Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-20 03:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Michael W. Twitty
- ISBN：B09L8D6RZ6
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
T
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4 solid stars。I crave cookbooks like this。 I’ve mentioned in other reviews that Jewish cuisine is one I’m not very familiar with so when you combine that with soul food， I want more of these types of cookbooks。 It’s also a memoir and a fascinating one at that。 The only reason it’s not 5 stars is the lack of pictures of the recipes and the fact that some ingredients might be hard to source。 Despite those minor oversights， this is a fascinating addition to anyone’s bookshelf。
Bookreporter。com Biography & Memoir
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Reading KOSHERSOUL reminds me of why books are a never-ending joy。 The James Beard award-winning author of THE COOKING GENE， Michael W。 Twitty describes his acclaimed first book as planting the seeds for him to talk about being Black， Jewish， of Southern heritage and gay。 It allowed him to focus on how food has shaped his family tree and how the food produced， prepared and consumed along the way defines people， soul by soul。 I was drawn to his latest effort， KOSHERSOUL， thinking that it would be Reading KOSHERSOUL reminds me of why books are a never-ending joy。 The James Beard award-winning author of THE COOKING GENE， Michael W。 Twitty describes his acclaimed first book as planting the seeds for him to talk about being Black， Jewish， of Southern heritage and gay。 It allowed him to focus on how food has shaped his family tree and how the food produced， prepared and consumed along the way defines people， soul by soul。 I was drawn to his latest effort， KOSHERSOUL， thinking that it would be an opportunity for me to learn more about Black Jews and what I share with them。 I was not disappointed。When Twitty speaks of the ingredients that Blacks and Jews bring to the table， he reminds me of our commonality。 We both talk about food we had before and the food we are going to have next while eating the meal at hand。 The food we eat is often supplemented with conversation containing sarcasm and irony。 KOSHERSOUL is the second in a trilogy about the intersection between food and identity。 Twitty hopes to tell a story of two cultures that may not always speak the same language but have experienced a great deal of history together。KOSHERSOUL is a tribute to food and so much more。 It is not just a question of where the food comes from or how it became part of the culture。 It is an observation of how the food makes the people and how two cultures that shared oppression and marginalization across the world continue to validate their identity。 After the publication of THE COOKING GENE， Twitty observed in an interview， “People will say， ‘I don’t understand you --- you’re black and you’re Jewish， I don’t get it。’ And then， when you feed them， they get you immediately。 They understand you。”There is a uniqueness to Twitty that drives his passion to unite and share the multi-cultures of his life。 After college， he worked as an intern at the Smithsonian developing a Jewish foodways program。 One day he traveled to the Magen David Synagogue in Maryland searching for a recipe。 The first person he met there was a young African American man， which he thought was a sign。 Two years later， he completed an Orthodox conversion to Judaism。 But he is quick to observe that many Black Jews are not converts to Judaism or “Jews by choice。” They are Jewish by birth and proudly so。 From around the world and from synagogues in Harlem and the south side of Chicago， many Black Jews have deep roots spanning generations。While KOSHERSOUL remains far more than a cookbook， it concludes with an epilogue titled “If I Were a Cookbook。” The recipes here provide readers with a full measure of what this book truly means。 They include Koshersoul Collards， Swahili Roast Chicken （prepared for the Sabbath meal）， various versions of the Jewish staple noodle kugel， and yam latkes for Hanukkah。 Hopefully some of these delicacies will appear at a holiday meal with my family。Although this is a book that I wouldn’t normally gravitate towards， it was a joy to read and fascinating to consider what Twitty offers in his comments about cultural identity experienced at the dinner table。 Even if you can’t boil water， KOSHERSOUL should remind you of your own past and the joy of family celebrations。 As Harry Golden， another famous Jewish writer， once observed， “ENJOY， ENJOY！”Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman 。。。more
Lynn Sherman
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We received our hardcover today。 Read it in one sitting。 Don’t miss this book。
Suzy
