Jewish Cookbooks at NYPL
Welcome to the Jewish cookbook collection at The New York Public Library (NYPL). The Library has one of the largest and most diverse Jewish cookbook collections in the world, primarily housed in the Dorot Jewish Division. The collection now includes more than 3,000 Jewish cookbooks written in 18 languages and published from the 19th century to the present, representing regions and cuisines from all over the world.
The collection was developed through the generous donations and bibliographic expertise of the late Roberta Saltzman (1960-2013), former Assistant Chief of the Dorot Jewish Division.
You are invited to explore the collection through this guide, the collection guide, and the Library's catalog. We welcome offers of donations of cookbooks not already in the collection. Please contact us at dorotjewish@nypl.org
Roberta Saltzman's Cookbook Collecting
Edwards, Karen. "Recipe for Success: Over the past eight years, one librarian has created the largest collection of Jewish cookbooks in the country."
Ewbank, Anne. "Inside the World’s Largest Jewish Cookbook Collection: A librarian with a love for eBay built this trove of culinary history." Atlas Obscura. March 24, 2021.
Rabinovitch, Lara. "A cookbook craze becomes a rare collection". Forward. June 3, 2009 (image of Roberta Saltzman from article on left)
Saltzman, Roberta. Books on Jewish Cookery in the New York Public Library
Contact Dorot Jewish Division
Dorot Jewish Division Reference Librarians
Contact:
476 Fifth Avenue (42nd St and Fifth Ave)
First Floor , Room 111
New York, NY 10018
(212) 930-0601
dorotjewish@nypl.org
Subjects: Dorot Jewish Division, Jewish Studies
NYPL Blog Posts
Build Up Your Library With Cookbook Recommendations from Michael Twitty
Famous Recipes for Jewish Housewives: Advertising Booklets in the Jewish Division
From Sanitary Fairs to "The Settlement": Early Charity Cookbooks
A Happy, Healthy, Gluten-Free New Year
Playing with Matches: Jewish Deli Ephemera
Ready with Opekta in 10 Minutes: A Culinary Footnote to the Holocaust
About Jewish Cookbooks
American Foodways: The Jewish contribution. University of Michigan online exhibition.
Feinberg, Daniel E., and Crosetto, Alice. "Cookbooks: Preserving Jewish Tradition". Judaica Librarianship, Volume 16/17 (2011)
Nathan, Joan. "Joan Nathan’s Guide to Essential Jewish Cookbooks". Saveur.com
A Taste of Yidishkayt: An Annotated Guide to All Things Food-Related in the Center's Collections (Yiddish Book Center)