Jewish New year foods
Soooo...it's almost the Jewish new year and there are specific foods that need to be cooked and eaten, regardless whether you like them or not...so I have a pound each of beef lung, beef heart and beef cheek. Any creative ideas to make them not seem seem so gross?
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19 Comments:
Is this supposed to be a joke? Meat from the head of an animal is symbolic for some people but I have never heard of eating beef lung or heart for R"H.
Have yourself some nice apples and honey, honey cake, and a round challah. Who says you're supposed to eat things you don't like?
emilydev at 8:30AM on 09/17/09
And carrot coins cooked with honey. But I've never heard of the beef innards either.
iahawk89 at 8:32AM on 09/17/09
Beef cheek is good to braise, and heart can be braised as well, or cut into portions and seared like steaks. I can't help with the lungs. Aren't they illegal to sell in the US? Also, I'm not Jewish, but I didn't realized these things were traditional for the new year celebration.
Nicholas H at 8:50AM on 09/17/09
It's not a joke. I'm Sephardi, and they are eaten every year, both nights. I had no trouble buying them at the bucharim market in Jerusalem this morning, the butcher knew exactly what I needed. In previous years I've been by other people for the evening meals or used chicken giblets, but I have someone this year who is allergic to poultry. If you want a source for eating these things, it's in the Ben Ish Chai, and also in Mishna Berora.
FTR-I am making round challot, apples cooked in sugar, honey cake, and tzimmes among other things as well.
rabbiswife at 9:38AM on 09/17/09
I was not aware of this Sephardi tradition - very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Chew on That at 9:48AM on 09/17/09
You learn something new every day! Thanks for that tidbit. I'll be sure to share this with my (secular) Jewish in-laws. :)
avaryne at 9:58AM on 09/17/09
Wow, I'd never heard that custom before, perhaps because I'm ashkenaz. I'll try to remember to ask my sephardic friends about this. Maybe they don't do it in these parts or it's sephardic tradition from a certain part of the world.
I'd like to check those sources. I won't remember to and don't know where I'd get a copy, but it would be interesting. Good thing I'm friends with a rabbi.
Back to topic, I wonder if those parts would taste good with potatoes and carrots with a hint of cinnamon.
L'shana tovah tikatevu.
CanadianFoodieGirl at 10:03AM on 09/17/09
I don't know about the lungs, but braised beef cheeks are unbelievable, and I once had a slice of grilled beef heart at a Brazilian Churascurria (sp?) in Guyana that was extremely delicious, tender and, yes, a bit chewy, but also really 'beefy' tasting. As far as I know it was just grilled over the fire with salt.
BananaMonkey at 10:13AM on 09/17/09
There are no laws that say you "have" to eat that food; they are just customs that Jews have acquired, depending on where they hail from.
Whatever your custom, have a healthy and happy and sweet New Year. L'Shana Tova!
SavtaShayna at 11:19AM on 09/17/09
I also found this recipe utilising beef heart, here. Looks like it uses beets and horseradish to compliment the meat :)
avaryne at 11:35AM on 09/17/09
How about a kosher haggis? ;-) "chaggis"?
Seriously, thank you for educating me on a Sephardic custom.
Lorenzo at 11:47AM on 09/17/09
Kosher haggis is called "kishka". :)
CanadianFoodieGirl at 1:57PM on 09/17/09
the lungs and heart can be fried with plenty of garlic and onion, then put through a meat grinder and used as a filling for knishes or for kreplach.
but not by me.
l'shana tovah!
cybercita at 10:47PM on 09/17/09
Haha canadianfoodiegirl!
After thinking about all of this, I'm braising/stewing the lung and heart together with a few other of the foods to be eaten (kale, leeks and beans) spicing it with bachrat spices. Hopefully it will all work out. I'll let you know after the holiday.
Shana Tova!
rabbiswife at 2:49AM on 09/18/09
Looking forward to it. I'm trying to decide what to take to a vegetarian potluck tomorrow. "Traditional" for the holiday or just a regular dish such as quinoa tabouli?
CanadianFoodieGirl at 10:57AM on 09/18/09
@rabbieswife--just for curiousity's sake, what is the texture of the lung? both uncooked and cooked? I don't beleive I've ever seen it.
BananaMonkey at 11:43AM on 09/18/09
Well, things didn't turn out too bad. Lung is pretty darn gross. Raw it seems dense, but when you cut it it sounds like a serrated knife on a balloon. It floats when you braise it,, even after 48 hours of stewing. The worst part is the little tubes in it when you cut it. it's all very chewy. my 2 year old ate it just fine, but nobody else liked it much. the beef heart was good, reminded me of beef jerky in flavor. Bachrat was a good seasoning choice.
rabbiswife at 5:12PM on 09/21/09
Your 2-ear-old eats beef lung? Sheesh, at my family's holiday dinner, I couldn't convince my 7-year-old great nephew to even taste the brisket that I slaved over. He did eat the matzo ball soup, but when it came to the main course, it was chicken nuggets all the way.
salpico at 5:48PM on 09/21/09
My kid will try anything, but she's been raised on sephardi flavors and spices since day one (well, 5 months, but it was carrots from the soup with hawajj; cumin, turmeric and pepper). she especially loves meat, but isn't so crazy about dates. kids are strange like that.
Why slave over brisket? braise it with a pound or so of caramelized onions, a little salt, and 2 cans of beer. Best brisket ever! always gets compliments at my Shabbat table! The best part is that brisket is one of the cheapest cuts in Israel!
rabbiswife at 5:08PM on 09/22/09