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I read Michael Twitty's other book and i really enjoyed it。 I wanted to read this to read more about him being Black and Jewish and how the intersect and help him create food。 I like how we get the traditional dishes of various African countries， to the meals cooked up in the slave cabins of his ancestors， to the Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions that are now his traditions， I like Michael Twitty's writing， it eloquently expresses his cultures and his love of food。 Being Jewish myself I love th I read Michael Twitty's other book and i really enjoyed it。 I wanted to read this to read more about him being Black and Jewish and how the intersect and help him create food。 I like how we get the traditional dishes of various African countries， to the meals cooked up in the slave cabins of his ancestors， to the Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions that are now his traditions， I like Michael Twitty's writing， it eloquently expresses his cultures and his love of food。 Being Jewish myself I love that he talks about one Jewish motto， that goes into many of our celebrations and food。 They tried to kill us; they failed; let’s eat。 I hope others enjoy this look into Michael Twitty's culture and food。 Thanks NetGalley for this ARC！ 。。。more
Emmalita
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July did not go the way I thought it would。 instead of moving out of a very stressful 6 weeks dealing with health issues， I got drop kicked into a very stressful month of needing to find a new place to live， packing and moving and managing a whole bunch of people’s emotions。 I meant to get Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew reviewed a month ago， but it was beyond my ability。 The review I would have written is very different and probably better than this review that July did not go the way I thought it would。 instead of moving out of a very stressful 6 weeks dealing with health issues， I got drop kicked into a very stressful month of needing to find a new place to live， packing and moving and managing a whole bunch of people’s emotions。 I meant to get Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew reviewed a month ago， but it was beyond my ability。 The review I would have written is very different and probably better than this review that I’m actually writing。 There are a lot of details I’ve forgotten about the book， but what stayed with me is the spirit and feeling of the book。 I kept in mind that through this period of intense emotion and upheaval， I could choose connection and caring instead if retreating into myself。 I chose to keep connecting to people and caring for people – usually through food。 In my last week with the people who have been like a family to me， I baked chocolate cakes， cookies， blondies， raspberry oat bars， biscuits and bread。 I made soups and salads and sliced fruit for snacking。 I didn’t do it to make sure I would be missed but to stay in the moment。 To reinforce that though we are soon to be separated by thousands of miles， we are a part of each other。Michael W。 Twitty’s first book， The Cooking Gene， was one of my favorite books of 2019。 After I read it， I wished so much that I could have discussed it with my great-grandmother， a very Southern cook。 She slid into dementia before I was realized she was my connection to my familial roots。 As a white Southerner， familial roots are thorny， but Twitty’s book made me want to dive more deeply into that thorny heritage。 Koshersoul is a wonderful exploration of identity and the intersection of identities。 One of the features of white supremacy is the flattening and ossification of identity。 Identities that should be fluid become rigidly codified， making inclusion a scarcity。 Koshersoul is an act of protest against that scarcity。 Twitty’s style is meandering and thoughtful。 But the point is always to prove the table should be bigger。I received this as an advance reader copy via NetGalley。 My opinions are my own， freely and honestly given。 。。。more
Jamie Holloway
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I enjoyed the history part of it， the descriptions， and the passionate way you describes things。 However， I found the book dry in a few places and it would have been nice to include some recipes to some of the meals he describes。
Book Club of One
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Michael W。 Twitty is a culinary historian， living history interpreter， and Judaics teacher。 Here， in his second book， Twitty creates a work centered on identity intersectionality as demonstrated through a hybrid of personal experience， cultural practice， history and interviews。 Koshersoul is: "about how our food makes us， but it's also about the other stuff that gives the food meaning。。" （Last page of the introduction）。 Divided into five sections of varying lengths， Twitty takes us through his p Michael W。 Twitty is a culinary historian， living history interpreter， and Judaics teacher。 Here， in his second book， Twitty creates a work centered on identity intersectionality as demonstrated through a hybrid of personal experience， cultural practice， history and interviews。 Koshersoul is: "about how our food makes us， but it's also about the other stuff that gives the food meaning。。" （Last page of the introduction）。 