Esther David, a Sahitya Akademi Award recipient, has written a new book about Jewish life in India. She examines the gastronomic history of this tiny group, whose 5,000 members live in scattered locations across the country.
‘Bene Appetit,’ a brief, simple book with recipes, historical anecdotes, and drawings, is every bit as appetizing as its informative contents. Following the introduction to Jewish culture, there are introductory chapters on the Jewish communities in India. The author, who is Jewish herself, introduces readers to the Bene Israel Jews of Western India, the Cochin Jews of Kerala, the Baghdadis of Kolkata, the Bene Ephraim of Andhra Pradesh, and the Bnei Menashe of Manipur and Mizoram.
This book is an attempt to document and trace the traditional cuisines, festivals, and dietary habits of a people whose numbers are dwindling. David learns from her encounters with them that, while regional influences are abundantly visible in their eating habits, Indian Jews strictly adhere to the faith’s dietary regulations. The most crucial thing is to consume kosher meals, which means no mixing of meat and dairy products. Despite their physical separation, this commonality, coupled with religion, is what holds these communities together. And, while being well-assimilated in their almost 2,000-year-old homeland, Jews’ roots are most visible on special occasions. In the absence of kosher wine, grape juice sherbet is offered in all Jewish houses in India for Shabath prayers.
