Mar 12, 2009 | Events

Greek-Jewish Foods in America

$45 / dinner
Special Dinner #72
sephardic-drawing

Jewish food history is a fascinating subject because of the myriad ways that Jewish people used their dietary laws as guides while incorporating into new culinary dialects the dishes and ingredients at hand.

Our Jewish foods dinner this month takes us to a Greek-Jewish community, whose food tradition reaches back all the way to Spain. In Salonika, Greece, until the past hundred years-or-so, there was a large population of Jews. They arrived in groups, but the largest influx came as a result of the Inquisition in Spain. The new Sephardic Jews brought with them the flavors and customs they had developed in Spain, as well as their dietary laws. Over time, their culinary repertory included the dishes and flavors of Greece as well as those of Spain.

When groups from Salonika immigrated to the United States, their complex and flavorful history came too. Alan Saltiel, the director of the Life Sciences Institute at the University of Michigan, whose family is Greek-Jewish and settled in the United States from Salonika, will share family recipes from his grandmother, aunts and parents.

James Beard-nominated Chef Alex Young will craft a menu reflecting the fascinating flavors of the Greek-Jewish community in the United States.

Call 734.663.3663 to make reservations!

Check out the Menu for this event! Greek-Jewish Food Menu