Vegetables, Salads, and Grains

From the length of this chapter it is evident that the Sephardic Jews of the Southern Mediterranean were greatly enamored of vegetables. If not for space concerns, I could have doubled the amount of recipes and still just scratched the surface of their vegetable-dish repertoire. In this chapter, I have combined salads and vegetables because most dishes that are called “salads” are primarily cooked vegetables that have been sliced, chopped, or pureed and usually served at room temperature.

Certain vegetables are associated primarily with the Jews. Eggplant and artichokes were brought to Spain by the Arabs and were adopted by the Jews, who were among the first to try them. They introduced them to Northern Europe as they fled Spain after the Inquisition. Fennel and spinach were also popular. The Jews were actively involved in commerce, so they were among the first to try the vegetables from the New World. Pumpkin, squashes, tomatoes, peppers and chilies, potatoes, and green beans made it onto their table, then were transported throughout the Christian and Muslim worlds. Jews were also known for their love of onions, leeks, and garlic. (Non-Jews even thought that the smell of garlic served to keep disease away from the Jewish community, while others suffered.)