Customer Reviews

The Original Jewish Cookbook

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My Mom recieved this cookbook when she was 22 in 1941 and cooked many, many great meals and unfortunately, many poor ones (not the books fault.) This was the 3rd cookbook from Bloch Publishing. Its first cookbook was the very successful "Aunt Babette's" Cook Book, which for many, was considered the modern worlds Jewish Cookbook to judge all others. It was replaced with a more Kosher-observant book written by Florence Kreisler Greenbaum entitled "The International Jewish Cook Book." Then in 1941, Bloch replaced it with the more modern, expanded volume, The Jewish Cook Book, written by Mrs. Bellin. It's a "must have" in every Jewish home. Never mind the arteries, sometimes you just have to make it the way it was intended to be made. ENJOY!

I CAN STILL REMEMBER THE TELEVISION AD, THAT SHOWED A NATIVE AMERICAN,
(in native American dress), enjoying a sandwhich, a big smile on his face, as the voice-over went: "You Don't Have To Be Jewish To Enjoy Levi's Rye Bread"!

It was true of Levi's rye bread. Yummy stuff for anyone. And it is also true of the receipes in this wonderful cookbook. Although Jewish people may enjoy these traditional recipes from their heritage, ANYONE can enjoy the myriad receipes and resulting yummy food, within the pages of Mildred Bellin's all-encompassing "The Original Jewish Cookbook"!

There are over 3,000 receipes here -- making the book quite a baragain! No pretty pictures, sadly -- but each receipe is in fine, legible, (and legibly-sized) print, on very good quality paper. As Jewish people have been scattered all over the world, there are receipies here for Dutch Apple Cake, Welsh Rarebit, Washington Pie, Watermellon Rind Pickle, Hawaiian Dessert, Greek Salad, French Apple Pie, Chow Chow, Collards, Bologna and Eggs, Turkey or Chicken Italienne, Bordelaise Sauce, Dutch Apple Cake....even Cowboy Cookies, amongst others! Ms. Belin was a graduate of Smith College, so her culinary repetoire is quite cosmopolitan! Recipes of traditional, Eastern European Jewery are plentiful in this book...but they do not comprise all that is here! This is truly a wonderful, INTERNTIONAL cookbook, as well as being a traditonal Jewish one! In the first words of the first part of the Introduction, ("What Is Jewish Cooking?") in fact, Ms. Bellin says, in the very first sentence, "Jewish cooking, in its fullest sense, is international cooking based on the dietary laws." Within these dietary laws, (quite easy to remember, really, once you get the hang of them)-- which are fully explained in the remaining parts of the "Introduction"), just about anything that is considered "kosher", (which is a lot, really!), can be created! Ms. Bellin's wide array of receipes proves this, quite definitely -- and deliciously, too!

Along with the "whys" and "wherefores" of Jewish dietary law, an explan-
ation of Jewish holidays, (and any special dietary laws for those that have them), and the aforesaid 3,000 receipies, there is also a very useful section on cooking hints. At the back of the book, there are special Passover receipes, as Passover has additional dietary laws, (not complicated at all, once you understand them.) In addition, there is a Glossary, translating Yiddish cooking and recipe terms into English....and also a full index of all the receipes!

Another great thing about this cookbook is that it was originally published in 1944, then updated and republished in 1958. Therefore, most --if not all -- of the recipes are FROM-SCRATCH recipes! There may be a few recipes that specify things like "vanilla extract", or "commercial sour cream"....but that's all! I haven't looked through all the 3,000 + recipies...but those I have looked at do NOT specify opening cans of any kind! This cookbook is the true, old-fashioned kind, as well as being throughly international and comprehensive!

I invite any cook, of any national origin, to take a peek at this great cook book. The wide variety of mouth-watering, completely explained recipies will, I am sure, whet the appetite, (and creativity!), of any cook who sees them!

Ms. Bellin, who died at 100 years old-- September 7, 1908 - February 8, 2008, (still looking bright, cheerful, and youthful!), was a graduate of Smith College, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and a gourmet-column newspaper writer, as well as so much else! She created a masterpiece cookbook of the yummiest receipes, that should be on every home and professional chef's bookshelf! [...]

"The Original Jewish Cookbook" : Five Stars....and 3,000 yum-yums! Thank you, Mildred Grossberg Bellin -- so much! : )

This book has not only recipes but a very informative section on Jewish traditions and Holidays. It also explains many of the dietary traditions.