Anyone who is part of a Jewish community will know that food is an integral part of the religion. Through celebrations such as Rosh Hashana, Shabbat and Hanukkah, food has become a way to honor Judaica history, ancestors and virtues. Not only this, but it is a way to come together and integrate with friends and family over beautifully cooked, delicious meals.
In many ways, Jewish food is an art piece. Whether it’s the intricately woven braids of a Challah, or the smooth, multi-layered pastry of a Bourekas, Jewish food is not only a treat for the taste buds, but a gorgeous visual for any tabletop.
Having said this, there are ways to elevate your own cooking to the next level and make it even more beautiful than it was before. If you are preparing to host a holiday gathering and are looking for some ideas to visually stun your guests, then here are a few pointers which you might find helpful.
Tell A Story With Hamantaschen
Hamantaschen is one of the most delicious desserts for the Jewish holiday Purim. If you go to the effort of making them properly, then you can intricately shape these cookies into the ears of Haman, who is the villain of the Purim story who tried to destroy the Jews of Persia.
From here, you can then fill them with a plethora of alternate fillings, including caramel, apples, strawberries or even gummies for the children. This will give your plate a sense of craft and colour which is hard to replicate with anything else.
Symbolise Your Religion With Kibbeh
Often, Kibbeh comes in the form of crispy, tornado shaped meatballs with a wheat crust. Due to the variations on how it’s made, however, many people use it to create interesting patterns on the plate. The Star of David, in particular, is easy to represent with this kind of dish.
Simply by placing each meatball in the shape of a star, topped with a drizzle of oil and some pine nuts, you can create a spectacular image which will impress any guest. There will be plenty of other opportunities to do this with other dishes, too, but if you want to start off with something a little easier, then Kibbeh is certainly your best bet. Although, we should probably mention it’s delicious, which means your star symbol probably won’t last very long.
The Table Is The Canvas
When it comes to creating a beautiful, Jewish dinner, it is important to think about the picture as a whole. This includes the table, which should look equally as beautiful as the dishes you are displaying on top of it.
On the Nadav Art web, there are plenty of dinner sets, honey dishes and spice boxes which can help amplify the tabletop and perfectly compliment the food. For instance, drizzling the honey from a honey dish onto a gorgeous teiglach pastry is far more visually appealing than simply squeezing it out of the bottle. Take a look on the site, be inventive, and go all out. That way, it will certainly be a holiday to remember.
