This week, we have a guest post from Emily Segal, a Holistic Nutrition Coach and food blogger who lives in Israel. She writes about the traditional foods that Israelis eat during Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year, which begins tonight) and the challenges of adapting traditional recipes for a vegan diet. She shares some recipes she created, too. Here’s Emily:
A Vegan Rosh Hashanah
by Emily Segal
Israel’s food scene today is an eclectic mix of European, North African, and Middle Eastern dishes. But even in this great culinary melting pot, there are traditional holiday foods considered as sacrosanct as turkey on Thanksgiving. On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, there are also symbolic foods chosen for their seasonal availability, and for the similarity in their appearance and/or names to concepts such as good luck, financial prosperity, fertility, and national peace – all worthy New Year wishes.
Sliced carrots are eaten because they resemble coins. The head of a fish or sheep is served so that we may be “the head and not the tail”. Pomegranates, which figure prominently in the celebration, allegedly contain 613 seeds, the precise number of good deeds commanded of every observant Jew. Other traditional dishes include a variety of stuffed vegetables, like cabbage, eggplant, and zucchini, all said to symbolize abundance and fertility.
Even the Talmud states “Since symbols are meaningful, everyone should eat the following on the New Year: gourds, black-eyed peas, leeks, beets, and dates.” These foods were specified because their names in Hebrew or Aramaic are similar to other words signifying: recognition for good deeds, abundance, and the elimination of enemies.
As a Vegan concerned with nutrition and health, I have added an additional unique twist to the traditional foods: My chopped liver is made from string beans, walnuts, and lentils. My stuffed cabbage is filled with tempeh and mushrooms. My “chicken” soup is made from vegetable broth and my soup dumplings are a mix of chickpea flour and semolina. My holiday desserts are baked without eggs and sweetened without honey.
It took a bit of experimentation in the kitchen, but I created an entire holiday menu that tastes delicious and will please both omnivores expecting a traditional meal, as well as vegans and vegetarians.
Today I wanted to share with my fellow wanderfoodies, a dish of sweet and savory carrots, so that we may all experience a new year filled with abundance in all things. Traditionally, this dish would be sweetened with honey, but since honey isn’t vegan, I have used silan, a syrup made from dates. You could substitute molasses, maple syrup, or agave nectar.
For the rest of my Vegan Rosh Hashanah menu, you can visit my website HERE.
Spicy Carrots with Sweet Silan Glaze
• 1 lb (500 g) carrots (about 5 medium carrots)
• pinch of sea salt
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 5 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup water
• few dashes of Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1-2 Tbsp silanPeel carrots and slice them into discs. Put them in a saucepan, sprinkle with salt, and just cover with water. Bring to a boil, then cover, lower heat, and simmer until the carrots are soft (about 20 minutes). Drain the carrots. Dry the saucepan, then add the oil and fry the garlic for about 30 seconds. Don’t let it burn! Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 5 minutes. Add the carrots back into the pan with the sauce and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes until the carrots are coated. Serve hot or cold.
Happy New Year!
Emily Segal is a Holistic Nutrition Coach, currently living in Israel. Her nutrition-based food blog can be found at www.TriumphWellness.com/blog.
[mrlinky owner=wanderfood postid=28Sep2011 meme=2888]
Photo credits:
Pomegranate photo by ahisgett (flickr)
All other photos ©Emily Segal