Blog: SEPHARDIC FOOD – an exploration and celebration of the Judeo-Spanish culinary legacy

I don’t think it’s possible to explore a culture without examining its cuisine, or a cuisine without examining its culture.  They are intertwined and interdependent, influenced as much by philosophy and custom as they are by the ingredients available at the local market.  
 
The focus of this blog is Sephardic (Judeo-Spanish) food and culture.   Through shared histories, recipes, personal experience and informed observations, I hope to impart not only a sense of what it is to be and feel (and eat, of course) Sephardic, but an opportunity to live and explore our legacy in a meaningful way in the 21st century. 

Enjoy the stories, the commentary, the glossary, the photos.  Ask questions, offer your own insight, visit often.  And by all means, try the recipes.

Janet Amateau is a descendant of the Sephardic communities of The Island of Rhodes and Adalia, Turkey and had the good fortune to grow up in New York in a (half) Ladino-speaking household immersed in the generous, hospitable, Sephardic tradition of preparing and sharing delicious meals over lively conversation.  For over a decade she worked in international hospitality and tourism and has created menus for landmark restaurants and hotels including New York’s Tavern on the Green and The Brown Palace Hotel in Denver.  She has participated in the annual European Day of Jewish Culture as caterer for the City of Barcelona (2005-2007) and has been a lecturer for the education staff of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York.  Currently she lives in Spain and owns a restaurant, Tradescantia, halfway between Barcelona and Gerona.

To visit the blog http://sephardicfood.com/