Tag Archives: Sephardic

Rosh Hashana: Mangold Patties

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Mangold patties

These mangold patties are vegan variation on a traditional Sephardic Rosh Hashana recipe. Mangold is beets in Arabic. The main ingredient is beets-both the greens and the root, mixed with a bit of potato, kale, onion and spiced with baharat. It’s a very versatile dish that can be an appetizer or a main side. Beets are commonly eaten on Rosh Hashana because in Hebrew they are called “selek” which means to remove with the intention that our enemies will be removed in the new year. Scroll below for more of my Rosh Hashana recipes with other symbolic ingredients including apple cake, beet carpaccio, apple galette and black eyed peas. Shana Tova u’Metukah! Continue reading →

Septimania and Turron

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Turron

Before going to Catalonia, Septimania and turron were two words I’d never heard before. Septimania– a Jewish kingdom? Yes, it’s true. I first learned about it while visiting some family who live in a tiny village on the French side of Catalonia (population 100. And, no they actually aren’t the only Jewish people in the area). The village is nestled at the base Mt. Canigou, a revered peak to Catalans. Continue reading →

Catalonia and the Kabbalists

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The Cota wedding eggplant with chard

I spent some time following in the footsteps of Kabbalists who lived in Catalonia, an area that straddles parts of the coastal and southern mountain areas of now Spain and France, and includes the beautiful, eclectic city of Barcelona. The strong sense of Catalan pride and identity and the excitement over the then- impending vote for independence from Spain was very much evident in my conversations with people, as were all of the “Si” graffiti and banners everywhere I visited.

In the backdrop of the current political situation, much of my time there was spent wandering  the slippery, winding stone streets of former Jewish ghettos in medieval towns to visit mikvahs and synagogues, trying to piece together what life was like for Jews who had a flourishing society there until their expulsion in 1492. The small city of Girona was the epicenter of Kabbalists and the home of Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (the Ramban) who eventually was the chief rabbi of Catalonia.

Continue reading →