photo taken by lifebeginsat50mm, on Fevruary 24, 2008, CC licensing

BIELSKO-BIALA, POLAND

Column published on 20.08.2009 -  ©: all pictures by Ruth Ellen Gruber (except where notified)

-- Before visiting Bielsko-Biala in southern Poland, I went online to check hotels. One of them, I found, was offering what it called a "Jewish Heritage Package."

photo taken by Frédérique Voisin-Demery, on November 5, 2012, CC licensing

adapted from The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews II by Edda Servi Machlin
(Giro Press 1992)
Yield: 12 servings

photo taken by Jules Morgan, on November 7, 2009, CC licensing

Adapted from Jewish Holiday Cooking: A Food Lovers Treasury of Classics and Improvisations by Jayne Cohen (Wiley)

Yield: About 2 cups

photo taken by mharvey75, on April 3, 2008, CC licensing

Yield: 4 to 5 serving
Ingredients:
1 cup coarsely chopped half-sour or garlic-dill pickles
2 tablespoons liquid from pickle jar (include peppercorns and other flavorings, if desired)
3 tablespoons best-quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh lemon juice

photo taken by artizone, on October 21, 2011, CC licensing

adapted from Jewish Holiday Cooking: A Food Lover's Treasury of Classics and Improvisations by Jayne Cohen (Wiley, 2008)

Yield: About 24 fish dumplings

photo taken by Andrea Goh, on December 24, 2011, CC licensing

Cauliflower gets plenty of pizzazz in this kugel from sautéed aromatics and smoked paprika. A garlicky matzoh topping lends welcome crunch.

Serves about 6-8 as a side dish

For the topping:

photo taken by Elana Amsterdam, on March 19, 2010, CC licensing

Recipe taken from 1000 Jewish Recipes by Faye Levy (IDG Books)

photo taken by Suzie Y, on June 7, 2007, CC licensing

Yield: 40-50 pastries

photo taken by Andy Jien, on November 24, 2013, CC licensing

To make this beautiful jam, you’ll need unsprayed roses with a strong fragrance: petals without much scent will give you a bland, tasteless jam. To serve, spread on toast, muffins, scones, crepes and such; spread between layers and on top of delicate cakes; use as a filling for jelly doughnuts; or stir into yogurt or puddings.

photo taken by Garrett Ziegler, on June 17, 2011, CC licensing

Recipe from Jayne's book: "Jewish Holiday Cooking: A Food Lover's Treasury of Classics and Improvisations" - buy this book here.

Yield: 4 to 5 servings