Customer Reviews

A Taste of the Past: The Daily Life and Cooking of a Nineteenth-Century Hungarian-Jewish Homemaker

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This lovely book brings a slice of Hungarian Jewish culture to life in a uniquely three-dimensional way - the sights, the tastes, the details of everyday life. I found the recipes easy to follow and the pictures charming. The author's great-grandmother whom he profiles here is a refreshingly complex character - her views about such things as religion and national identity change over time, along with historical changes, and some of these shifts are even reflected in her food! For example, this is one Hungarian cookbook that is light on the paprika - apparently ginger was the spice of choice in the 19th century. Who knew?

The book really brings to life a community that was wiped out by the Holocaust. The description of life in the small city in Hungary is vivid and the amazing illustrations are a great complement. The easy-to-follow recipes round out the experience.

"A Taste of the Past" is just that for me. I was over 30 when I learned that my mom's dad was Jewish, not merely Hungarian. After my mom's death, I began to study about Jewish family life. My mom and her dad had visited their family in Hungary in 1907, 1915 and 1922, but my mom spoke little of that. I visited his birthplace (near Kosice, Slovakia - formerly Hungary) in 1996. I joined on-line Jewish genealogical websites. I found two aging Jewish relatives in Cleveland. "A Taste of the Past" has opened for me rich insight into Jewish family life in Hungary in the late 19th century and 20th century. I am no cook, so the food recipes are beyond me - except that my imagination allows me to savor them! The author is a man of great generosity of spirit, that imbues every page of "A Taste of the Past"! Am I ever in his debt!

This lovely book brings a slice of Hungarian Jewish culture to life in a uniquely three-dimensional way - the sights, the tastes, the details of everyday life. I found the recipes easy to follow and the pictures charming. The author's great-grandmother whom he profiles here is a refreshingly complex character - her views about such things as religion and national identity change over time, along with historical changes, and some of these shifts are even reflected in her food! For example, this is one Hungarian cookbook that is light on the paprika - apparently ginger was the spice of choice in the 19th century. Who knew?