Divided into five sections of varying lengths， Twitty takes us through his personal path of discovery and embrace of Judaism and the role of food in it。 Intercutting this journey are interviews with others about their journeys of faith or cooking， or explanations of terminologies or the challenges of identity。 Twitty is gay， Black， Jewish and of Southern descent and the personal experiences he shares show the challenges he's faced in being understood or accepted。 Racism is in most communities， even those who portray themselves as accepting or liberal。 Unfortunately， this hybrid format leads to an uneven overall product。 Sections are of differing lengths。 For example the introduction is very well written and explained， whereas other sections are short transcriptions of interviews or a brief explanation before moving on to other topics。 The narrative is very focused on the Jewish faith and uses many Yiddish or Hebrew phrases， while these aren't defined beyond context， there is a robust glossary available。 For those not familiar with Jewish culture or languages may find it a more difficult read。 As noted in the description， there are around 50 recipes in this volume， making up the last section of the work。 Some are simply the ingredients and instructions， while others offer some understanding of their family history or context。 Some of the recipes are very complex， with long lists of ingredients。Overall a fascinating read that explores the Jewish and African Diaspora cultures and foldaways， that would be of most interest to those reflected in the title。 I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley。 。。。more
Alice
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This was a surprising book that came to me at the perfect time （I was gifted a pre-pub uncorrected proof after entering a Goodreads drawing）。 I have recently been struggling -- along with many others， I'm quite sure -- with feelings of alienation that have been brought to the surface by various forces。 Not only has the pandemic disrupted our sense of community in many ways （gathering can be a complicated and sometimes dangerous thing）， but the politicization of just about everything （how is wear This was a surprising book that came to me at the perfect time （I was gifted a pre-pub uncorrected proof after entering a Goodreads drawing）。 I have recently been struggling -- along with many others， I'm quite sure -- with feelings of alienation that have been brought to the surface by various forces。 Not only has the pandemic disrupted our sense of community in many ways （gathering can be a complicated and sometimes dangerous thing）， but the politicization of just about everything （how is wearing a mask as a sign that you want your fellow beings to be well and feel safe become a political act？） has created an environment where I've learned things about some friends and loved ones that I really didn't want to know （they perhaps deserve a heaping helping of cheeto pie）。 That sense of isolation has me looking for ways to reconnect with my true mishpocheh。I approached the book already a fan of Michael Twitty's work， as a former small-time food writer （I was lucky enough to do recipe testing for one of Bryant Terry's cookbooks）， as a current Southerner who was raised by socially progressive parents who come from a long line of low-born working class white folks （mom was raised in the Jim Crow South; dad in the small Rust Belt town where I grew up）， and as someone born into into a Presby-Catholic family that grew into pantheism。 I do faith， religion， and spirituality a la carte， tend to explore experientially， and obviously food is one of the best places to get started。I expected to learn more about the cuisines of the Jewish and Black diasporas， and that was definitely conveyed， with so much richness， depth and historical context。 But the great gift here for me was the open and honest discussion of the different communities Twitty occupies， how to find a place in those （and potentially other） communities， and how one can find a welcoming seat at the various tables where we might find ourselves。 Twitty shows us how we might all allow ourselves the grace to feel welcome at unfamiliar tables， and to make sure that others feel welcome at our own table。 This is not just about the food （although that is very important， because that is often the very thing over which we so often meet）， but also about the rich history that brought us to the table in the first place。 In a time when it feels like the loudest people have nothing to offer but divisiveness， Twitty quietly and profoundly delivers concurrence， harmony， and a delicious sense of satiety。 。。。more
Beka McBride
