Eating As a Way to Remember the Past - Hélène Jawhara Piñer

“This proves the richness- how Sephardic culture is powerful because when you study Jewish Sephardic culture, this is not only about cooking, it’s about a way of life, a way of thinking. You have to take this as a whole, in fact, you think Jewish, you cook Sephardic food, and this has consequences in your life.”

For Episode 5 of “What’s Your FOODISH?” we welcome chef, author, teacher, FOODISH board member, and academic star in connecting the worlds of food, culture, and heritage, Hélène Jawhara Piñer. Hélène’s cookbook “Sephardi: Cooking the History. Recipes of the Jews of Spain and the Diaspora from the 13th Century to Today” won Gourmet Magazine’s award for Best Jewish Cookbook in 2021. A native of France, Hélène has extensively studied the anti-semitic nature of 12th century Spain and Italy through the lens of Jewish culinary practices, and she believes that, “eating is a way to remember the past and it is meaningful because, I think, that when you eat something and when you know about the origin of the dish and the history of the dish, so the dish tastes totally different.”

Today, Hélène speaks with FOODISH CEO, Merav Oren, about how she feels more Spanish than French (sorry Mom), how her grandmother keeps Jewish practices without knowing exactly why, and her deep love and respect for Maimonides. She tells us about her favorite dishes- Fideos with Tuna and Mint, Shakshouka, Hojuelas- how Shabbat is synonymous with homemade Challah, and she will always continue to eat the cake.

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