American Jewish Foods—Or What Passes for Them: Petcha

Petcha, calf’s-foot jelly, is a Sabbath afternoon dish. The custom of eating jelly reflects the idea that in the time of redemption even the feet will be elevated; the Sabbath is said to give the faithful a taste of the world to come, so “food made of feet” was eaten in anticipation. In fact, the calf’s foot, like the African American delicacy made from hog heads and feet called “head cheese” or souse, is an inexpensive cut of meat, and for poor eastern European Jews, like their poor African American counterparts, this jelly was another way to stretch what meat was available.