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I loved this book！ Such an important discussion on the intersectionality of Judaism， Race， and Sexuality。 Each of these conversations has been happening in parallel， but it is crucial that we overlap these discussion so that we can all appreciate the *AND* of experiencing all of these at once。 It can also help others with empathy and being better allies。 Calling out racism and anti-semitism brings the bad behavior to the surface， and awareness begets change。 Twitty's voice and journalistic style I loved this book！ Such an important discussion on the intersectionality of Judaism， Race， and Sexuality。 Each of these conversations has been happening in parallel， but it is crucial that we overlap these discussion so that we can all appreciate the *AND* of experiencing all of these at once。 It can also help others with empathy and being better allies。 Calling out racism and anti-semitism brings the bad behavior to the surface， and awareness begets change。 Twitty's voice and journalistic style brought these conversations to light。The interviews were insightful and the range was diverse， as well。 The recipes look AMAZING and such a fun blend of cuisines。 I particularly loved the way he discussed bringing Southern and Black culture into his seder plate。This is a must-read for everyone as we continue these conversations around diversity and allyship in the US。Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Michelle
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Verbose！ Recipes at the end of the book look yummy
Jaime
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One of my faves of 2022 for sure。 My ARC is full of underlining， starring， commentary - such a wonderful， insightful book and the recipes in the back even make ME want to cook。 I have ideas for our next Shabbat dinner and I literally LOL’d when I saw the words “I miss Cheerwine” in the book。 （IYKYK）。 A thoughtful book about culture， food， identity， life…。I can’t even properly think through everything right now bc I need to let the book sit for a bit in my head。 I can’t wait to reread this。 This One of my faves of 2022 for sure。 My ARC is full of underlining， starring， commentary - such a wonderful， insightful book and the recipes in the back even make ME want to cook。 I have ideas for our next Shabbat dinner and I literally LOL’d when I saw the words “I miss Cheerwine” in the book。 （IYKYK）。 A thoughtful book about culture， food， identity， life…。I can’t even properly think through everything right now bc I need to let the book sit for a bit in my head。 I can’t wait to reread this。 This is a must-read for everyone， IMO。 。。。more
Trena
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Chef Twitty describes this book as a hybrid and I couldn't agree more。 It is so much more than a cookbook。 It's packed with history， religion， personal experiences， culture， and recipes。 My favorites are the spice mixes。 I also liked Chef Twitty's suggestions to change up recipes using ingredients you may not have thought to use。 Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Chef Twitty describes this book as a hybrid and I couldn't agree more。 It is so much more than a cookbook。 It's packed with history， religion， personal experiences， culture， and recipes。 My favorites are the spice mixes。 I also liked Chef Twitty's suggestions to change up recipes using ingredients you may not have thought to use。 Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers 。。。more
Tala
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Michael W。 Twitty is a chef and author I have been following for years。 While I do have his first book， The Cooking Gene， I jumped on this ARC the first chance I got。 I am so glad I did。 Even if you aren't a religious person， this is a gem of a book you need on your TBR。 Twitty talks about his time traveling and teaching at Hebrew School， and all of the microaggressions and hoops he had to jump through just to exist。 You will be drawn in by the history， the detailed descriptions of all of the de Michael W。 Twitty is a chef and author I have been following for years。 While I do have his first book， The Cooking Gene， I jumped on this ARC the first chance I got。 I am so glad I did。 Even if you aren't a religious person， this is a gem of a book you need on your TBR。 Twitty talks about his time traveling and teaching at Hebrew School， and all of the microaggressions and hoops he had to jump through just to exist。 You will be drawn in by the history， the detailed descriptions of all of the delicious ingredients and foods， and Twitty's heartfelt storytelling。 ARC provided by Netgalley and Goodreads in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Susie Dumond
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Food writer and culinary historian Michael W。 Twitty has an incredible gift for exploring meaning， purpose， and nuance in food we often take for granted。 In this book， Twitty dives into the intersections of Black and Jewish cuisines and cultures。 Koshersoul weaves together Twitty's experiences as a Black gay Jewish man， interviews， recipes， and more。 While it felt a little scattered at times， I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC！ Food writer and culinary historian Michael W。 Twitty has an incredible gift for exploring meaning， purpose， and nuance in food we often take for granted。 In this book， Twitty dives into the intersections of Black and Jewish cuisines and cultures。 Koshersoul weaves together Twitty's experiences as a Black gay Jewish man， interviews， recipes， and more。 While it felt a little scattered at times， I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC！ 。。。more
