Skip to Main Content

Jewish Cookbooks: Community Cookbooks

Description

Jewish Community Cookbooks

Community cookbooks

Book cover of Table talk: favorite recipes of the sisterhood of the Park Ave. Temple, Bridgeport, Conn. showing mother and daughter preparing food in an old-fashioned kitchenundefinedCover image of Council of Jewish Women Cook Book

Jewish community cookbooks are often published by synagogue, community, and charitable organizations, and feature recipes from community members. In some cases, an historical cookbook is the only publication documenting the Jewish community in an area with few Jewish residents. Community cookbooks are also an important primary source documenting the labor and artistry of women, who are often un- or under-represented in publications.

What ingredients (fresh, preserved, regional, imported) were used to cook during different historical periods? What can cookbooks tell us about culture, tradition, and assimilation? How do old family recipes, new adaptations, and innovations in cooking reflect social conditions? 

The Library's collection includes Jewish community cookbooks from nearly every state in the U.S., as well as from more than a dozen countries. Here's how to find them:

  • View vintage community cookbooks on this page.

  • Browse the community cookbooks below, organized by location.

  • Search the catalog for the genre Community Cookbooks

Community Cookbooks 1

Learn More: Community Cookbooks

 

Learn more:

 

Community Cookbooks: An Online Collection (Library of Congress) 

Saltzman, Roberta. From Sanitary Fairs to "The Settlement": Early Charity Cookbooks. July 30, 2013

Saltzman, Roberta. Snappy Eats of 1932: Jewish Community Cookbooks. July 21, 2010