious and cultural importance. There are also amusing introductory notes for every recipe. Ms. Zalben's festive, detailed pastel-watercolor illustrations of her beloved bears grace the pages, making this a feast for the eyes as well as the tummy.

Full of homespun charm and warmth, Beni's Family Cookbook is the next best thing to Bubbe's recipe box-- the perfect holiday gift for the whole family.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Jane Breskin Zalben offers enough recipes for latkes, hamantaschen and matzoh brei to satiate the most ravenous family in Beni's Family Cookbook for the Jewish Holidays, foreword by Joan Nathan. Her headnotes are sprinkled with homey anecdotes and Yiddish words: of day-old mandelbrot, "Grandma says, 'I could nearly plotz it's so delicious! And the almonds, heaven.' " Zalben's illustrations of pudgy-cheeked bears in little frocks and sweaters are on the schmaltzy side, but her recipes promise to make celebrations tasty affairs. Note that the recipes aren't especially for children; adult cooks will be needed in many cases.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up. Those who have delighted in Zalben's family of Jewish bears (adult fans in particular) will no doubt want to own this charmingly illustrated cookbook. Recipes are arranged by holiday, beginning with a brief description of its importance and related rituals. Recipes from both Ashkenazic (Eastern European) and Sephardic (Iberian-peninsula rooted) Jews are included. Illustrated with tiny detailed vignettes of table settings, food items, and bear family portraits, the book has genuine child appeal, but the recipes are written for experienced cooks. No warnings are given to seek adult help when frying in oil, chopping, grating, or removing hot, heavy pots from the oven or burner; nor are there detailed instructions for kneading dough, slicing brisket, etc. Although some of the introductions make the essence of the holiday accessible to those with little background about the religion, many are based on previous knowledge of the beliefs, history, customs, and traditions that are a part of the Jewish year. Because many of the recipes are excellent, adult collections needing Jewish holiday cookbooks may want to purchase Zalben's treasury despite its childlike format.?Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 108 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (October 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805037357
• ISBN-13: 978-0805037357
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,027,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Teens > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism
  • #50 in Books > Teens > Sports & Hobbies > Cooking

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