Eat this! Black-eyed peas, for a lucky New Year!

What it is: A kind of cowpea, the black-eyed pea or bean (Vigna unguiculata unguiculata), is a mild-tasting, kidney-shaped legume with a black ring at its center, typically used as a dried bean. Southern U.S. legend has it that eating blackeyes at New Year’s Day brings good luck and prosperity in the coming year.
Where it [...]

Night out: Celebrate Hanukkah with the Klezmatics

The Klezmatics: “Happy Joyous Hanukkah” by Woody Guthrie

Experience the heights of contemporary Jewish music at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, when Klezmer superstars The Klezmatics come to Skokie’s North Shore Center for the Performing Arts for a Hanukkah concert sponsored by Kfar Jewish Arts Center and Center East.
Tickets are $48. For a $5 discount, enter [...]

Night out: Kvell with Don Byron and the music of Mickey Katz

The early show is already sold out, bubelehs, so sign up quick so you shouldn’t miss the late show: Don Byron: The Music of Mickey Katz at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Theater in Streeterville. Tickets are $20.
A great African-American jazz musician channeling one of the finest Yiddish [...]

This week on the foodie book tour beat

Two foodie book events are on the menu this week:

Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François will kick off the promotional tour for their new cookbook, “Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” with a signing at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Borders in LaGrange.

David Sax will give a talk and reading from his book, “Save [...]

How can we save the Jewish deli?

The Sun-Times recently wrote about the disappearing Jewish delicatessen, a phenomenon chronicled in David Sax’s new book, “Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen,” based on his similarly named blog.
Reporter Mike Thomas clearly isn’t too familiar with Jewish deli food (claiming much of it is “creamed [...]

Eat this! Lekach: Jewish honey cake, for a sweet new year

 
What it is: A loaf-style cake sweetened with honey, one of the many richly symbolic foods traditionally served at Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, which begins at sunset, Friday, Sept. 18.
Where it comes from: Jewish custom calls for serving sweet foods at Rosh Hashana to signify hopes for a sweet year to come. [...]