Recipes

Mimouna – A Unique End to Passover: Mufleta Recipe

Passover and Holocaust Memorial Day usually fall close to each other on the calendar. Is there any connection? I think so, though I’m sure it wasn’t purposely planned.

Moroccan Jewry: Moroccan Chicken Tagine

By Charleeda Sprinkle

Jewish people have been living in Morocco, on the northwestern corner of Africa, since before the Roman Empire. Before 1948, there were over 265,000 Jews in Morocco; now there are only 5,000 to 7,000. However, approximately 600,000 Moroccan Jews live in Israel today!

Egg-Lemon Soup

A simple but delicious Middle Eastern soup for a cold winter night’s meal by Hanukkah candlelight!

God’s Wake-Up Call: Tilapia (fish) Twist

The Jewish New Year is celebrated on Rosh Hashanah, Hebrew for “head of the year.” However, you will not find that name in the Bible, even though it is one of the seven biblical feasts. Its biblical name is Yom Teruah, the day of the sounding of trumpets (Lev. 23:23–25). The Jewish New Year is quite solemn compared to rowdy, Western New Year’s Eve parties, as it is understood to be the day God judges His people.

Makluba – Enjoying Middle Eastern Cuisine

Often, when my roommates and I have had guests from the nations at our Shabbat (Sabbath) table on Friday night, we have enjoyed serving them a Middle Eastern meal for a special cultural experience. My favorite choice is makluba, an upside-down chicken and rice dish. It has a delicious Middle Eastern flavor and lends to a very dramatic presentation––turning the hot pot upside-down into a perfectly molded creation.

Counting the Omer The Value of a Day: Crispy Barley Cookies

By Charleeda Sprinkle

“ You shall count fifty days…” Leviticus 23:15. Pentecost (Greek, meaning “fiftieth”) or Shavuot (Hebrew, meaning “weeks”) is a biblical feast that starts this year on the evening of the second of June. Although there are 50 days between Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot, the two holidays are very connected, because God tells us to count the days between them—a command most of us overlook. Jews call this “counting the omer” (a sheaf or measurement of grain).The counting always starts on the second day of Pesach.

3-Minute Bread! Matza Make Your Own

By Charleeda Sprinkle

“On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread” (Lev. 23:6).

Just about the first thing you think of when you think of Passover or Pesach is matza, the unleavened, cracker-like bread eaten during the eight-day festival. Why do I say eight when the above Scripture says seven? First comes Passover, commemorating the day the lamb was slaughtered and eaten the night before the Israelites left Egypt. The seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread immediately follows, celebrating the actual Exodus.

Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Herbed Dipping Sauce

By Richard Bristol, PhD

You cannot visit Israel without witnessing the significant place olives play in the agriculture and diet of the people of the Land. Olive trees are found from the north to the south of the Land. When you sit down to a meal in Israel, you will usually find olives on the table, even for breakfast! Olives have been grown here from antiquity; so when we eat olives, we can’t help but envision the patriarchs of Israel enjoying olives with their meals.

Arise And Shine: Jelly Doughnuts

By Charleeda Sprinkle

“For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you” (Isaiah 60:2, NAS).

165 BC in Israel was a time of deep darkness. King Antiochus of Syria wanted his kingdom Hellenized (adapted to Greek culture). Jews were ordered to profane the Shabbat (the Sabbath), to stop celebrating the feasts, and to pollute the sanctuary by building altars for idols.  Torah (Gen.–Deut.) scrolls were burned and anyone who would not sacrifice to the Greek idols was put to death. Many Jews had already assimilated to the Greek way of life and welcomed the changes, but a few resisted.

The Rite of Celebration: Pomegranate-Orange Salad

By Charleeda Sprinkle

“Celebrate the Feast to the Lord your God …” Deut. 16:15

One of the things I have enjoyed witnessing here in Israel is the way Jews celebrate. Marvin Wilson, in his book Our Father Abraham, notes that while Westerners tend to be reserved with their emotions, “the Hebrews…gave vent unashamedly to their feelings, for each emotion had a time appropriate for its expression…Since Bible times, the various holidays and rites of passage throughout life have provided particular opportunities for Jewish people to rejoice and to celebrate.”