Foodies invade ultra-Orthodox cuisine scene
In Bnei Brak, the popularity of food stalls offering Eastern European cuisine has ultra-Orthodox leaders scrambling to control the resulting "idleness" of youths and others sitting in cafes and enjoying themselves.
Eastern European Jewish cuisine has been looked down upon for years, described as dull, heavy, extremely fatty and heartburn inducing, among other things. Except for challah, the Jewish traditional braided bread popular among the Israeli public at large, the cuisine had long remained confined to the kitchens of Jews of Eastern European origin. In recent years, however, dozens of street food stalls began offering an Eastern European menu every Thursday in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods of Bnei Brak, leading to a renaissance in the local culinary scene. The stalls have become quite an attraction, drawing crowds in the thousands and including not only the ultra-Orthodox, but secular Israelis from central Israel as well. It is mainly the ultra-Orthodox of Eastern European origin who have held on to the authentic Jewish cuisine of Eastern Europe, mainly for traditional reasons.
The Bnei Brak food stalls have also become a sensation among those in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area culinary scene, with local press and bloggers having raised considerable interest. The bloggers trumpet the best the cuisine has to offer: galareta (calves foot jelly), cholent (a traditional Jewish stew), horseradish, tzimmes (a sweet stew typically made from carrots), kishke (stuffed intestines), chopped liver, farfel (small pellet- or flake-shaped pasta), all kinds of kugel (e.g., noodle casserole, grated potato casserole) and gefilte fish (stuffed fish). There are also stores that specialize in various kinds of herring, salt-cured and pickled in oil or otherwise done.
The Bnei Brak scene gets going on Thursday afternoon and closes down Friday afternoon, just before the Sabbath begins. The dozens of stalls offer a range of ready-made foods, with cholent being the main attraction. A mere 30 some shekels (about $8) gets one a large dish of cholent with meat, while cholent without meat goes for 15 shekels (roughly $4). A pickled cucumber on the side can be had for another shekel (25 cents). Young ultra-Orthodox men in their 20s, and even some older ones, can generally be seen sitting around the fast-food stalls, smoking, chatting and generally having a good time.
Eastern European Jewish cuisine has also made an unexpected splash elsewhere: an elitist scene of Torah classes being held in the homes of politicos and wealthy businessmen in the ultra-Orthodox community. The classes are mostly devoted to the section of the Torah read on Sabbath at synagogue, and at these gatherings a variety of Eastern European dishes are served. This unprecedented practice runs counter to the accepted norm in Torah classes.
