Food with Mark Bittman Claudia Roden and the Meaning of Jewish Food
Dec 6, 2023
In this fascinating conversation, renowned cookbook author and food historian Claudia Roden shares her journey from a large Egyptian Jewish family to becoming a passionate recipe collector. She reveals the impact her refugee experience during the Suez Crisis had on her culinary pursuits. Topics include the diverse Hanukkah food traditions across the Mediterranean and how her work has influenced chefs and food markets. Claudia also reminisces about a recent personal fish dinner, highlighting the simplicity and beauty of Mediterranean cooking.
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Formative Food Life In Egypt And Europe
- Claudia Roden grew up in a large Jewish community in Egypt where visiting and entertaining made food central to life.
- She began cooking for friends in Paris and London because postwar British food was poor, which pushed her toward recipe collecting.
Recipes Collected After Forced Exile
- The 1956 Suez Crisis forced Claudia's family into exile and created a bubble of Egyptian Jewish refugees in London.
- That displacement prompted her obsessive collection of recipes as people feared losing their culinary heritage.
Tradition Shows Through Repeated Recipes
- Claudia found recipes repeated across families, showing powerful transmission of culinary tradition.
- She verified recipes with multiple sources before including them in a book to ensure authenticity.
