Cookbooks & Beverages
A few years ago my employee Elizabeth and I generally unpacked UPS shipments from our book distributors and publishers around lunchtime, and we found ourselves particularly vulnerable to all the fine cookbooks arriving. This listing is by no means all of our cookbooks. It is a gathering of recent and/or interesting titles along with a few classics added to show we have grounding in our selection. My mother raised me to read cookbooks somewhat the same as a novel or a history or a biography. Pretty pictures and clever premises are not enough to stock a title. It must have accessible content as well, and a cookbook with good writing is a treasure.
Honey Cake & Latkes: Recipes from the Old World by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Survivors
Honey Cake & Latkes: Recipes from the Old World by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Survivors
More than a cookbook, this collection of heirloom recipes conveys Auschwitz-Birkenau survivors' stories through the mnemonic lens of cooking and food. Collected and edited during the pandemic, this book--in the words of Ronald S. Lauder, Chairman of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation--"is a story of hope and triumph of the human spirit." Over 110 recipes accompanied by survivors' pre-war recollections and post-liberation memories weave a unique tapestry of sensory experiences of flavors and aromas from the old world, accounts of loss and trauma, as well as heartwarming and poignant tales of new beginnings and healing.
All of the recipes have been tested and retested to make sure they can be replicated in your kitchen while keeping the original character and voice of the survivors who contributed to the volume. Delicious recipes include Blintzes, Kugel, Matzo Ball Soup, Cholent, Goulash, Kasha Varnishkes, Rugelach, and more. Plus, there is a special chapter devoted to classic dishes for the Jewish holidays (Latkes, Charoset, Gefilte Fish, Knishes, Tzimmes, Challah, and others) that you can use to prepare, host, or bring food to a gathering.
All proceeds from the sale of this book go to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation.