Pumpkin is full of surprises: it’s ancient, it’s a fruit (!) and not just for Halloween and Thanksgiving, it’s been part of Sephardic Jews’ holiday meals—including Chanukah!—for a long time.
Pumpkin: It’s Not Just for Thanksgiving…
About the Author
Susan Barocas is passionate about family, friends, food and film. She helped launch the Jewish Food Experience® as its first project director following several years as director of the Washington Jewish Film Festival. A member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, Susan writes, teaches and talks about food as well as catering and organizing special events. She was honored to serve as the guest chef for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 White House Seders. When not in the kitchen, Susan writes and produces documentary film and consults with film festivals.
Bimuelos de Kalavasa (Sephardic Pumpkin Patties)
Pumpkin is a favorite ingredient in Sephardic cooking, found in cakes, soups, stews, puddings, jams and pancakes. Sephardic Jews include the fall fruit in dishes for Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot. At Chanukah, Syrian Jews are fond of savory pumpkin patties (kibbet yatkeen) while Sephardim from Turkey and Greece make deep-fried pumpkin fritters or sweet pancakes,…
Serving Up Jewish Food at the WaPo
Need a recipe for blintzes, chicken soup, kugels or brisket? Want to add a Sephardic dish to your menu? You can find all these recipes and more in the Washington Post Food section.
The Sweet Sephardic Tastes of Atonement
Visit a Sephardic home for break-fast, and you’ll probably find guests easing slowly out of the fast with a sweet drink followed by a rich meal and an abundant dessert selection—no bagels!
Tishpishti (Syruped Honey Nut Cake)
There are many variations for this cake that is a Sephardic cousin of the Eastern European honey cake. This recipe has no eggs, being based on a very old way of baking cakes. Some add a few whole eggs while others still separate the eggs, beating the whites to create a lighter cake. There are recipes…
With His Sights Beyond Honest Tea
Even after co-founding and serving as CEO of Honest Tea, Bethesda local Seth Goldman isn’t done building mission-driven businesses. Now, as a leader at Beyond Meat, he’s on a plant-based mission.
Hot Coffee and Warm, Enveloping Hospitality
Once a lawyer, Abby Cherner left the profession and started At Home with Abby, offering cooking and hosting classes that are complete with good food and drink, mingling and a take-home recipe binder.
Vegan Sweet Potato and Apple Latkes
Yes, these are vegan latkes, which means they are dairy-free. They are also gluten-free. But trust me: No one will know the difference. Make them for the masses and, if you’re worried about people’s reactions, don’t tell anyone except those lucky individuals to whom any of this matters. Then sit back and watch them enjoy…
No-Going-Back Applesauce
I am so tempted to write a recipe that starts with, “Peel as many apples as will fit in your pot of choice, including old wrinkled ones that are beyond snappy eating.” But the boundaries of replicating recipes for publication demand more precision. Just keep in mind that this is one of those recipes that…
Special Diets Don’t Stop a Special Holiday
These days, more and more people seem to have dietary restrictions. And with long-entrenched traditions, holidays can be especially hard. Susan saves the day with gluten-free, vegan latkes—sweet potato, too!
