Side Dishes

Jews throughout the world ate the vegetables that grew around them. The vegetables of the Old Country were often simple: cabbage, beetroot and onion. In the spring, however, the new young vegetables would be cooked and served with sour cream and fresh herbs. Leafy greens such as spinach, chard and leeks were put into pancakes, and whatever vegetables were available would often be shredded and baked into a kugel. The Sephardic kitchen, on the other hand, was abundant with a lavish array of vegetables: okra, aubergine, courgettes, pumpkin, artichokes, peppers and tomatoes, as well as fragrant olive oil.