Stephanie
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It’s not hugely often that I’m in time to spot Jewish books on NetGalley （I’m deeply realistic about what I have time for， so I tend to not browse the NetGalley shelves too often！）， but I was thrilled when I happened to be clicking through and stumbled upon Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew by Michael W。 Twitty （Amistad Press， 2022）。 I have Mr。 Twitty’s first book， The Cooking Gene， on my TBR， but haven’t gotten to it yet， mostly due to the pandemic （it’s availabl It’s not hugely often that I’m in time to spot Jewish books on NetGalley （I’m deeply realistic about what I have time for， so I tend to not browse the NetGalley shelves too often！）， but I was thrilled when I happened to be clicking through and stumbled upon Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew by Michael W。 Twitty （Amistad Press， 2022）。 I have Mr。 Twitty’s first book， The Cooking Gene， on my TBR， but haven’t gotten to it yet， mostly due to the pandemic （it’s available at a nearby library， but I’ve been staying out of other libraries for the most part， in the attempts to keep their foot traffic lower）。 I was so excited when I received notice that my request had been approved。 Into the world of Black Jewish cooking I dove！Michael Twitty is a chef and a writer， living at the intersection of Black and Jewish in a country （and a world） that doesn’t have an excess amount of kindness for either group。 That said， despite people’s confusion， despite people not understanding and deliberately not bothering to learn， being Black and Jewish co-exists beautifully together and is expressed lovingly in many ways， chiefly in the food that Mr。 Twitty cooks。 From the traditional dishes of various African countries， to the meals cooked up in the slave cabins of his ancestors， to the Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions that are now his traditions， Michael Twitty finds deep meaning in the art and flavors of cooking and how his many beautiful identities affect his culinary creations。Part-memoir， part academic history， part exploration of the culture of food and how our identity contributes to what we cook （and how Black identity in particular brings not just baggage， but joy and beauty）， Koshersoul defies genre – maybe making the point that those of us with multiple intersecting identities defy traditional classification as well。 Michael Twitty is a talented， eloquent writer。 His writing is scholarly enough to challenge my exhausted， pandemic-addled brain， but friendly and comfortable enough that reading this is joyful。 He writes of his life， his ancestors， with a deep reverence， and the same reverence is afforded to the food he creates and serves。 To him， cooking is an art and deserves the same respect afforded to works of art， and his veneration of tradition has made me consider cooking in a different way: less of a chore， more of an act of worship， a respect for those who came before us， a celebration of who we are and our survival over the centuries。 They tried to kill us; they failed; let’s eat。 Koshersoul wanders from subject to subject; it doesn’t follow any linear structure， but that’s part of what keeps it so interesting。 His interviews with other Black Jews and chefs （many of whom I already follow on Twitter， so it was great seeing their words in long form！） intrigued me， but I also deeply appreciated reading Mr。 Twitty’s experiences， difficult as some of them must have been to recount （racism is， unfortunately， alive and well in the Jewish community）。 The book is also heavy on Judaism and his life within it， so that absolutely called to me and made my soul happy。Koshersoul is available from retailers on August 9th （and it contains recipes！）。 。。。more
Grace
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Thank you to Amistad and NetGalley for providing me a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review。I'll admit， I requested this ARC on a whim， as I was really interested in the premise of a book on the intersection of Blackness and Jewishness， particularly through the lens of food。 And while I do think we kind of got that， I did feel like the concept here was a little all over the place。 The food aspect often felt like an afterthought， and while I did find the normalization of Black Jews an Thank you to Amistad and NetGalley for providing me a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review。I'll admit， I requested this ARC on a whim， as I was really interested in the premise of a book on the intersection of Blackness and Jewishness， particularly through the lens of food。 And while I do think we kind of got that， I did feel like the concept here was a little all over the place。 