As I have written about before, I love good cookbooks (not all cookbooks), so when a cookbook comes across my desk I am skeptical until proven otherwise.
I recently came across a copy of One Egg is a Fortune, a beautiful (very large) cookbook with recipes compiled by Pnina Jacobson and Judy Kempler. It’s sort of a Stars of David in cookbook form, with recipes and stories from famous Jews from around the world.
One Egg is a Fortune serves as an informative and captivating history of Jewish food traditions from around the world. And if the stories don’t grab your attention the mouth-watering photos will. The bold photography seems to tell two kinds of stories – the stories of the food itself and the story of the food’s journey. New Yorkers will love the obvious reference to its beloved Fairway supermarket on the Upper West Side, the famous Katz’s deli on the Lower East Side and familiar sight of street pretzels while Jerusalem lovers will immediately be drawn into the sounds and smells of its famous marketplace.
While readers might initially get excited to peruse recipes from famous Jews such as chocolatier Max Brenner, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and Marlee Matlin, the recipes from some of the lesser-knowns are just as satisfying including Sam Lipski’s Aromatic Roast Brisket and Alan Gold’s Hungarian Scalloped Potatoes.
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I personally prefer a straightforward cookbook without the fancy photos (as beautiful as they are) and family stories, but for those of who love more than just the recipes, this is definitely the book for you!
