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The story of Sephardic Jewry is a dramatic tale of survival, migration, and an intense relationship with food. Hélène Jawhara Piñer will lead us through intersecting culinary histories in the world of medieval Iberia and Mediterranean North Africa as she did in her historical cookbook Sephardi: Cooking the History. Recipes of the Jews of Spain and the Diaspora from the 13th Century to Today (2021) awarded “Best Jewish Cuisine Book” of 2021 by the Gourmand World Awards.
Focusing on the key role played by the Jewish holiday celebrations to preserve Sephardi cuisine, the talk will discuss how events in Spain, particularly the Inquisition and expulsion of the Jews, shaped the culinary practices of the Jewish conversos—those forced to convert to Catholicism—as well as those who migrated. With Hanukah around the corner, Dr. Piñer, speaking to us from France, will demonstrate a technique for frying eggplant croquettes, one of the holiday foods she will discuss.
Hélène Jawhara Piñer is a PhD in Medieval History and the History of Food. She has been awarded by the Broome & Allen Fellowship from the American Sephardi Federation in 2018. The Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies also awarded her the David Gitlitz Emerging Scholar Prize for her accomplishment and engagement in Sephardic History research.
Dr. Piñer’s recipe for eggplant croquettes and other recipes of the Jewish diaspora will be posted on the CHNY website.