The food aspect often felt like an afterthought， and while I did find the normalization of Black Jews and the centering of that particular intersection to be really interesting， I just didn't feel like the entire book was particularly cohesive--I wanted a tighter narrative focus， and this almost felt like I was reading an early draft/collection of possible topics， not a finished work。I'm also neither Black， nor Jewish， and while it's never explicitly stated anywhere， it felt very clear that I'm not meant to be this book's audience。 There's a lot of Yiddish in the text， oftentimes without definition。 On the one hand， I can appreciate the centering of the Jewish experience， but as somebody with a decent familiarity with Jewish customs due to learning/friendships， but without the deep knowledge that comes from lived experience， it felt like I was missing a lot of context while reading。Finally， there was the recipe section at the end， which is what I was most looking forward to， but I found a little underwhelming。 Essentially none of the recipes have photos， which for me is a pretty basic requirement， and nothing quite spoke to me。 I think this is partially just because I'm not the right audience。I did enjoy the book overall， but I think I didn't quite understand *what* this book was supposed to be。 I can appreciate the sort of fusion attempts here， but ultimately I think it tried to do a bit too much。 。。。more
Anneke
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Book Review: Koshersoul - The Faith and Food Journey of an African American JewAuthor: Michael W。 TwittyPublisher: AmmistadPublication Date: August 9， 2022Review Date: May 9， 2022I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。From the blurb:”The James Beard award-winning author of the acclaimed The Cooking Gene explores the cultural crossroads of Jewish and African diaspora cuisine and issues of memory， identity， and food。In Koshersoul， Michael W。 Twitty cons Book Review: Koshersoul - The Faith and Food Journey of an African American JewAuthor: Michael W。 TwittyPublisher: AmmistadPublication Date: August 9， 2022Review Date: May 9， 2022I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。From the blurb:”The James Beard award-winning author of the acclaimed The Cooking Gene explores the cultural crossroads of Jewish and African diaspora cuisine and issues of memory， identity， and food。In Koshersoul， Michael W。 Twitty considers the marriage of two of the most distinctive culinary cultures in the world today: the foods and traditions of the African Atlantic and the global Jewish diaspora。 To Twitty， the creation of African-Jewish cooking is a conversation of migrations and a dialogue of diasporas offering a rich background for inventive recipes and the people who create them。 The question that most intrigues him is not just who makes the food， but how the food makes the people。 Jews of Color are not outliers， Twitty contends， but significant and meaningful cultural creators in both Black and Jewish civilizations。 Koshersoul also explores how food has shaped the journeys of numerous cooks， including Twitty’s own passage to and within Judaism。As intimate， thought-provoking， and profound as The Cooking Gene， this remarkable book teases the senses as it offers sustenance for the soul。Koshersoul includes 48-50 recipes。”———I should just not have started reading this book。 I thought it was going to be interesting， but I got very tired of Michael Twitty’s self-righteous tone。 I’m not sure why， but his writing just rubbed me the wrong way。 Too much self-absorbed talk。 I never got to the part with recipes because I had to abandon the book about halfway through。 I would not recommend this book， unless you have a lot of patience to put up with a lot of navel-gazing。 Thank you to Amistad for giving me access to this book， and best of luck to Mr。 Twitty with his career。This review will be posted on NetGalley and Goodreads。#netgalley #koshersoul #amistad #michaeltwitty 。。。more
Jennifer Schultz
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As someone who read--and absolutely devoured--The Cooking Gene， I am familiar with Twitty's style of writing （I also follow him on Twitter）。 Like The Cooking Gene， this does cover quite a bit of territory/stories （and tends to meander a bit， but it's fine）， is deeply personal， and is wholly unique。 I am neither Jewish nor Black， so I know very little about the history of Black Jews。 I am from New Orleans and am familiar with the history of general Southern cooking and its deep roots in African a As someone who read--and absolutely devoured--The Cooking Gene， I am familiar with Twitty's style of writing （I also follow him on Twitter）。 Like The Cooking Gene， this does cover quite a bit of territory/stories （and tends to meander a bit， but it's fine）， is deeply personal， and is wholly unique。 I am neither Jewish nor Black， so I know very little about the history of Black Jews。 I am from New Orleans and am familiar with the history of general Southern cooking and its deep roots in African and Black American food/cooking。 I found this a very enticing and eye-opening read。 Many thanks to Amistad and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Leah M
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