Meal #42: Ashkenazi Cuisine

Although the first Jews arrived in Australia with the First Fleet, the mass migration of Jews (mainly from Eastern Europe, known as Ashkenazi Jews) did not occur until after the Holocaust. As such, Australia (and Melbourne in particular) has the largest number of Holocaust survivors outside of Israel. Scheherazade, which celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, was established by Ashkenazi migrants for Ashkenazi migrants, and has subsequently become a Melbourne institution.

Scheherazade Restaurant
99 Acland St. St Kilda

Scheherazade is one of the only remaining initial shops (along with the cake shop next door, and the cake shop across the road) to be found on the funky and hip Acland Street. It is a small eatery that doesn’t appear to have undergone major renovations since it opened in 1958; but the fact that the windows and walls are plastered with newspaper reviews is an indication that this restaurant has withstood the test of time.

This week’s asininely acidic assortment of Ashkenazi assessors were Rami, Caroline, Nick, Dom, Marty and Gene.

Entrées:
Chopped Chicken Liver
Herrings
Russian Eggs and Caviar
Rye Bread

Mains:
Chicken Soup with Kreplach (meat dumplings) and Kenedle (matzah ball dumplings)
Chicken Schnitzel
Paprika Chicken
Chulent
Sauerkraut

Dessert:

Dumplings – stuffed with cherries and served with ice-cream

Entrée:

When alerted to our desire to try a variety of Ashkenazi fare, the host duly returned with a platter containing the classic dishes of chopped chicken liver and herrings, and the fancier Russian dish of eggs with caviar. We were disappointed that they were out of gefilte fish (its isn’t a true Ashkenazi meal without cold, slimly, sweet fish patties!). The chopped liver and herrings were both top notch, and demonstrated that even the simplest of dishes can be highlights of a meal. The surprise dish however, was the eggs with caviar, in which the conflicting flavours of the salty fish roe, the sweet mayonnaise, and the savoury eggs, seemed to magically meld together into a memorable appetiser.

Mains:

Chicken soup with kenedle and kreplach is classic Ashkenazi cuisine, and Scheherazade’s offering of this dish was so authentic you could expect to find it on any Shabbat dinner table (although Rami contends that his mother’s chicken soup is better). Chulent is (regrettably) another traditional Ashkenazi dish; a stew that is left to cook overnight until the meat, potatoes and beans not only all taste the same, but they also have the same texture and consistency. The side order of sauerkraut was required to give the chulent some flavour…

The Paprika Chicken, an offering with obvious Hungarian influences, consisted of boiled chicken drumsticks flavoured with, as the name suggests, paprika. The chicken schnitzel was succulent and tasty, and a sufficiently large serving. Both dishes were served with cooked vegetables, and a there was complimentary side of coleslaw.

Dessert:

The cherry dumplings were a great way to end the meal. These were basically kreplach that were stuffed with cherries rather than meat, served with a cherry sauce and vanilla ice-cream. Yummy doesn’t even begin to describe them!

Overall:

If you want a traditional Ashkenazi meal (and you can’t swing an invite to Rami’s parents’ place for a Shabbat dinner) Scheherazade is the place to go. The owner/host is friendly and accommodating, often found chatting with the diners. The food is authentic (which is all that we can ask for in this culinary journey around the world) and reasonably priced considering the area. Oh, and if you’re wondering as to what the name of the restaurant means, Scheherazade was the name of the Persian Queen, from the Arabian Nights Tales, who told a different story for 1001 nights to avoid execution…we don’t know how this relates to Eastern European Jewish cuisine either…

Next Stop: Ashkenazi (or Yiddish) Cuisine


The Ashkenazi Jews are descended from the medieval Jewish communities of the Rhineland (“Ashkenaz” being the Medieval Hebrew name for Germany). Later migration (due to being expelled from many countries), largely eastward, resulted in the formation of communities in Germany, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldavia, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania between the 10th and 19th centuries. Most modern-day Ashkenazi Jews live in America and Israel, fleeing European persecution, which culminated in the Holocaust (however, there are communities found in many Western countries, including large ones in Melbourne and Sydney). From medieval times until the mid-20th century, the lingua franca among Ashkenazi Jews was Yiddish.

Except for a few traditional dishes that date from before the Roman expulsion of the Jews from the Land of Israel (such as matzah, which may be served in any Jewish household worldwide), Jewish cuisine often reflects the general style and practices of the local cuisine, adding unique recipes and cultural infusions, along with adaptations to the rules of kashrut.

The hearty cuisine of Ashkenazi Jews, for example, reflects their centuries of residence in the cold climate of central and Eastern Europe. Thus, a traditional Sabbath meal for Ashkenazi Jews might include roast chicken, carrot tzimmes and potatoes.

Each Jewish community has its traditional dishes, often revolving around specialities from their home country. In Germany, stews were popular, while in Poland, Jews made lokshen (noodle) or frimsel soup (cooked with goose fat) and various kinds of stuffed and stewed fish.

Below is a list of some tradition Ashkenazi dishes:

Gefilte Fish – poached fish patties or balls made from a mixture of ground deboned fish, most commonly carp.

Chicken Soup – the soup is often associated with European Jewish cuisine, often served with kneidlach (or matzah balls; dumplings made from matzah meal) or lokshen.

Kugel (pronounced koogel) – any one of a wide variety of traditional baked Jewish side dishes or desserts. Kugels may be sweet or savory (salty). The most common types are made from egg noodles or potatoes and often contain eggs, but there are recipes of kugels made with different vegetables, fruit, batters, cheese, and other flavorings and toppings.

Kishke – traditionally made from a kosher beef intestine stuffed with matzah meal, rendered fat (schmaltz) and spices.

Cholent – consists, generally, of meat with potatoes and beans, placed in a slow oven before Sabbath and left to simmer unattended until it is wanted for the Sabbath meal.

For more information see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_cuisine