Israeli Chefs Revive Hidden Jewish Culinary Traditions in Unique Food Festival
Ahead of the Jewish High Holidays, the "We - Museum of the Jewish People" in Israel, through its culinary division FOODISH, is launching a special project called "Hidden Communities." Running from July 26 to 31, this initiative highlights the culinary heritage of small, lesser-known Jewish communities worldwide by collaborating with leading Israeli restaurants. Each participating chef creates a menu inspired by the history, culture, and traditional dishes of a specific community, offering diners both a gastronomic and educational experience.
Among the featured communities are the Bene Menashe from India, the Kaifeng Jews from China, the Bnei Moshe from Peru, the Subbotnik Jews from the former Soviet Union, the Abayudaya from Uganda, the Amazonian Jews from Brazil, and the Jewish community of San Nicandro from Italy. The San Nicandro Jews, descendants of farming families from the Puglia region in southern Italy, have preserved unique recipes adapted to Israeli ingredients. For example, their traditional thick-crust pizza, originally topped with Parmesan or Grana Padano, was made with Safed cheese in Israel during the 1950s due to availability.
Etti Trito, a member of the San Nicandro community, shared memories of her grandmother’s cooking, including dishes like "Torcinelli del Gargano," which in their adaptation became stuffed cabbage due to kosher restrictions. Chef Ido Feiner of Roberta Vinci restaurant collaborated with Trito to recreate several authentic dishes such as lamb-stuffed cabbage, warm yogurt with sumac, and focaccia with roasted tomatoes and holy cheese.
The week will conclude on July 31 with a panel and museum tour featuring community members, researchers, and culinary experts discussing the stories behind the festival’s dishes. FOODISH director Lee Gil emphasized the project’s goal to showcase how food serves as a vessel for Jewish memory and identity across diverse communities, both ancient and modern. The event takes place at the Museum of the Jewish People on the Tel Aviv University campus, with tickets available online.
