"Cooking Jewish": every recipe has a story

By Patricia Reaney

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - For Judy Bart Kancigor writing a cookbook was a labor of love as well as a trip back to her childhood and the aromas and tastes she grew up with.

Although it is packed with 532 recipes and hundreds of photographs, "Cooking Jewish," which includes more than 160 stories, is also the history of the Rabinowitz family and the foods they love to eat.

"It has been a four and a half year nostalgia trip," said Kancigor of the time it took her to compile the recipes contributed by 300 members of her extended family.

Whether it is a recipe for Rugelach, Potato Knishes, Gramma Sera Fritkin's Russian Brisket or Aunt Shirley's Chicken Stupid every recipe has a history.

Kancigor spoke to Reuters about why she took on the project and how she hopes it will inspire other families to record the recipes of their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins before they are lost forever.

Q: What inspired you to write the book?

A: "This came out of a self-publish book that I had done before. It was supposed to be just for my family. At the time my aunts were starting to die off and we were expecting our first grandchild. That's when it hit me -- that one generation was leaving and another generation was coming.

"I wanted to make sure my coming grandchild knew the stories and history of my family, especially the fabulous food. I wrote a letter to my relatives asking for recipes and stories and before I knew it in-laws of in-laws begged to be in this cookbook."